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 The xA has since been replaced by the xD, which carries on the quirky and customizable spirit of its predecessor.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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  Xb Review - 2005 Scion XB
  By Jim - August 14 - 6:50 pm

  Selected because of its combination of its very short length (needed in my short garage space) and its incredible headroom. I had one of the first xBs in our area, and it got lots of looks and questions. It rides pretty well, and is easy to park, but the manual transmission feels and sounds like there should be an additional gear for smooth highway cruising. Glad I bought the car - its great for milage, shopping hops around town, and taking guests to dinner.

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  Spitfire on Wheels - 2005 Scion TC
  By Peter - August 12 - 4:30 pm

  I owned a 4-door Altima before this car. There is no comparison. First of all, the car looks like a million bucks, inside and out. Secondly, the engine is not only adequate, but also well-laid-out and easy to work on. The handling is responsive and very playful. Did I mention that it looks like a million bucks? BTW, baby blue is definitely the best color for it :)

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  2005 Scion xB - Great Little Car - 2005 Scion XB
  By Wilf - August 11 - 11:13 pm

  The Scion xB gets great gas milage, is inexpensive, looks great, and is a Toyota. With all the features standard it is a great value.

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  Ive been meaning to write something for awhile. - 2006 Scion xA
  By super__scion - August 10 - 2:49 pm

  When I was shopping far my first car in 2008, I had relied a lot on edmunds.com reviews. I was fortunate enough to see a scion xA for sale near me and immediately looked into it. Ive been meaning to put my 2 cents on here about this car: I LOVE IT. If you are on the fence about going with a scion xA, hop the fence, and go get that car. Its extremely efficient, fits everywhere, fun to drive, impressively roomy for such a small design, and just a really great vehicle. Im so glad I went with it, great first car, looking forward to keeping it that way for many years to come. Ive had it for four years and Im still always happy to see it in front of my house!

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  Kool Car but cheap for a reason! - 2006 Scion XB
  By xbguy84 - August 10 - 1:13 pm

  I bought this car new. I had to pay extra for cruise and a cheap piece of plastic with a cloth covered piece of plastic called an arm rest. my elbow barely fits on. This did add a rear cup holder which made it better. My windshield suffered a stress crack 6 days after i purchased and i have rode around with a cracked windshield ever since. This is a well known problem but not covered under warranty. Have strange rattle in dash that is annoying. Cruise control is a cheap after market piece of plastic. It does not stay at a constant speed so i never use it. Also is not flushly mounted. Over all this is a cool car with great mpg and room but misses the mark on the small things.

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  I like it very much - 2005 Scion XB
  By XB - August 8 - 12:43 am

  This was my daughters dream car and she only had 900 miles on it when she was murdered. It is now my office on wheels as l work in many places. l have tried to make it a tribute to her, the license plate is her screen name and her name Vanessa, means butterfly; it is covered in butterflies now. l get comments on the butterflies all the time, usually from women, however, even a guy gives a thumbs up now and then as he passes me driving his own xB. l would give the car up in a second along with anything else to have my baby back but feel a bit closer to her driving the car she wanted long before it became available in Florida.

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  Middle-Aged Female Owner/Driver - 2005 Scion TC
  By KoastalKata - August 8 - 12:40 am

  I know that this car is marketed toward a younger crowd, but I really enjoy this car! Its affordable, great looking, rides well, and its so much fun to drive. This car is a great value for the money, for ANY age group.

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  Great Car - 2004 Scion xA
  By dave806 - August 6 - 10:00 am

  I went to the dealer looking for an ECHO and came away with a SCION. The SCION is based on the ECHO (which I hear is being discontinued), but is so much better looking. Add to this all the standard options you get that you would have to pay for with the ECHO and the SCION is by far the better deal.

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  Old Timers opinion - 2006 Scion XB
  By William Iler - August 5 - 10:00 am

  The XB was designed with the young in mind, but I think they missed it altogether! It is a seniors car! It has excellent visibility and performance, and you can get in and out without scalping yourself or pretzelizing your body! We get 38 MPG, which helps on a retirement income too! and we heartily recommend the XB to all Old timers like us. Im 88 years old.

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  MPG not good for small car. - 2010 Scion XD
  By eelc2008 - August 4 - 12:06 am

  This car runs good but I just get 25 MPH.