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 The xA has since been replaced by the xD, which carries on the quirky and customizable spirit of its predecessor.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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  Roundtrees Review - 2005 Scion XB
  By cjr22779 - October 5 - 10:00 am

  For the price, you cant beat it. It is probably the best vehicle in its price range. Its fun, reliable, and gets a lot of attention. You cant beat it.

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  Poor A/C on an otherwise brilliant car - 2004 Scion XB
  By basiegal - September 21 - 10:00 am

  We made an special effort to find, buy and ship this car back to Dallas after my wife test drove on in Santa Rosa. At the test drive my wife reported the A/C seemed weak. On delivery we found the A/C marginal at over 100F. Taken to the local Toyota dealer found the air mix control off but this did little to fix overall performance. Appears the is the first of a new system of not compressor clutch. Its a shame the system is underpowered as the rest of the car is like nothing else on the market.

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  Cheap to maintain, joy to park - 2006 Scion xA
  By Dmitry - September 10 - 4:33 pm

  I used to drive a Mercedes C230, but when my job got relocated, I had to get an economical car that is cheap and does not depreciate much. I highly recommend the Scion xA. It may not have the performance one would desire for or the sporty styling but over the life of the car or 25,000 miles, the only money I spent not counting oil change was spark plugs and belts. This is a dream for somebody who travels to work on long distances, wants a car with very low maintenance, utilitarian and easy to park. Four people sit comfortably in this Scion. Moreover, the resale value holds. I bought it in Dec 08 for $7,950 with 57K miles. Price has not changed at all during the year. Toyota did A+ job

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  16k well invested in a new car - 2005 Scion TC
  By Bazzgazm - August 31 - 1:23 pm

  The car has ample acceleration, response (not sports car) suspension and steering, and does actually get higher gas mileage than expected (the ones ive seen driven, all about 25- 27mpg). If you go in comparing to a 250hp suped up sports car, of course its not going to satisfy you. If you want a car that can move well, get you from point a to point b, and have a very attractive exterior. this is a great buy.

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  MPG? - 2006 Scion XB
  By firefighter184 - August 31 - 3:53 am

  Beware of the gas mileage in the city. We get maybe 22-24 mpg in the city, which is nowhere close to the 31 mpg that is says on the sticker. Besides that, the car is worth the less than $15,000 and it is even better with a few cosmetic upgrades.

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  Good all around car - 2009 Scion TC
  By Bootlyus - August 23 - 1:06 pm

  All around a good car. If you are all about TOKYO DRIFTU then this is not the car for you. I think this car has a bad reputation in some circles because there are too many Tc owners that think this is a sports car. Its not. Test drove an auto but bought the manual for price reasons. Auto was a little slow to shift but other than that it was fine. The car handling is excellent, it feels like you are driving the car not the other way around. A lot of the electronic assist stuff Toyota loves to put in their cars now is pleasantly absent in the TC give you the feeling of having more control over your driving experience. Fuel economy, torque and HP is what you would expect from a 2.4 L 4 cylinder.

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  scionxd - 2010 Scion XD
  By pat downey - August 20 - 11:20 pm

  I have only about 500 miles on my xd manual transmission car. Overall it is a good little car and decent on MPG (about 33 on combined driving). It has a lot of features,standard equipment, that you normally would expect in higher priced cars. The one thing that I was surprised that it does not have, is a water coolant temp gauge. I bought a standard transmission because, in my experience, these little engines dont do very well with automatic transmissions. The car seems to be a little short on performance even with the 5 speed. At Interstate speeds, 70-75 MPH, there is what I think is a harmonic vibration that is very annoying.

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  a different by nice for the price - 2004 Scion XB
  By old cat - July 23 - 10:00 am

  The look took a little while to grow on me but now i like the car.Its very comfortable an very roomie inside.The speed reminds u of a typical 4 cycle car.overall im satisfied w/ it an would recommend to any one as a 1st time buyer.

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  Best Bang for your Buck! - 2008 Scion XB
  By Alex - July 20 - 1:30 am

  After owning this car for 7 months and 4,500, the car feels just like the first day I bought it. Honestly this is one of the most fun car to drive on the road. For one its very spacious for a small vehicle. Theres ample head room and leg room, and it fits 4 passengers very comfortably! The seats are firm but comfortable, I love the odometer and the way its displayed, it doesnt distract you but its very easy to read. A/C is very strong. Also the package I went with inlcuded an upgrade head unit plus an ipod connection which I cant live without. The car is very smooth while driving but a bit noisy but since the music is on it doesnt bother me at all. This car is a steal for your $s!

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  An alternative review - 2007 Scion TC
  By Scion Owner - July 18 - 6:46 pm

  Im 2,500 miles into my 2007 Scion tC and I can say Im pretty happy with my purchase. Most reviews tell you how great the car is, and for the most part, they are true. Its a pleasure to drive and looks great. Not to be negative, I just want to take my chance to inform readers of the flip side. Dont get me wrong, I love 95% of the car, but to offer more insight to prospective buyers, here are the things that irk me: the sunroof cover is cheap. It is made of flimsy canvas and mine broke and came off the track the 2nd/3rd time I used it! Black interior shows every little speck, nearly impossible to keep looking clean. A/C vents arent placed well, its hard to get air to blow right on you.