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 The xA has since been replaced by the xD, which carries on the quirky and customizable spirit of its predecessor.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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  Fun Economical Car - 2009 Scion XD
  By Steve - March 14 - 1:46 pm

  Bought this car for use as my wifes and myself commuting car and to keep the SUV in the garage to keep the miles off it and save some money in gas. We keep the rear seats down and use the area as a cargo area. The dogs love the cargo area as well. We purchased an after market rubber mat that covers the complete cargo area (with the seats down). The car looks small on the outside, but inside there is a lot more room than youd expect. We did look at the Honda Fit, but liked the look and the wat the xD drove. Also, the local Honda dealer marked up the price of the Fit by $2500 over MSRP and unwilling to negotiate off that price. Glad we passed on the Fit. The Xd fits our needs.

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  Fantastic Car - 2005 Scion xA
  By lvenee - March 13 - 9:28 am

  We bought 2005 Scion brand new when gas prices started going up. We wanted a disposable car if you will, something cheap, good on gas. What we got is a fantastic car, we have 115 thousand miles on it and have done nothing to the car but replace tires. Its fun to drive, zips in and out of traffic, can park anywhere even if theres not much room. My husband and I are both tall people and it has a lot more space inside than what you might think. Ive driven this car a lot on small road trips (under 1000 miles) and just love it. I believe we will get over 200,000 on this vehicle and considering we paid a total of $14,000 including tax, title, license, I think we got a great deal.

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  Great Performer - 2005 Scion xA
  By Randy Wells - March 13 - 3:36 am

  The Scion Xa is a fun car to drive. It helps me navigate the congested traffic in a major Metro area with ease and confidence. Driver visibility all around is excellent. The sound system is a pleasure to use. All in all, it is worth every penny I have invested in it.

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  Great Car - 2006 Scion XB
  By Lisa - March 11 - 6:56 am

  The Scion xB is a great town car for the money. It has room for everyone and split seats for those special shopping days. The interior has great head room.

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  tC model - 2005 Scion TC
  By ANN GRIMES - March 10 - 2:26 am

  great car, hit road debris on I-95 and part took over 3 weeks to get that was real frustrating car is back now and i am happy tc owner

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  Glad to have it - 2005 Scion xA
  By Miles - March 9 - 11:23 pm

  I got my xA in june of 2005. I had to hang in there to get what I wanted but finally did. Its been a good car so far, have 34,000 miles on it now. The gas cap door cable busted and was replaced under warrantee and that engine check light going on turned out to be a bad timing gear sprocket and was covered also but I was surprised by that one actually.The gas mileage has been excellent and like some people I couldnt care less if other drivers get upset that Im not going fast enough for them. One of the stock tires has worn a lot quicker than the others.

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  Scion tC - 2006 Scion TC
  By Airmenstc - March 9 - 12:06 pm

  Ive had my tC since December and really love the car. Its got a lot of power, style and comfort. I also liked the price for all the standard features. It is a solid, well built car and I feel great about Toyota products.

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  Bad Gas Mileage - 2006 Scion xA
  By Russell Watters - March 9 - 12:16 am

  The window sticker showed 31 mpg city and 38 mpg highway. I have never even come close to that. The best I have gotten is is 23 city with the air off, 20 with it on and 27 on the highway. This car has been back to the dealer several times to check it and a Toyota rep came out last time. They say, "its only an estimate" too bad, you loose and we wont do anything about it. My other car, a 2001 Honda CR-V, get 27 mpg, need I say more. Dont buy this car for the gas mileage stated, it is 34% less than that.

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  New found love - 2008 Scion XB
  By Navygunner77 - March 8 - 3:50 pm

  When buying the Scion xB I wondered if it might be a mistake on my part because lets face it the Scion name hasnt been around as long as its parent company Toyota. However much like the ugly duckling story, I found that once I got used to the boxy looks (nowhere near as bad as last years design) I found that I love this little car! I traded in a gas loving 2004 Ford Explorer that I had named slurpy and when I filled the Scion up for the first time I found that my gas cost were going to be cut in half and still getting about the same total mileage out of my tank as I did with my Explorer. My opinion, if you can get over the odd looks of the car I highly recommend it!

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  Ban Boring! Unexpectedly Nice xB!!! - 2006 Scion XB
  By Synthetic - March 8 - 3:10 pm

  Fun to drive, very versatile, reliable, economical, and safe. 1. Fun: with decent tires this handles like a mini-BMW. Firm yet smooth ride, with good cornering. Noisey, but the 160 watt stereo takes care of that. 2. Its a minivan & SUV with a cavernous interior. "Ten gallon hat" headroom and expansive leg room front AND rear. Both front seats fold flat creating a double bed (dont tell your teenager), OR fold the rear seats creating a minivan cargo space. 3. Toyota reliability and smart simplification. 4. It gets 30mgh city and 34mpg highway, its True Cost to Own is among the lowest in the world. 5. Dual airbag, ABS, stability control, brake assist, and great visibility.