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 The xA has since been replaced by the xD, which carries on the quirky and customizable spirit of its predecessor.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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  Scion - 2005 Scion TC
  By Tejas - April 13 - 9:10 am

  I got my scion about 9 days ago and so far so good. I just wish it had better fuel efficiency. It has good standard features for this price, difficult to find in other cars. It has turned few heads :) Excellent room for the passengers in the back, easy to get in and get out. Nice interior and exterior design.

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  Not perfect, but good for the price - 2007 Scion TC
  By Sean - April 9 - 10:20 pm

  My tC is apparently one of many that I have heard have a squeak in the dash right off the showroom floor. It comes and goes depending on road conditions but for a new car is very annoying and concerns me about the build quality comparing this, my first Toyota, to other cars I have owned. The gas mileage is also a little disappointing given that the car is a small 4-cyl. coupe. The car is wonderfully fun to drive and very comfortable over distances. I have a 100 mile a day commute and other than the squeaking love this car. The dealer would probably fix it no problem but they only do this type of work M-F and I do not live near the town I bought it in and would have to take off the day.

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  Good car for the money - 2007 Scion TC
  By tcowner - April 9 - 4:56 pm

  I bought my car used and love it! The tC is such a good-looking vehicle, great for the money, and a lot of fun to drive. For a little 4cyl car it has plenty of pep. It handles well. Ive only had one problem with the car so far. I had some little LED lights go out on my headlights. Granted, these headlights were aftermarket, so its not Toyotas fault. Friends love riding in it. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I do get a lot of second looks in this car.

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  Very pleased !! - 2009 Scion XD
  By D.B - April 3 - 1:56 pm

  This is a sporty, efficient yet practical car. I would highly recommend it. The manual tranny gives more of a driving experience. Accessories are hard to get at an affordable price. Responsive steering and handling. In my opinion has plenty of power. It gets up to speed quickly. Has way more options than the competition, I.E. ABS brakes, power door/windows, etc. By far the best value out there.

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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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  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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  Saved by Second Sunroof TSB - 2007 Scion TC
  By Kitch - February 22 - 10:46 pm

  I was extremely pleased the first 12 months. However, for the past 4 months, a a sharp clicking rattle-like noise started to occur and became increasingly persistent as time went by. It took literally 8 visits to the dealer before the problem - faulty sunroof construction - was detected by me from researching tC noise rattles on the web. Upon hearing that there was a Toyota Service Bulletin (TSB) on the earlier models at a tC Owners Blog, I showed the article to the dealer. He then advised that there was a second TSB that I qualified for, and after I left the car with the dealer for 2.5 days, I got a completely new sunroof - all new glass and rails. Now, Im in "heaven" again.

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  happy for the most part about my purchas - 2007 Scion TC
  By BugsMXZ - February 21 - 7:36 pm

  Have had the car for roughly 7500 miles and so far- so good. Only minor issues such as a small rattle in the rear hatch- apparently there was a TSB (I believe a Toyota service bulletin) to fix it. The car is the special edition- so it comes with a Kenstyle body kit- upgraded interior, and a better sound system than the stock version. Real glad I chose to do that. Not sure if it is just mine but my car seems to have a whistle when on the highway anything over 60 mph which Im not to crazy about. Guess Ill just turn up the speakers.

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  Expecting improvement - 2006 Scion xA
  By Joseph - February 17 - 8:53 pm

  I bought this car three weeks ago and so far the car is responding okay. The only problem I see is the MPG performance, for the last 3 weeks I have filled my tank 4 times and driven only 600 miles. That is ~ $90 or 30 gallons which translates into 20 miles per gallon. So I took the car to Toyota service and was told that they cannot improve my cars mileage and they checked for leakage. I would like to know what I should do to bring my cars MPG up. I have also noted the need for extra horsepower and some shaking when driving over 80mph (more than what is expected). I feel the comfort when in front of the steering wheel and the fun of driving a small car.