Overview & Reviews

Scion is one of the youngest brands on the market -- which seems appropriate given that it's targeted at a very youthful demographic. Scion has quickly found a home in the hearts of buyers seeking its winning blend of value and style. The frosting on this cake is that Scion is part of the Toyota family, offering all the quality and reliability you'd expect from a marque with its parentage.

When Toyota realized early in the 21st century that it was losing market share in the younger demographic due to a stodgy image, the company took a chance and decided to spin off a new brand called Scion (its name means "descendant" or "heir to"). The first Scions, the xA and xB models, were introduced for the 2004 model year. These edgy little cruisers were first available only in the California market; after a staggered rollout, Scion vehicles became available nationwide.

Both the xA and xB were immediate hits, snapped up by young (or young at heart) buyers looking for high-quality, fun and affordable wheels. The boxy yet funky styling of the Scions provided a lot of passenger and cargo room for the cars' small footprints, making them ideal choices for campus and urban residents alike. They also coddled the youth market with flashy sound systems; Scion's stereos are among the best in the economy-car segment.

The following year, the Scion brood grew to include the tC. This compact but sporty coupe offered more performance relative to its older siblings, thanks largely to a more powerful engine. The xA has since been replaced by the xD, which carries on the quirky and customizable spirit of its predecessor. By 2012, Scion had introduced the tiny iQ city car and the sporty FR-S sport coupe.

In the interest of keeping things simple for buyers, Scions typically come in only one trim level. However, buyers have the option of customizing their rides with a host of dealership-provided accessories, such as a subwoofer, body kits and custom exhausts. Scion also offers no-haggle pricing wherein buyers pay the list (window sticker) price, thus streamlining the negotiation process.

So far, a simple and well-equipped model lineup, no-haggle pricing and a variety of dealer-added options have combined to make the Scion brand popular with American consumers. The economy car segment isn't typically the first place you'd look for stylish, fun-to-drive vehicles, but Scion has changed all that by offering cars rich with a seductive exuberance that belies their modest pricing.

User Reviews:

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  Get what you pay for - 2006 Scion TC
  By mjons - October 12 - 5:46 am

  It is not a great car, just a car. The Scion tC is a good entry level car and but I do not think that it will hold its value when I go to sell it. I am just waiting to make more money to buy a nicer car.

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  Dont Buy It - 2007 Scion TC
  By Bob - September 16 - 8:40 am

  This is the most boring car Ive ever driven. Bad: It has huge body-roll in the corners, generally bad handling, a soft suspension, it feels disconnected from the road, has a bad clutch, and the red-line is too low. Good: It has nice wheels/tires and decent power for the price. The optional TYC taillights save the car from looking like every other econobox.

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  throw away car - 2006 Scion XB
  By dan - April 1 - 12:16 am

  Ok Im not going to say whats bad because I will be here for hours. Im just gonna say whats good reliability and mpg and thats it.

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  Dont Buy it!!!!!!!!!!!! - 2010 Scion TC
  By guille3 - March 22 - 3:05 pm

  Just purchased a 2010 Scion Tc, with 84 miles on it, from the dealer on Sunday and drove it to work on Monday. The car is supper noisy and handles squirrelly at high freeway speeds. Plus my back hurts from the seats. Took it back to the dealer the next day and he wanted to discount 4k off of what I paid for it. I really what to get rid of it, any suggestions?

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  Should I drive it? - 2005 Scion TC
  By Judy Cox - March 11 - 10:26 am

  I just bought a silver 2005 Scion tC with 20,000 miles. I took it in the first week for bubbles on the dash and new carpet. The curb turning to the right is blinded. Backing up is blinded in the rain with no rear wiper. The front cup holders are hard to get to. The doors are too large for compact parking. The window ledge is too high for arm resting. The dashboard reflects way too much light inside. The air conditioning is not nearly cold enough. The trunk is hard to pull down while holding other items. There is no outside trunk latch. It takes two hands to turn the steering wheel. The seat belt is hard to reach. It has lots of road vibration. It scratches and dents easily. My head and foot hit getting in and out.

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  Tires are garbage - 2008 Scion XD
  By cfeather - May 21 - 6:03 am

  Research this carefully. The Goodrich tires that came on this vehicle new are garbage. Had to be replaced at 24 K. But there are only 2 manufacturers who make a tire for this car. Both are garbage. So what good is reliability, fuel efficiency, etc. if the tires are failing? New tires (Dunlop) were $600 at dealer cost. Wheel bearing went out on my XA at 32K, so I have that to look forward to next! GM parts used on these cars, so this is to be expected.

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  Pitfalls of an xD - 2008 Scion XD
  By Duke - May 4 - 9:20 pm

  Due to sluggish brakes I rear-ended another car at 30 mph. The cars airbags deployed and i was fine, but the cars front end was demolished. Insurance estimates show repair cost to be half the price I paid for the car!

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  JUNK JUNK JUNK! - 2005 Scion TC
  By andsantucci - September 2 - 5:44 pm

  Lets see here, Ive owned the car since 2007 and Ive had nothing but a hard time. Scion is of no help either. They can only say they have made a note but have no pending open recalls or other complaints about the car. I have no working radio, a sunroof that squeals, breaks that pop and make noises, a front bumper that looks like it is holding on by floss, the rear hatch plastic is about to break off (Ive seen other Scions with tape holding up the part), over all Ive found the car to be sub-par with what Toyota has made in the past.

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  My Oil Burner, w/ no warrentee - 2008 Scion XB
  By Oil burner,not warr. - August 17 - 7:30 am

  We purchased a new efficient car 6/2008 when gas prices spiked to $4 per gallon. Well I thought I was making a good decision, but instead our car has had a constant spongy brake pedal, blown transmission at 22000, which was fixed under warranty. The brakes still are spongy and car does not stop well in snow! But this is the kicker My car burns 2.5 quarts of oil every 5000 miles! Toyotas engineers says "There standards are 1 liter of oil burn per 5000 miles is acceptable" The dealer and Corp. Toyota say they WILL NOT put an engine in! So the reallity is Im paying $400 per mth + insurance for something we dont drive. I will NEVER buy a Toyota Again!!!

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  STAY AWAY FROM SCION ANY MODEL - 2008 Scion XB
  By br2120 - January 29 - 9:32 pm

  The car came right out of the show room . from about 3 month there were issues. Transmisson rough shanging , jerking. Now at 70k it uses oil like 3 / qt per oil chaanges.Iam woking w/ deler on a oil consumption test . they tell me that 3 qt between oil changes is normal? One of the mechanics told me they were having lots of problems out this engine which is in the later modles of corolla and camery. Dont buy one.