- coupe 123,026
- 8,995 overpriced
- Richmond, CA
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- autoshopper.com
- coupe 123,026 gasoline manual
2008 scion tc review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. Restyling freshens fun-to-drive coupe. introductionthe scion tc has been subtly restyled inside and out for 2008. Apple ipod connectivity comes standard along with a pioneer subwoofer. And navigation is now available. the scion tc is an affordably priced but thoroughly practical and well-equipped sport coupe. It benefits from toyota's attention to quality, durability and reliability. The body panels fit tight and straight, and quality construction is evident. Interior materials are first-rate, and show attention to detail. The bucket seats are comfortable and there's enough room to suit tall drivers. It is quiet, smooth, and plenty powerful. Its steering, ride quality and handling are commendable. A full array of airbags is available to enhance safety. the scion nameplate may represent toyota's next-generation future, but in some ways the 2008 scion tc brings a welcome blast from the past, when sport coupes were often regarded as a kind of blank canvas for personal expression. This price buys a surprising amount of standard equipment, including air conditioning; reclining front sport bucket seats with cloth upholstery and position memory; height and tilt adjustments for driver's seat; power locks and mirrors with integrated turn signals; a tilt wheel with audio controls; 160-watt pioneer am/fm/cd/mp3 stereo with subwoofer and ipod connectivity; a huge, power-retracting glass sunroof; a two-tiered console; reclining rear seats; keyless entry; engine immobilizer; cargo cover, and a dozen other comfort and convenience goodies. It all rolls on p215/45zr bridgestone potenzas on 17-inch alloy wheels. the lower-priced spec package is also available with manual 15,300) or automatic 16,100). The idea here is to provide a stripped-down model for tuners and customizers, so they don't pay for fancy parts that they are just going to take off and replace anyway. Spec package models come with downgraded upholstery on less-adjustable seats, non-tilting urethane steering wheel without audio controls, and p205/55r16 tires on steel wheels. They also skip the core model's power windows, cruise control, two-tier console, subwoofer, and engine immobilizer. The panoramic glass roof remains but it does not retract. Colors are limited to super white, flint mica, black sand pearl, and classic silver metallic. safety features for all tc scions include optional side-impact and side-curtain air bags 650) designed to provide torso and head protection. (head injuries are the leading cause of death in side impacts.) a knee airbag is standard, along with the mandated dual front airbags. Anti-lock brakes and electronic brake-force distribution are standard also, as is a tire-pressure monitor. options include a premium pioneer sound system with video capabilities 689); and a navigation system 2,250) with seven-inch touch screen. There are no other factory options, but scion dealers offer more than 40 dealer-installed accessories, ranging from shift knobs and satellite radio (either xm or sirius) to a supercharger kit good for 200 horsepower. Special toyota racing development (trd) items include 18- and 19-inch wheels, a lowering kit, struts and shock absorbers, rear anti-roll bar, a high-performance clutch, a quicker shifter, a stainless steel muffler, and a shift-point indicator light kit. walkaroundthe somewhat bland styling of the 2005-07 scion tc was intentional, offering a blank canvas for hot-rodders and customizers. Frankly, we liked its look of purposeful performance. The 2008 scion tc certainly looks more sophisticated, but whether it looks better is a matter of taste. most changed is the front end, where the headlight housings now contain three sharply defined separate lenses for high beams, projector-type low beams, and amber turn signals, all arranged in a subtle diagonal. The top and bottom grille textures no longer match, with a fussy diagonal-oval mesh up top that fades to solid at the sides; and horizontal slats down below. As before, a thin, led center stop light appears gray until it lights up; and the bottom edge of the bumper sports a prominent horizontal pout. otherwise the outside isn't much changed, and that's a good thing. Even the standard six-double-spoke alloy wheels are carried over from last year. the doors are quite long for such a small car, and the door handles are of the reach-around-and-pull variety that we like. The long rear side window suggests a two-door sedan more than a hatchback coupe, and makes the design flow from front to rear gracefully. It filters 97 percent of uv rays and 100 percent of infrared to avoid sunburned occupants. All of the body panels fit tight and straight, and quality flows from every pore. interiorinside the 2008 scion tc are first-rate materials. There aren't a lot of different grains and textures, and the swoopy brushed-metal center stack housing vents, sound system and climate control system are a marvel of modern design. Scion has pumped up the volume a bit for 2008, adding metallic accents that match the center stack to the steering wheel spokes and door-mounted grab handles. The driver's and shotgun seats can be reclined all the way down into what scion calls a sleep position. the core model's rear seats recline through 10 stops and 45 degrees to convert the interior into a conversation bin. With seats up, there's more than 26 inches of cargo length there; with the second seats dropped, almost 60 inches; and with the front passenger seat folded over, almost 104 inches of cargo length available. attention to detail is evident in the mechanical seat position memory on the front bucket seats, the 60/40 split folding rear seat, the dead pedal for the driver's left foot, fully closing vents, and a cover for the stereo faceplate. the three-pod instrument panel is amber-illuminated, deeply tunneled and easy to use, day or night, as are the balance of the instruments and controls. The metal-tone center console features a cast-aluminum temperature control dial flanked by soft-touch electronic buttons and an lcd display showing exterior temperature, seven fan speeds and a clock. Sirius and xm satellite radio are optional. the head unit allows ipod owners to listen to their tunes through the car speakers and to control song selection and read stored information through the head unit's display. Also standard (on core models) for 2008 is a pioneer six-inch subwoofer with 35-watt maximum power, tuned specifically for the tc. This compact unit is mounted in the under-floor storage area, keeping it out of sight and leaving the cargo floor clear. the optional premium audio adds the ability to download skins to play on the head unit's organic electroluminescent (oel) faceplate. Pioneer software also allows customers to burn their own images and movies onto a cd and upload them onto the head unit. the premium audio system comes with rear head unit outputs, allowing the addition of external amps to boost power to additional speakers and subwoofers. Scion claims that none of these modifications will affect the operation of head unit's standard features. both the standard and premium head units feature scion sound processing (ssp), which allows listeners to choose from three pre-set equalizer settings; automatic sound leveling (asl); and sound retouch technology (srt), which provides clearer cd sound quality. driving impressionthe 2008 scion tc is fun to drive. The engine is quiet, smooth, and plenty powerful in a 2900-pound car; and at full throttle, it sounds potent without being intrusive, because it has a valved muffler that opens up at high rpm and can be worth as much as 5 horsep.
8,995 Richmond, CARichmond, CA at autoshopper.com