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 The xA has since been replaced by the xD, which carries on the quirky and customizable spirit of its predecessor.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:

• 

  Scion Xa - 2005 Scion xA
  By Wmindel - January 5 - 10:00 am

  A fun to drive car. Keep in mind, rear seat is quite small - probably couldnt comfortably seat adults. Also trunk is very small. Otherwise, great car, great mileage (34 mpg) and (hopefully) Toyota reliability.

• 

  great car! - 2005 Scion TC
  By Im - January 5 - 10:00 am

  I am more happy than Lexus RX330 I had for a year. Lexus is a great car but it was just too pampering that I felt old in that car. This little tC has some stuff young people will enjoy and the design that even snobby architects (my coworkers) will love.

• 

  Good Value - 2008 Scion TC
  By Ken - December 13 - 10:00 am

  Have owned this vehicle for about 2.5 years, with 22K miles. So far no repair issues. Vehicle is essentially used by my daughter, who is off to college in January. Only complaints are paint does not resist scratches very well and stock tires are simply crap. I guess this is the real cost of having this vehicle being priced quite low in comparison to other similar vehicles. I do question why a manufacturer would put tires with a tread wear rating of only 160 on a vehicle, the cost of adding better tires would only increase the cost of the vehicle by a couple of $100! The stock tires were Yokohamas - I made sure the replacement tires were not!

• 

  Great car w/ one BIG problem - 2006 Scion TC
  By smash - December 8 - 11:40 am

  The paint began chipping on the car the first month I bought it (July of 2004). I have since gone to arbitration and spoken with many people about the ordeal and found the issue is widespread. The paint chips and peels extremely easily- unlike any other car I have had and Ive had 4 other new cars. It is ridiculous. So ridiculous in fact, that Scion decided to inconspiculously change the Silver and Navy Blue colors to nearly identical colors (but different paint) for the 06 lineup. Way to go Scion- but youve still got one big problem, you wont have a ton of repeat buyers and brand loyalty to Toyota and Lexus when your cars have to get new paint jobs every year!

• 

  Gets everyones attention - 2005 Scion XB
  By Jessie Stone - December 4 - 8:16 pm

  I love to watch heads turn as I go by. they are curious what it is as there are only a few in my area.

• 

  Toaster Tribute From Alaska - 2005 Scion XB
  By xcentric - November 10 - 11:20 pm

  Blessed to find an immaculate 05 after months researching original vs redesign; thrilled w/visibility, handling, mpg, ease of maintainence and cleaning, interior size, ease of entry/exit. Only negative so far is that rain drips into interior when window open - should be an easy fix with visors. Fun to watch folks strain their necks when seeing the xB for the first time, get lots of questions about it. Plan on keeping this forever. Will test out the traction and stability soon on the approaching ice and snow.

• 

  Great coupe with good features - 2016 Scion TC
  By CXavier - November 10 - 8:59 am

  I bought my 2016 tC in November 2016 and I love it. The car cost a little over $20k and the vehicle comes with some great features at this price point ( push to start button with smart key, 7 inch touchscreen with Bluetooth, amazing stereo, and great torque). I put this car on the road twice and the ride was perfect for going out of town on the highway. The car comes with the same 2.5 L engine as the Camry trims and the cargo space is pretty big for a car this size. Love the push to start button (which is a rare feature on an entry car starting around $20k) and you can lock and unlock the 2016 model with your hand and thumb and never have to take your keys out of your pocket. The car comes with scheduled maintenance for the first 25k miles which is a major plus. The TC is not going to be rebadged as a Toyota and not sure what is going to happen to the residual value but the XB was discontinued last year and they still hold their value pretty well and scion cars are low production so the supply should match the demand in the used market. I plan on keeping it until the odometer clocks 250-300k so resale value isnt a big deal for me. Gas mileage is average but its still a decent has saver. If you are interested in coupes at an reasonable price but the TC before the conclusion of 2016.

• 

  Overall Good Times - 2005 Scion XB
  By tatortot37 - October 17 - 10:00 am

  Looks neat and i like it it could have some more horses under the hood just not enough giddy up!

• 

  Seats hurt lower back - 2009 Scion XD
  By chadsurfer8 - October 14 - 10:16 am

  The car is great over all. but ...... - major problem is the front seats hurt my lower back after 30 min or more drives. the lower back support has a hard bar that hurts. like a fold out couch sofa that has a bar going through the cushion in the middle. The lower cushion is not big enough and leaves my legs hanging. No adjustment for leg height. I am 59 and 170 lbs girls may not have this problem. i just replaced the seats yesterday with$500 TC seats set - fast for economy car. - i get 26 city and 32 hwy, i drive a little fast - great quality, just the sun visor has a line looks unfinished - Great look inside and out. - small like a SUV that was shrunk down. - cargo good

• 

  My little Toaster!! - 2009 Scion XB
  By Jake - October 12 - 7:06 am

  The XB did a huge change in 08 with changing the look, They did well! I could not see myself driving an older XB but as soon as I saw the XB 5.0S I wanted one, I went back the next day when the dealership was open and they sold it 1hr before I got there, So I just got a base model, granted not the Gold rush color the pearl black is cool! I will add all the options like the 5.0S, but i am very happy with my purchase. I had a 03 Mitsubishi Lancer OZ Rally edition that was very reliable. I went to buy another lancer, but ran into the XB which didnt have as many options as the Lancer GTS but the quality and resale are probably better, best of all it was cheaper!