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 The xA has since been replaced by the xD, which carries on the quirky and customizable spirit of its predecessor.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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  Not Reliable As Advertised - 2008 Scion XB
  By steve_cabral - December 12 - 12:50 pm

  I had this car since 2008 (only owner). I took care of it and had all service done. As of April 14, the car had 47,760 miles. On April 12, I was leaving Publix after stopping there to pick up a few items. The started like it normally does, but the steering wheel would not turn like it normally did. I looked at the dashboard and noticed a strange indicator. I looked in the owner manual and it said to take car immediately to dealership. I found out that it was something called an ECU (some sort of computer device) that is going to cost about $1,100 to repair. How is it possible to be charged so much with not even 5 years of ownership. Sad.

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  The worst car I have ever owned - 2008 Scion TC
  By William A. - August 15 - 1:16 am

  Although it has a nice interior that is comfortable, the driving experience is ruined by the car catching while shifting. I have had my transmission replaced twice as well as the engine replaced once. This car is under 30,000 miles and only almost a year old! The Toyota dealerships have been terrible about returning phone calls and it has been almost scary to drive. The gears have locked while shifting causing grinding, the car has felt as though it is sliding through corners. I would not recommend this car to anyone! Unless of course they were looking at wasting hours and hours frustrated at their local Toyota dealership. Buyers beware, she looks nice but is really a piece of junk.

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  not worth the money - 2007 Scion TC
  By jason vain - February 24 - 9:30 am

  DO NOT BUY A SCION. I have a 2007 scion 3.0 with the third supercharger and let me say it is a piece of junk and dealing with scion themselves is horrible that is why the saying "you get what you pay for" is soooooo tru. I paid $4500 for a s.c.that give you only 40 more h.p. and everything in the car just falls apart and when you tell scion what goes wrong they just point at you and laugh. So word of advice. DO NOT BUY ONE!!!!! TRUST ME>>>

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  what I didnt know about Toyota - 2007 Scion TC
  By howard kirshner - January 2 - 9:33 pm

  I bought a Toyota SCION TC for my daughter, I did not buy an extended warranty because of the 60,000 mile 5year warranty that came with the vehicle.The car started to give her problems with a leak into the passenger compartment.With 2 visits they finally stopped the leak. Next came the blower motor that failed.By this time my car had gone by the 60,000 miles that was covered under the warranty.At 73,000 miles my engine failed.I called Toyota who offered to reimburse me for $500.00. A new engine is over $4000.00. In conclusion, I feel there could have been a compromise to this situation. Thanks for listening.

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  not too happy with Toyota/Scion - 2005 Scion TC
  By AndrewS. - August 31 - 6:36 pm

  I have had this car for over 3 years; I have grown to HATE it. It is so small. It is so cheap, you really do get what you pay for when it comes to Scion. The car makes noise, hit a bump and you will hear the car make noise for the rest of your life, it creeks and rattles over every bump. The front bumper scrapes on EVERYTHING. The sunroof whistles, the rear hatch does not stay up, a/c condensation leaked into the radio - I now have no radio/speakers, mpg should be better, tires (no matter what brand) slide/slip in rain/snow and need replacing fast, brakes donÂ’t last the same of other cars. Poorly built car, very disappointing coming from Toyota.

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  Not happy at all with it - 2006 Scion TC
  By stevet777 - March 18 - 6:18 am

  We bought a 2006 Scion tc 6 months ago. It had 50,000 miles on it so we thought it would be a good dependable car for us. First off the gas mileage is horrible for a car this size. We have gotten 26 at best averaging 24. The seats are not comfortable on long trips. We have had several check engine lights come on where the mechanic could find nothing wrong. Last night my wife was driving it home and noticed smoke billowing out from under the hood. We took it to a mechanic and found out that it needs a new motor because of a common problem with the head and block. The price tag to fix this is over $6000. This is a common issue that I found out Toyota refuses to recall and take care of.

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  Avoid this car - 2006 Scion XB
  By rcc90 - December 27 - 4:25 am

  We purchased this car in 06. I will not ever buy another XB. We had one expense a year ago that ran over $600 to fix. Currently, we have a leaking water pump - another $500. This is a lemon! We had a slight bump up a year ago. A car bumped into us. The whole front bender had to be replaced. We didnt have to pay for this but it has made me realize how unsafe this car is. I hate driving it on the interstate. This will be our last XB. I told my husband we should have purchased another Camry.

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  This car sucks - 2005 Scion TC
  By Jeff Howard - September 1 - 10:00 am

  Very Noisy. Not well built. Im Gonna sell mine.

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  Good Idea But POOR Quality and Resale - 2008 Scion XB
  By beetleboy - April 21 - 4:23 pm

  My mother in law bought a 2006 and then traded for a 2008. I just had to have one with the wheels and spoiler package. 30,000 in first year, small accident and seat warped. Then pulled too close to curb and pulled inner fender out. Tried to trade on anther toyota product and found it was worth 6500 less than what I had paid for it. Wanted a Yaris for fuel economy but bought a loaded KIA M/van for 50 less a month than a base yaris. Also trim on roof blew off going down interstate and hit another car. POOR WORKMANSHIP ON SCION. You can tell it is the LOW end of Toyota. Back seat bottom is cheesy and uncomfortable. Gas mileage dropped to 22 on interstate driving depending on type of gas.

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  Overpriced for what you get - 2008 Scion XD
  By DL - November 11 - 5:16 pm

  My wife bought this monday. Over all it is not a bad car but dealing with Scion dealers left a bad taste in our mouth. Scion likes to claim they have a "Pure Price" that is set by Scion but the dealers pile on doc fees and every other fee you can think of. But that is enough about the horrible dealers and lets talk about the xD. The car itself is very small. It is basicly a four door toyota yaris but it does have side airbags standard and in this car you will need them in a T bone crash. My wife thought the ride of the car was ok but to me it felt just like the old scion xA which was bumpy and cheap feeling. The car has about 23 more hp than the xA but on the road you cannot feel it.