Remember Toyota’s Celica? The now classic model still has a lot of diehard fans that collect, restore and custom-tune the once

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popular sport coupe, from its Carina-based rear-drive origins to the final front-drive seventh-generation Corolla-sourced model, a car that I quickly fell for as a budding automotive journalist way back at the turn of the century, it’s a very special bit of Toyota culture and history.

While Toyota now produces the GT 86, a wholly better-performing sports coupe than the Celica ever was, even when offered in now legendary rally-inspired Turbo AWD guise (I can’t describe how much I wanted that car when it arrived on the scene), the Celica filled its 2+2 sport coupe niche respectably and no doubt would still enjoy an ardent following if produced today.

In many respects Toyota’s newish Scion youth-brand fills the sporty roll of its parent

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automaker here in North America, which is a philosophy that’s somewhat at odds with the man that heads up all of the company’s divisions in Japan. Akio Toyoda, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation, who commissioned the aforementioned GT 86, has announced plans to bring back a successor to the Supra, and has pushed the carmaker to produce much sportier versions of the Corolla, Camry and even the Sienna minivan with an objective of adding excitement back into a namesake brand that had become rather dull in recent decades, although a carmaker that previously not only sold the Celica and Supra but myriad other go-fast sports models such as the very collectable and absolutely gorgeous Jaguar E-Type defying 2000GT, the Fiat X1/9 fighting MR2, the wonderfully agile rear-drive Corolla AE86 (GT-S), and later the front-drive Corolla FX16 GT-S hatchback. Rather

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than having the Toyota brand benefit from the potential trickle-down effect provided by sporty models like the rear-wheel drive FR-S and front-wheel drive tC, these two sold in other markets as the previously mentioned Toyota GT 86 and the Toyota Zelas respectively, Scion, a brand that’s not exactly a household name, walks away with all the credit here in North America, while Toyota continues on without a sports car to its name.

Just the same, no argument can be made with respect to sales numbers. Since the Scion tC effectively replaced the Toyota Celica when it hit the U.S. market in 2004

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as a 2005 model (the Scion brand didn’t arrive in Canada until 2010), it’s done better than the Celica was doing when it left both markets in 2005. That year Toyota sold 3,113 Celicas in the U.S. and 413 in Canada, the low numbers partly due to being a phase-out year, but it didn’t fare much better in 2004 when it sold only 8,710 units south of the 49th and 1,027 examples here. Comparatively the tC has never sold less than 15,204 units in the U.S., while it nudged up against 80,000 sales in 2006 and broke the 70k threshold the year before. Its best Canadian sales were a respectable 2,045 units during its first full year here, almost twice the success the Celica endured during its final full year in our market, while last year’s 1,179 unit sales volume was still higher than the Celica’s final year in Canada.

When the tC first arrived on the scene, enthusiasts, who realized both cars had their

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roots based in the same Toyota Corolla, rallied around it as the next-gen Celica, and to many its double-letter moniker made that association proof positive: the tC initials couldn’t be anything else but “Toyota Celica” in code, right? After the folks at Scion debunked this theory, enthusiasts filled message boards of the era with their thoughts on the model name’s meaning, with entries such as “Touring Coupe”, “totally cool”, “too cool” or “tuner car”, the latter the most fitting considering how Scion positioned the car and the brand on the whole. The vast majority of the posts were positive and the rest is history.

Surprisingly

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the tC hasn’t changed all that much since its inception. It received a major overhaul in 2010, when it arrived here, giving the car an edgier more aggressive appearance and a more refined interior with more standard gear, but the general layout stayed the same. This is a good thing, as what makes the tC so popular is its mixture of sporty design, entertaining performance and livable practicality, the latter measured in a rear seat that can actually fit a set of adults, plus a hatchback that can accommodate most of life’s daily gear at 417 litres (14.7 cubic feet).

As for style there’s nothing new for 2015, which is ok by me. Last year it received some aggressive design tweaks that really freshened the car up, including a deeper more menacing grille, a sharply angled set of projector style halogen headlamps, a vertical stack of LED daytime running lights set into grilled brake ducts,

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body-colour side mirrors with integrated turn signals, new LED taillights with cool clear lenses, vertical reflectors at each rear corner, and four fabulous 18-inch machine-finished alloys with dark metallic grey-painted inserts wrapped around 225/45R18 Toyo Proxes A20 rubber. The look adds a lot of excitement to the design, effectively backed up by a drivetrain and suspension engineered to put a smile on your face.

