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 The xA has since been replaced by the xD, which carries on the quirky and customizable spirit of its predecessor.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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  Fair Purchase - 2005 Scion xA
  By MDM - March 21 - 11:53 am

  The gas mileage is good but not up to the rating. Acceleration is anorexic, but nothing more than expected for such a small engine - although the manual is better, anybody that tells you its good is delusional. Despite the performance issues, its a cute car with only minor issues largely due to some cheaper parts.

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  Danger - 2010 Scion XD
  By tradwnd - February 21 - 8:49 pm

  My son had an accident late in 2012. The accident was bad and the car was destroyed. None of the air bags deployed and injuries were incured. I asked Toyota/Scion to inspect the car to see if there was a problem. After months I finally got a response which basically said that the car performed as designed. I asked for a copy of the report because the answer was suspect. They told me "the bumper, grill and hood and vaious engine components crushed as designed, thereby absorbing and lowering much of the collisions forces." This was the reason the air bags did not deploy. I am not an auto engineer but the car was totaled and first responders at the accident scene were very concerned.

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  Scion xA - Alot of bang for the buck. Mediocre performance. - 2004 Scion xA
  By rx1 - February 1 - 1:11 am

  I have driven and owned several cars in my driving experience. I have had mixed feeling about this car. Pros Comes relatively loaded for the sticker price. Good mpg, 32-ish. Good solid manual transmission. Impressive reliability. Surprisingly roomy. Cons Sluggish response from a buzzy, noisy engine. You have to be willing to rev it hard, and downshift to achieve passing speed. Narrow wheel base, tall stance results in sloppy handling. Light weight and engine position result in unstable handling in snowbelt. Soundproofing is minimal. Long highway rides are noisy and tedious. I bought new. I lasted 4 years and 36k miles before selling.

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  Not the best car - 2005 Scion xA
  By Susan - January 20 - 10:23 am

  I have put 21,000 miles on this car in 6mos. The seats are horrible, it is extremely loud in the cabin, the ride is so stiff that you can feel the tar stripes through the rock hard seats... It would be a great car for anyone who drives in town, not on the freeway... Any speed over 45mph the car becomes very loud. I would not recommend this car to anyone who does interstate/long- distance driving... the gas mileage doesnt make up for the lack of comfort and quiteness of more fuel-ineffcient, more expensive vehicle.

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  Scion Warranty is Worthless - 2006 Scion TC
  By PIssed Off - December 2 - 1:43 am

  2006 Scion TC, normal usage, 23k miles and clutch goes out. Scion claims "wear & tear" and totally walks away from their warranty. I will never buy another Toyota/Scion product again!

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  only (2) weeks - 2008 Scion XB
  By tom - October 22 - 10:00 pm

  I purchased this car for several reasons. My 06 HHR had 70K miles and was starting to FALL APART! I needed a wagon type for business giving good mileage. I purchased a Black XB and added 18" X 8.5 Enkei wheels with 225/40 tires. Tinted the front windows to match rears. So far the car is good, few complaints, cant see the radio during day light is Big issue. Arm rest is useless, trying to get dealer to install one on pass. side. Mileage about 24 average, hope it gets better. I put so many miles on a car in just a few years, I hope resale and reliability is better then HHR.

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  NO - 2010 Scion XD
  By buttersstotch - September 28 - 4:40 am

  Im going to go with no. I leased this car NEW in 2011 and have had nothing but problems. Since February of 2011 Ive had 3 batteries, 2 leaking A/C lines replaced, and now my CD player is eating my CDs. And like another reviewer said, my brakes suck. They have been very slow to respond since I got the car. I have had my car in the shop at least 4 times this year. Im glad its a lease and that Toyota is so awesome that they are letting me out of my lease early without penalties since this car is a pos. It is really cute on the outside, but the mechanics (which is the most important part of the car) suck. I only have 15,000 miles on it which is really sad because it runs like it has 45,000.

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  dissatified - 2005 Scion xA
  By C.mormino - July 28 - 10:00 am

  Car rides to hard. fender wells in engine compartment are letting water in to motor area causing excessivw dirt. Body paint was of poor quality not like toyota product I have had in past.

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  Scion TC - 2006 Scion TC
  By Angela - July 4 - 12:50 pm

  I purchased this vehicle several months ago and so far I am satisfied with it. I love the design of the car, but the driver seat sits strange next to the window and it seems you have to sit a ways back or it seemes as if in the windshield. It is very sporty and seats are not very comfy at all. It has pioneer stereo in it and I replaced it because even though Pioneer it was the cheapest and sounded horrible. The gas mileage seems really high for a small 4cyl car. I get less than it says I should. The 2 sunroofs are neat and only one opens and it is very loud when open. The ac is also very loud when on. The car is cute and it great for the money and is dependable because it is practically Toy.

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  My little Zippy - 2009 Scion XD
  By Nancy McDonough - May 16 - 1:01 am

  Very uncomfortable ride. Paint didnt hold up at all. Have been almost run off road due to small size. Resale value sucks