Exterior & Styling
Scion gave the two-door hatchback a sleek look with some BMW-like design cues. The dual-lamp headlight clusters behind wraparound lenses and underneath "eyebrow" turn signal lights are darn near a replica of those on the current BMW 5 Series and they look good.

The tC comes with beautiful 17-inch alloy wheels as standard equipment. (Dealers offer optional Enkei brand 18-inch alloy wheels and 19-inch alloys built for TRD by Racing Hart.) Additional upscale touches, the door handles and side mirrors are body-colored, and the mirrors include turn signal lights. Items such as a rear spoiler, bumper trim, ground effects and mudguards are dealer-installed options.

Ride & Handling
Scion describes the tC's suspension tuning as European and says the BMW 3 Series was the benchmark car whose performance they tried to match. The four-wheel-independent suspension uses MacPherson struts in front and double wishbones in the rear, the latter of which are believed by performance enthusiasts to be among the best configurations for sporty driving. I tend to emphasize the performance over the mechanicals, and here the tC avails itself very, very well. The rear end, in particular, is very well behaved. When pushed hard, the tail loses traction gracefully and controllably. Overall, the car feels very balanced, but the engine's considerable torque makes it easy to loosen up the front end and exaggerate the oversteer. In terms of ride quality, Scion's engineers have done a good job emulating the BMW. For handling, though, it's an apples-to-oranges comparison because the characteristics of this front-wheel-drive car and the BMW's rear-wheel drive are, as always, different enough to overshadow any amount of suspension work. That said, its roadholding is impressive.

Much of the car's surefootedness can be attributed to the standard rubber, Bridgestone Potenza RE92 all-season performance tires rated P215/45ZR17 (see tire codes). The trade-off is that these tires' 160 treadwear rating represents below-average longevity. (The highest numbers are above 500, and the average is somewhere in the middle.) The torquey engine and aggressive driving would burn through these shoes pretty quickly, and replacements aren't cheap. Tirerack.com lists them at $149 apiece for direct replacements.

The optional 18- and 19-inch wheels come with lower-profile tires 40-series and 35-series, respectively for sharper response and increased road feel.

The tC's steering has a well-matched ratio and provides decent feedback. The car's longish wheelbase improves the ride quality, but it also contributes to a turning diameter of 36.1 feet. For comparison, the Honda Civic coupe turns a 34.1-foot circle and the Volkswagen Golf does it in 35.8 feet.

For those who want a sporty feel or look, TRD offers pearl white springs that lower the car 1.1 inches in front and 1.3 inches in the rear. Replacement struts and shock absorbers tuned to work with the springs are also available. Though there are stabilizer bars, front and rear, TRD offers a larger one for the rear suspension to diminish body roll, which isn't that bad to begin with.

Going & Stopping
One of the tC's defining features, and a departure from the two earlier Scion models, is its 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, the same power plant that's standard in the larger, heavier Toyota Camry. It employs variable valve timing for even power delivery, smooth idle and all that good stuff, but the real issue here is its displacement, which results in more torque at lower rpm than one could expect from a smaller engine