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 The xA has since been replaced by the xD, which carries on the quirky and customizable spirit of its predecessor.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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  Disappointed - 2005 Scion XB
  By TVkid - January 22 - 3:20 am

  Loved this car from the moment I saw it. Convinced my wife to get it for our small business as a delivery vehicle. The "toaster" sees a lot of miles, but gets regular service and is only driven by me. Rarely gets better than 29 miles per gallon. Had to replace all four rims and tires - $800 - because of cracks in the rims. Lost the transmission at 89,000 miles. Small back side light managed to vibrate loose and fall out - $175 to replace. Now AC compressor is going out. The Camry we used as a trade-in was much more reliable.

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  Feels like a bigger car - 2004 Scion xA
  By jotape - January 22 - 2:00 am

  Ive been driving the xA for two weeks now. Its a small car that feels like bigger car. The room inside, plus the height of the seats makes you feel like youre driving something bigger than most other cars on the road. Yet, you can squeeze into those small spots and save tons of money on gas. The performance has been good and consistent. The controls are good except for those of the stereo (which sounds great). Ive driven it both in the city and on the highway and the performance is very good. It responds very well. I got used to the speedometer location very quickly and honestly prefer it over it being behind the steering wheel.

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  Best of the Best - 2004 Scion xA
  By SilverRarity - January 22 - 2:00 am

  After doing on-line reviews of small cars with standard features I kept finding that the Scion xA was the best car overall. I ordered the car, without test driving it, and when it came in and drove it I found it was more than I ever expected. I have a 1999 5 speed Corvette (summer car) and wanted a reliable, fun to drive winter car and man Ive found it! Its practical, great to drive, great to look at and have already have recommended it to two friends who are definately going to purchase it. The fit and finish of the car is top notch and I was shocked at the power this small 4 cylinder has. For the price and standard features it cant be beaten.

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  Decent little car but overpriced. - 2006 Scion TC
  By Jeremy - January 21 - 12:22 am

  I bought this car about a year and a half ago, totally in love with it at first. Good power band, predictable and quick for a car of this class. Right off the bat I replaced the suspension and did a modest 1/8th drop w/ coils, short shifter and a cold air intake. Modest modifications. The engine sounds really nice! But still, after you hit 60mph the power just seems to vanish. It pulls pretty hard off the line, but after 60mph (more accurately 3rd gear) the power dissipates and its simply disappointing. The Pros: Looks pretty nice, super easy to modify, plenty of parts to choose from, comfy (for the price), stereo is decent, and it handles surprisingly well at high speeds going into corners. Some people seem to have issues with reliability, Ive had no such complaint. I have yet to get a single check engine light short of my gas cap failing (OH NO NOT $5!). Sunroof works great, windows work great, plenty of trunk space and room for two passengers in the rear. AC works well enough, heater is nearly too hot. Cons: Theres a lot.... For starters, the blue and white instrument cluster is REALLY IRRITATING. The highbeam indicator is so bright at night, I had to apply duct tape over it because it affected my vision at night. The blue you can dim, but what a dull choice for the dash. Turn signals are blinding, cruise control light is blinding, everything on that cluster impairs vision at night. Then in the day, you cant see it! Its the most hilarious thing, at night youre blinded, during the day you have to squint to see your speed. Bummer. At high RPM, the engine sounds awesome. Low RPM, it nearly sounds broken. Theres this ever present noise that all Toyotas Ive owned make, but this one is particularly annoying. As you accellerate you can hear the drive train slowly getting louder and increasing in pitch. At first I liked it, it rather sounded like a go-kart, but now its frustrating. The standard manual stick shift had the longest throw Ive ever seen. It was really annoying. Id miss gears because the throw was so damn far. It was almost mandatory to install the TRD short shifter. Front left speaker broke nearly immediately for reasons unknown. The wire harnesses for my taillights literally lit on fire and required a $500 replacement. Gas mileage is worse than my Honda Prelude SHs, which was 6 years older, weighed almost 500lbs more AND put out about 40 more bhp. 26 highway and 19 city? What? Thats even when you reeeeaaallly baby the throttle. For a 4-cyl coupe w/ 160bhp, theres no reason for that at all. Weighs about as much as an aircraft carrier for its size. As I stated in the short review, the car is quick off the line (by quick I mean 6.9 second 0-60 w/ the short shifter), but super slow and lame after ~60mph. Fourth gear is a joke. Made worse by the fact that while cruising in 5th at 70MPH on the highway, the car is revved to 3.5K RPM. Which is simply goofy for a car that has no pull in 4th and 5th gear. EVERYTHING RATTLES! The interior door plastic rattles. Windows rattle. Rear windshield rattles. Dash rattles. All of the things in this car rattle. The build quality in this car is simply atrocious. For a car that costs this much money, what the [non-permissible content removed] My old 87 Celica GT had a million times better interior quality, and I bought it for $1k! They used the cheapest plastic Ive ever seen in a car. So much so that the plastic warped, so its not even or flush on the window after 1k miles. [non-permissible content removed] Honestly, the plastic of a Fisher-Price buggy has better plastic quality. The mesh of the seats (the option that I have, cant speak for cloth/leather) is comfy and easy to clean, but foul to the touch. Feels cheap like everything else. When I bought the car the clutch was too stiff, now its loose and unpredictable. Sometimes I can depress it half way and shift, other times it decides that I cant. Really confusing. At 115K miles the starter, ignition system and distributor cap failed simultaneously. $6k down the hole. I need to replace the spark plugs way more frequently than I should (nearly every 1K miles, probably related to the dead ignition system). THE SINGLE MOST ANNOYING THING YOU WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER WHEN DRIVING THIS CAR: Its a Corolla with an aluminum block. Still a corolla. The motor just isnt special at all. Cams are small. Transmission is weak. Not enough power etc. But occasionally youll be driving and remember "I could have saved $4k if I just bought a Corolla, and gotten the same effect". Except, somehow, even the corollas have better build quality than the Scion tC. Unless you like boring overpriced cars that have no power, suck gas like an SUV, but look nice. Go buy a Corolla. Their cheaper, more reliable, just as fast, more comfortable, get way better mileage and dont disappoint because you never expect anything out of corollas ;)

