New Car Review of the 2005 Toyota Scion tC Compact Hatchback Coupe

Description: Compact Hatchback Coupe
Base MSRP Range: $16,000 - $16,800
Invoice Price Range: $15,200 - 415,960
Where built: Japan

The tC is a stylish two-door coupe with a glass lid and add-on gear to fashion a customized car. This slick car resembles a slinky coupe although there's a gate on the tail so it brings the versatility of a hatchback. It has a monochromatic face as flanks go flat but fenders emphasize wheel arches with sculptured rims.

And that roof -- it's virtually all glass in the form of a panorama-style power moonroof. The cabin feels airy and spacious, despite dimensions of a sub-compact. Driver and a companion sit on contoured buckets separated by a metal-tone console swooping down from the center of the dashboard. Rear seats recline and adjust to ten different positions for comfort or fold down to increase storage space in the back cargo bay.

Power for tC flows from a lively 2.4-liter four-in-line engine with dual cams. The plant produces 160-hp and links to a manual 5-speed or electronically-controlled 4-speed automatic transmission. For enthusiasts, tC offers a TRD supercharger kit to boost the juice to 200-hp.

Other TRD add-on gear ranges from stiffer/shorter springs to a struts/shocks kit, performance clutch and special wide-lip Racing Hart wheels at 19 inches with high-performance Pirelli P Zero tires.