PLUSES: Redesign with more energetic engine as well as better mileage.
MINUSES: Rear seat head and leg room.
Toyota's Scion division that caters to the young, whether in age or of heart, has brought out Generation II of the tC coupe for 2011 with a redesign, more safety systems, but only one dimension change---1 1/2 inches of added width.
While youth has focused on well developed Abs, perhaps Scion is telling them that they neglected the hips.
The extra hip room is welcome, but when Gen III comes along, Scion might want to work on added head and leg room in the back seat, which is best left with seat backs folded for now to expand the cargo hold to handle more gear.
Other than the styling update, with a longer sedan-like roof rather than sharply slanted coupe-like roof (thankfully Scion see the directive from Mercedes and BMW about sloping coupe-like roofs on all sedans) the big change here is a more powerful four cylinder engine.
The 2011 tC now sports a 2.5 liter, 180 h.p. four cylinder upgrade from the previous 2.4 liter, 161 h.p. four cylinder. Off the line scootability benefits. Surprisingly, so does mileage, which has increased to 23 m.p.g. city/31 m.p.g. highway with either manual or automatic, up from 20/27 with manual, 21/29 with automatic in the previous generation.
One reason, of course, is that tC now boasts either a 6-speed manual or automatic designed to squeeze more miles out of a gallon of petrol than the previous 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic.
With both manual and automatic rated the same, the argument in favor of manual for higher mileage becomes a thing of the past. You either have to love shifting or you don't.
We tested the tC with automatic.
The tC allows noise to filter inside the cabin---lots of decibels from both the 4 cylinder engine up front and exhaust system resonance in back. The folks from Scion, however, say the sound effects are by design and in keeping with the coupe's sporty image, a new intake-manifold design and a sport-tuned lightweight exhaust system deliver a "noticeably bold and aggressive sound."
Personally we'd vote for a little more cabin insulation.
No complaints with sporty handling, even though tC has put on an extra 100 pounds, thanks to suspension tuning and an upgrade to road holding, wider stance 18 inch all season radials versus 17 inches in the past. Seats have been given extra padding and beefed up side support, yet ride still is a tad firm over rough road surfaces.
The tC is loaded with safety systems, including traction control, stability control, sided curtain air bags front and rear, and driver/passenger knee bags to prevent submarining under the dash in an impact.
While the roof is long and not sharply slanted like the typical coupe, the ability to haul cargo is effected by the sloped hatchback lid. You can haul a bar stool in back, but you have to lay it on its side and can't stand it up.
A nice touch is the sunroof glass positioned over both front and back seats, with separate shades for both the front portion that opens and the rear portion that is fixed. With shades both open there's the impression the cabin is more wide open than it really is.
Up front the cloth seats are supportive and thanks to the added cabin width, hold those young of heart, if not of age, very well with ample hip and thigh room to avoid fidgeting on long trips.
For those young of age, there's the mandatory USB/auxiliary input jacks in the console, along with a power plug along the bottom of the dash to ensure iPod/MP3 player go where you do.
The tC with automatic starts at $19,275 ($18,275 manual) and comes loaded with goodies, such as power locks, power windows, and power foldable outside mirrors, rear window defogger, Pioneer AM/FM/CD player, tilt/telescoping steering wheel with radio controls on board, air conditioning and digital clock.
Options include a navi system, remote start, hands free phone, and a performance package with 19 inch radials and sports tuned shocks and springs, as well as hatch lid spoiler.
2011 Scion tC coupeWheelbase: 106.3 inches
Length: 174 inches
Engine: 2.5 liter, 180 h.p. four cylinder.
Transmission: 6-speed automatic.
Mileage: 23 m.p.g. city/31 m.p.g. highway.
Base price: $19,275.
Price as tested: Add $720 freight.