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 The xA has since been replaced by the xD, which carries on the quirky and customizable spirit of its predecessor.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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  Mixed Feeling about Special Edition #1 - 2005 Scion xA
  By DRiley - April 2 - 8:33 am

  Really cute car, great styling. Still enjoy looking at after 7K. The 17" sports wheels look fantastic but make for a rougher ride. Seat comfort ok for up to an hour. Handles road well and feels safe, sporty, and fun. Great radio/CD. Often (daily) there are multiple rattles AND a buzzing around the speedometer (when it is cold) that gets very loud (competes with radio at 40!)--makes me want to walk away from it. Dealer cant hear rattles consistently enough to fix...ahhhh! Very dissappointed in the mpg--the best I have ever gotten is once 31 on a 3-hr freeway drive. More typical 27-29 hwy. (What happened to 37 hwy?) After market sunroofs Ive seen better quality mine (factory).

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  hi - 2005 Scion TC
  By appendectimy - March 29 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle is as fun to drive as it looks and is a great buy.

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  Good car, but be careful... - 2005 Scion TC
  By mathu - March 25 - 6:50 pm

  While reading over the reviews of the `05 tC posted here, I agreed with everyones comments but just wanted to inform all owners to be careful of a little problem. Up until a couple months ago I loved everything about my tC, but beware the wind deflector on the sunroof. As you all likely know, there was recently a recall for these requiring a laminate be installed. My warning: This laminate doesnt do its job. My fiancee and I were recently on vacation when the deflector decided to shatter out of nowhere, while driving, sending loose pieces of glass into the car, hitting myself in the arm and even scratching my fiances sunglasses (I had the laminate prior to this). Just wanted to warn everyone.

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  Scion Xb - 2005 Scion XB
  By Duck Fumb - March 22 - 12:16 pm

  this car is great, but needs more power.

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  Great Commuter Car - 2005 Scion XB
  By Jose - March 19 - 8:33 pm

  I have only owned my 2005 Scion Xb for two weeks. A Scion is a rebadged Toyota. What sold me on this wagon was value for dollar. My Scion came out to $15,700 with local taxes. For that price I have an automatic transmission, power everything, remote entry, air conditioning with a filtration system, Pioneer stereo with MP3/CD and XM tuner, anti-lock brakes, and electronic anti-skid/traction control! This 4-door wagon is cavernous inside and has excellent all around visibility. Its fuel economy has been averaging 35 mpg/ It uses regular fuel. The engine is the 108 horsepower one taken from the Toyota Echo, which is rather weak, especially with the automatic transmission. It really struggles on hills.

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  2006 - 2006 Scion TC
  By djmcruz - February 25 - 12:16 am

  MY 2006 Scion tc . ROCKS! 115,000 miles on it. The only thing replaced so far were Brakes,Tires every 50,000 and synthetic oil changes every 5,000.and what ever the services needed. The car does have a couple of squeeks and rattles but in all GREAT car.

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  Functional and Fun - 2008 Scion XB
  By ducksquat - February 15 - 12:33 am

  We bought this car for my wife because she wanted something roomier on the inside and smaller on the outside. This was the perfect vehicle for her. She traded her Honda Accord for this vehicle. Built entirely in Japan, the quality is top notch and has yet to experience any problems. I cant believe that I can sit very comfortably in the backseat despite my 64" frame and the font seat is the same. Headroom is excellent. The four cylinder Camry engine has plenty of get up and go but I wish the average MPG were better. We do mostly city driving and average 24 mpg.

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  Im Impressed - 2006 Scion xA
  By jmr986 - February 6 - 1:23 pm

  I went looking for a car for my 16 year old. I started looking at beaters and ended up with the Scion xA. We all piled in (four of us) for a test drive and I was hooked. For the money there is nothing equal in value and quality. Yes the Honda Fit and Nissan Versa, are great cars too but youll probably pay $2,000 or more for them. Resale values are high for Scions and its a Toyota. A comparable Corolla will cost your more. I like the ala carte options. Plus, the no haggle pricing is kind of nice too. It would be nice to have more power, but for its intended audience it has just enough. I must confess Im considering the xB and loading it up, and Im not its target market...Im 54 years old!

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  Happy Owner - 2006 Scion TC
  By NISMO - January 17 - 5:23 pm

  The Scion tC is great looking and performs well, the only thing I dislike about it is the fuel economy. When you run the car at anything lower than 2,000 rpm it dosent have enough power to pull, but if you push it to 3,000 rpm you waste fuel very fast. It is well built though. Other than those few issues the car is wonderfull, I would have expected foreign tire son on the car like Toyo or Yokohama since it is Japanese. I will be adding a turbo to the car to help me go faster and maybe an ECU chip to replace the factory one. I race though and expect more, but for a daily driver, this car is good.

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  Decieving machine - 2010 Scion XD
  By Michael - January 7 - 4:43 pm

  I love my 2010 Scion XD. But honestly I"m a bit disappointed with some things. I love the standard features and the reliability factor and the way it looks. The thing I didnt like was the ride. I notice that when going over a man hole cover or any decent bumps in the road which we have a lot of here in NYs capital district. Its very jarring and annoying and makes me wonder if it is causing too much vibration to the chassis of the car causing premature wear. The other thing is that the cargo space even with the seats folded down is very limited compared to the fit and the Kia soul. Im a musician, though easier now,I was able to fit more into my Saturn SL. Other than that, I like it.