A new engine was added for the 2014 makeover, 100 cubic centimeters smaller yet output remained almost identical, while the suspension was recalibrated to improve feel and steering response. It’s really noticeable, especially when flinging the tC into a tight corner at above-posted speeds, where the electrically powered rack-and-pinion setup responds nicely to turn-in, front wheels hold their line ideally,

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and rears follow obediently, unless you remember to turn off the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and traction control which allows those rear wheels to occasionally break free for a little tail-happy action that’s easily controllable while exiting the corner. The tC’s fully-independent MacPherson strut front and double wishbone rear suspension stays well grounded even when the pavement is bitterly uneven, while the ride is firm yet nowhere near as punishing as some rival sport coupes.

Truly, the tC is a car you can live with every day, whether your commute takes you on rural byways and high-speed freeways or is simply across town, it strikes a nice balance between friendly comfort when ambling along in traffic and raucous impudence when hitting the curves, whether circling a cloverleaf, slinging it through roundabout or making

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an impromptu U-turn, or enjoying a quick blast on a favourite mountainside back road or weekend road trip on a stretch of serpentine seaside highway.

My most recent tC tester was made even more enjoyable thanks to its standard six-speed manual gearbox. It’s endowed with a nice, tight shifter boasting even throws and easily modulated progressive clutch take-up. I wouldn’t go so far to say that the TC is as fun to drive as the old Celica was, at least the Celica GT-S. That 1.8-litre four spun up to a much loftier redline, sounding like a Japanese sport bike at max rpm which heightens the adrenaline level as many an F1 fan will attest. It made a healthy 180 horsepower too, although the TC’s 2.4 delivers a lot more torque over a much wider range for an ultimately faster car off the line and an

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easier more tractable experience during regular daily driving. The 16-valve, DOHC 2.4’s numbers are impressive for its entry-level compact coupe class too, horsepower rated at 179 and torque at 172 lb-ft – the last 2003 Celica GT-S I tested making a mere 130 lb-ft.

The tC’s substantive twist makes it an ideal companion for the optional six-speed automatic, a transmission that I must mention as it’s certainly a cut above most offerings in this class. The advanced gearbox boasts a set of paddles, which for optimal driver engagement now react twice as fast as those on the old 2013 tC’s automatic. What’s more, put it in Sport mode and the autobox holds its given gear right up to redline before shifting, plus when employing the left hand to downshift it automatically revs the engine prior to selecting the lower gear, a sophisticated bit of tech that Scion calls Dynamic Rev Management. While DRM sounds great it also

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makes you look like a driving pro, optimally matching engine speed to the upcoming gear via a quick blip from the throttle.

I found the tC’s four-wheel disc brakes to be all that’s needed for regular use, never grabby and quick to respond when needed, their ABS, electronic brake-force distribution and emergency brake assist combining for near immediate panic stops. If I were thinking about entering weekend autocross events or had a commute that ran me over a particularly enjoyable bit of tarmac I’d consider enhancing them via a brake upgrade kit, and while doing so maybe getting the suspension lowered and tweaked with a set of thicker sway bars, all available from your local Scion dealer and designed not to conflict with the brand’s warranty. There are loads of additional accessories

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available from the dealer too, so make sure you check out the brand website or talk to your dealer rep.

You can even get leather upholstery with front seat heaters, although that’s one of only a handful of manufacturer-installed options that you’ll either need to order and wait for or take advantage of if your dealer happened to bring one in so equipped. It’s $2,075 extra so I’m guessing most dealers won’t order one without a specific request, especially considering how nice the new standard two-tone black cloth bolsters and light-grey striped fabric inserts look. They’re comfortable and offer decent lateral support too,

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although a set of height-adjustable shoulder straps would certainly benefit we shorter folks.

Another factory-installed addition is a $477 security system, a good idea if you make a habit of leaving valuables in your car or plan to upgrade the stock audio system. If you already own a tC or the one you’re buying doesn’t have the factory security system, Scion will sell you a dealer-installed unit for $594.43, while you can also opt for a $105.50 cargo cover to keep your belongings away from prying eyes, plus a $64.50 cargo mat to keep the floor neat and clean, and/or a $60.50 cargo net to stop smaller items from rolling around in back. And speaking of keeping things clean and neat, not to mention very

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fashionable, you can upgrade the tC’s doorsills with Scion embossed aluminum plates for $156.49.

If you keep the stock audio system, which is a really decent eight-speaker Scion/Pioneer-branded setup featuring a 6.1-inch “Organic Electro-Luminescence Display” and AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA/AAC capability, plus aux and USB inputs and Bluetooth wireless connectivity for phone and audio streaming, you can upgrade the sound with a dealer-installed Bongiovi Acoustics DPS system adding $357.48 to the bill, or get that feature from the manufacturer for only $320. Then again why

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not go all the way and upgrade the entire stereo faceplate with Scion’s premium display audio system with navigation, which will set you back $1,010 and also needs to be included from the factory.

