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 The xA has since been replaced by the xD, which carries on the quirky and customizable spirit of its predecessor.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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  Not bad - 2005 Scion XB
  By Marty - June 12 - 10:53 pm

  My Scion was a very dependable and reliable car. The interior is very versatile, and roomy. My only complaints are lack of power, and rather harsh road noise. Other than that, it was quite a nice vehicle, excellent for a daily driver.

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  Most Unreliable New Car Ive Owned - 2005 Scion TC
  By Greg - June 6 - 6:53 pm

  It took around 7 weeks to get this car not the week Toyota had as a target. The car was fine until the cold weather set in. The hatch latch refused to latch in sub 20 degree temperatures. It took two trips to the dealer to get this fixed. I had to drive 70 miles on the expressway with an open hatch because the dealer didnt believe me the first time.The other day my wife was stranded at work 35 miles from home due to a dead battery.She was able to jump start it and get to the dealer.The alternator failed at 11,000 miles.Ive never owned a car with this many electrical problems in my life.I was looking for an inexpensive,relable, sportycar for my wife.I sure didnt get it in the tC.

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  All-around great little car! - 2008 Scion XD
  By phxpatrick - May 30 - 8:43 pm

  With gas at $4 a gallon, I researched several higher-mileage cars including the Toyota Yaris, Nissan Versa, Honda Fit, and the Scion XD. I chose the Scion even though it didnt have the highest MPG ratings, but it did come with far more standard amenities and just as many safety features as the others. To add all of the standard XD features to the Yaris, Versa or Fit, and youd bump their prices higher than the base XD. In addition to the great mileage (Im averaging about 33 MPG in mixed- conditions, driving 50 miles a day), it has 128 HP which gets me in and out of traffic quickly. Im 511, 200 lbs, and theres plenty of head, leg and hip room. I highly recommend the XD!

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  <3 this car! Especially if youre short! - 2007 Scion TC
  By Brooke - May 10 - 8:46 am

  I bought my tC new and have had it for 3 years. I love it! It has some flaws, but overall its a great car. If you live in New England get snow tires (I recommend Blizzaks) or else youll never get anywhere with the stock tires. The ride is a bit harsh/loud. It always jerks when I first press on the gas if I dont purposely ease into it more than usual (others who drive my car would agree). I notice a little rattling with the sunroof from time to time - no big deal. The seal above the windshield comes up sometimes after a car wash. Paint does catch a lot of road dust/bugs, but I recently clay barred it and it looks new! Love my under dash/cupholder lights! Lots of comments all around! :)

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  Great car except for the ride - 2010 Scion XD
  By Bob - April 19 - 10:50 am

  Ive had this car for two and a half months. I like most everything about it. The quality seems good. It holds a lot of stuff with the back seats folded down. The acceleration is surprisingly good, especially 0-30. The interior is comfortable. Handling is good; body lean is minimal when cornering. The only downside to this car is the ride. You dont feel the smallest bumps, but a somewhat bigger bump, like an expansion joint in pavement, is bone-jarring. Riding around in this car for more than half an hour starts to get irritating. Also be aware that the car requires the more expensive synthetic oil, but Toyota says you still have to change it every 5K miles.

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  Nice ride but with Fixable flaws - 2009 Scion XB
  By GPituch - April 16 - 4:06 pm

  I am pleased but not “super excited” with my Scion so far. I have just under 5K on it and have a good feel for the ride. I, HONESTLY, could use more leg room and I’m only 59". I find it difficult to get comfortable. The interior of my 05 Corolla has more width between the center console and the driver’s door. Sort of weird considering how big the rest of the interior is. It has nice pick up and handling. I’ve done two checks on the mileage thus far. One all around and one this past weekend for a highway trip of about 200 miles one way, 400 total. Mileage was much less that what I expected. All around was about 22 and Highway was only 24! (actually 23.5) Pretty bad if you ask me.

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  Great Little Hauler - 2005 Scion XB
  By Karl - April 11 - 8:03 pm

  Im a potter. The Scion xB hauls a 1/2 ton of pottery with ease. Theres plenty of room for my two growing teenage sons in the back. We get from 30 to 36 mpg, usually about 34 average. I love the way it handles on the curves and its got plenty of zip for me. Its really fun to drive. The seats are very comfortable and on a recent trip from Oregon to San Diego my bad back held up great. On the down side, the interior lighting is terrible. When you lift the back hatch at night you can hardly see whats there and as far as reading a map in the front seats? Forget it. The tiltwheel doesnt swing enough and the location of the lever is annoying. It could stand to be a few inches wider.

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  Still needs some work - 2006 Scion XB
  By karmabad - April 8 - 7:06 pm

  I have to be honest, you cannot beat the price, and its made by Toyota! You will not believe the amount of space this thing has, not to mention an amazing panoramic style windshield.

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  9 on a 1-10 scale - 2011 Scion XD
  By biscuitbasket - March 27 - 4:30 am

  I recently purchased a new Scion XD after looking at the Ford Focus and Kia Soul. After giving it a thorough test, I have found the XD to be an excellent value for the money. It has good power for the relatively smallish engine, excellent handling (especially after installing new 17" wheels), and a relatively quiet, comfortable ride for a small car. The aspect I like most about this car is the ability to customize just about anything on it which gives me the ability to differentiate it from all the others on the road. Compared to the other two cars I test drove, the Scion fared better in power and performance to the Soul and looks, price, and customiziation to the Focus.

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  A Trap! - 2006 Scion TC
  By esantiago1 - March 27 - 1:38 am

  I got my Scion last year and I was honestly pretty proud. However under all the hood theres a horrible secret that Toyota has been hiding. After 80,000 there is a serious coolant leak issue where the threads of the block weaken around the gaskets. Its caused by normal wear and tear and is a prominent scion issue that comes with a minimum $2,000-$3,000 dollar price tag! Toyota refuses to take any responsibility with the issue and refuses to recall Scions BUT they did do recalls on Camrys for the exact same issue... Its a shame that such a nice car has to come to such a disappointing end and Toyota simply ignores the problem.