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  Love it! - 2008 Scion XD
  By Juanita - January 20 - 4:30 am

  It was between the Versa & the xD. The xD won hands down! I love the cute, sporty look. It handles very well. I only wish the wheel covers werent so ugly. I test drove the fit, versa, mazda 3 and xD. By far, the xD was the most fun to drive. I get compliments all the time. I havent seen another on the road. So, I love its uniqueness!

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  Love It! - 2006 Scion XB
  By Patty B. - January 18 - 8:16 am

  I have no regrets! I totally love this car! I think my dog thinks its hers! It makes me smile just to look at it and everybody needs to smile! What a great car!!!

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  No Problems - Fun to Own! - 2006 Scion XB
  By Mainer - January 17 - 8:20 pm

  Having owned many new cars over the years, this is the first that has not had to go back to the dealership for a problem or adjustment. Im tall and theres plenty of "people room", front and rear. The visiblity is great and the cornering is hard to believe - it doesnt feel the least bit tippy. Could use a bit more merging power for the highway but once going, it keeps up with high speed traffic very well. Im glad I read the reviews prior to purchase as it persuaded me to try both the stick and automatic. The automatic is significantly quieter at higher speeds and Im glad I went with it. I went with the center armrest and ipod stereo upgrades.

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  Great Family Car!! - 2005 Scion XB
  By mammabella2 - January 17 - 10:00 am

  We are a family of four and all fit comfortably in our new Scion. We love it. It is cute, sporty, fun, and reliable. People stop us everywhere we go!!!

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  Cant Wait - 2005 Scion XB
  By george p burdell - January 17 - 10:00 am

  This is my 10th new automobile to purchase and I must say that it was the easiest to negotiate with the no haggle pricing policy. The important aspect of purchasing to to negotiate a "fair" price for any trade-in if one is involved.

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  Its Fun to drive again - 2005 Scion XB
  By mally - January 17 - 10:00 am

  I just recently bought a 2005 scion xb and it drives great, handles really well, great on gas, and is fun to drive...you alway get looks from every one...from the sporty seats to the center round odometer you feel like you racing.. its a blast. and is very roomy im a tall guy and i just traded my cherokee sport and its almost twice as big inside its so great. if you are thinking about the new scion just go for it you wont regret it.. treat yourself!!!