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 The xA has since been replaced by the xD, which carries on the quirky and customizable spirit of its predecessor.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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  Owned for a 18 months - 2008 Scion XD
  By kenct - September 9 - 10:56 pm

  The first time I saw this Barcelona Red Scion I loved it and it has proven to be a good purchase. I needed a reliable car to bomb about town and for short range (<500 miles) highway trips, although took did a 2000 mile trip and car preformed great. I also needed good cargo capacity and excellent gas mileage. It has proven itself on all counts. The red color is very easy to spot among all the silver cars in big parking lots. I also keep the rear seat down for hauling cargo; mostly golf clubs and groceries.

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  Better than the minivan for gas! - 2006 Scion xA
  By Bob - September 3 - 6:16 pm

  The great thing about this car was that it had a lot of features for the small price. I read in this review how many are able to get great gas mileage but unfortunately I am not really able to come close to many of these. For example, just city driving alone I get 25-26 mpg. When I make 1 freeway trip at least once a week, that will jump to 29-30 mpg, so I know the potential is there for greater mpg. Now, even with its "low" mpg, its still a great car. I am almost 200 lbs, plus the local street I take to work, you really cant "take it easy" with the gas otherwise you could get a lot of people mad at you. So it is with semi- to aggressive driving that I get this mpg.

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  So Cute and so much fun! - 2005 Scion xA
  By Myscion04 - September 1 - 10:00 am

  I get a lot of compliments everywhere I go! Friends,family,co-workers,school staff,high school students. I get countless smiles just driving around town. It is an attractive little car. Sometimes the stares can get annoying though. Soooo cute!!!! Thank you for this fine little toy!

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  Great car, mediocre mileage - 2005 Scion XB
  By bocadelvalle - September 1 - 10:00 am

  All in all, my experience with the Xb has been good. The car is everything I exprcted except the mileage rating is VERY inaccurate. Toyota claims 30-35 mpg. In reality I have seldom attained 30mpg. Otherwise this car is perfect.

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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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  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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  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.

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  Pretty cool ride, but nothing flashy - 2004 Scion XB
  By jadan15 - July 31 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my xB for about 6 months now, and its a great get around town car. Weve taken it on a couple of road trips (nothing flashy, just a 5 hour drive up the coast), and it can get a bit uncomfortable after a while, but what car doesnt? Good gas mileage, decent get-up-and-go, and a very cool sound system with lots of upgradables if wanted. Defenitely worth the price!! One note: get the cold air intake! It takes away the air conditioning torque deficit.

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  Fun, I guess.. - 2005 Scion TC
  By rjy1988 - July 21 - 1:00 pm

  I got this car after looking around at similar cars. This one seemed like the best buy. After having it for a couple of months I had to take it in to have a protective screen put on the moonroof. A few months later the moonroof had trouble closing. It would get close to closing then open all the way again, it now still takes about one minute for it to close completely. Other than that I havent had many problems with it. It doesnt handle very well in rainy/snowy conditions and I can feel the tires slipping a lot. It is a great car though for adding on aftermarket parts. I put on cold-air intake and new exhaust, and like it a lot. It is a good car for its price, but dont expect too much.