Another factory option is an available set of circular fog lights that get fitted just below the standard DRLs, a $548 upgrade, while you can dress up your tC with additional gear from the dealer, such as four gorgeous 19-inch seven-spoke lightweight aluminum TRD alloys, a low- or high-profile rear deck lid spoiler for $667.95, or a $727.48 TRD exhaust system with a sweet looking high-polished, double-walled, wide-diameter slant-cut exhaust tip. Of course for that kind of money it does more than just look good, it also boosts power while emitting a more resonant engine sound.

On

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that note, some additional go-fast dealer upgrades include the $1,215.72 TRD lowering springs to hunker down the suspension as previously advised, plus a $474.95 TRD front strut brace for a more rigid structure and better under-hood style, a $128.47 TRD oil filter, and an upgrade I’d really love to try out, the $262.48 TRD Quickshifter that repositions the manual gearbox pivot points to provide up to 30 percent shorter shift throws for a “sportier, more responsive feel,” says Scion.

Now that we’re back inside the tC, it’s appropriate I show you around. Unlike some other models in the Scion portfolio the tC is less about style and more about purposeful performance. Don’t misunderstand what I’m trying to say by thinking it’s devoid of style, because it’s quite a nice cabin to visually take in, replete with a truly sporty red on black dual-dial backlit primary gauge cluster with three rectangular-shaped

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vents laying horizontally across the top for max driver air intake – I love that! The driver-centric cockpit includes a centre stack that’s slightly canted to the left for better ergonomics, with a somewhat nondescript digital clock sitting above the aforementioned infotainment system, the latter of which looks fairly good and performs quite well, especially if you play around with its unique “sound-shaping” programs, yet can be a bit fussy to use due to small controls and a sensitive touchscreen, while a user-friendly chrome-rimmed three-dial manual HVAC interface sits just underneath.

My favourite tC interior design element is the flat-bottomed leather-clad steering wheel, which not only looks superb but also provides more legroom for getting in and out or otherwise lowering the wheel all the way down, if you’re into that sort of

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thing. It’s not just wrapped in leather either, but more so a perforated stitched leather for a really upscale appearance, while the aluminum-look spokes get audio controls on the left side.

If I had a complaint it would be Scion’s singular use of hard plastics where some softer synthetics covering the dash top, door uppers, etcetera would improve its sense of tactile quality as well as offer some sound absorption benefits. Just the same the dimpled dark grey dash plastic looks great and the car’s door panel inserts are covered in an attractive padded grey cloth that flows downward into comfortable armrests, while the centre armrest/bin lid is covered in padded black fabric. Up above, a light grey roofliner frames a fabulous dual-pane panoramic sunroof, the front half of which powers open or tilts upwards, impressive for a standard item.

Additional

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standard features include illuminated entry with fadeout, power-adjustable and heatable side mirrors, powered windows and powered locks with remote access, tilt and telescopic steering, a multi-information display, variable intermittent wipers and a rear window wiper, cruise control, air conditioning, map lights, 60/40 split-folding rear seats that also recline, plus whiplash preventative headrests, Smart Stop Technology (SST – a brake override system), eight total airbags including two blocker-type airbags for the driver and front passengers’ knees, and more, plus a standard Eco indicator for automatic transmission-equipped cars, that last item a $1,300 extra.

A totally stock 2015 Scion tC with the as-tested manual gearbox will only set you back $21,490 plus $1,495 for freight and pre-delivery prep, which may be why the current

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tC sells a whole lot better than the old Celica did. A 2003 Celica GT-S, like the one I tested 12 years ago, started at $33,245, whereas a base GT model couldn’t be purchased without spending $24,645 (at least before discount). That’s $3,155 more than a similarly equipped tC, the newer model delivering a lot more performance than that old base Celica and arguably as much as the pricy Celica GT-S.

Added to that, the tC’s fuel economy is about the same as the old Celica at an estimated 10.2 L/100km city, 7.7 highway and 9.0 combined with the manual or 10.2, 7.6, and 9.0 with the auto, while even more impressive it was recently awarded best Compact Sporty Car in J.D. Power and Associate’s 2015 Initial Quality Study (IQS). Are you starting to figure out that the tC is quite the bargain?

Last month’s sales (Feb. 2015) were up 12 percent from the same month in the previous year, so possibly Toyota’s best-kept sports coupe secret is now out and people are once again buying into this great little Scion. So if you’re considering a sporty alternative to a compact sedan like the Toyota Corolla, look no further than the Scion tC. I believe you’ll be glad you did.
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