What he said...

Srsly...

 

That interior picture, is the Forte interior.

 

Ah... my bad on that part then. But the first picture of the Optima threw me off...

 

Yup, I got to check out the Forte Koup at the dealer when I bought my Subie (dealer is Subaru/Kia). It's actually pretty nice. It 'felt' like it was a 2nd gen tC. Small but roomy, cheap but looks expensive, loaded with gadgets.

 

It has crossed my mind - but I don't think the driving dynamics would be there yet. Not that the tC is a supercar or anything... but I'm not sure the Koup is there. Of course that's me not having driven one, but ya.

That said, I would really like to know what changes have been made to the new tC's suspension. Stiffer springs? Thicker sway bars? Anything?

 

Based specifically on magazine bench racing, the Koup outperforms the tC in just about every aspect. Stops 11 feet shorter from 60, has better skid pad results, and it's just flat out faster.

Most reviews are comparing it to the Civic Si, rather than the Civic EX.

 

NO WAY! :O didn't see this coming... oh well Its still a Civic/Lancer knock-Off

 

I'd rather buy a knock-off of two successful cars than a knock-off of multiple Dodge vehicles.

 

I was pointing out that for a new model introduced at the NY Auto Show, the Kia looks amazing, and the Scion looks like poop. You can change that to the Koup if you want, since I think the Koup is far better looking than the tC2 as well.

Dunno, they haven't been selling well so far. tC sales went from a high of 79,000 in 2006 to just 18,000 in 2009. xB sales dropped from 61,000 in 2006 down to 45,000/year in 2008 after the redesign, and only sold 25,000 last year. Heck, even the xA sold 32,000 in 2006 compared with 27,000 of the xD in 2008 (and only 14,000 last year). EVERY single redesign has been met with lower sales than the vehicle that it replaced. Scion sales are in the dumpster, and I don't see the new tC helping very much. I'll be that it'll get far more than the 18k they sold in 2009, but I'd be SHOCKED if it came anywhere near 80k/year again. The iQ will absolutely help, and I'll probably be test-driving it for the wife once it comes onto dealer lots, but unless they make the FT-86 into a Scion I really don't see the excitement/the spark left in this brand.

 

Well guys. Why don't you all write a petition and sign it telling Scion to just close it's doors? If you're that unhappy, your next car should be a honday then.... are you guys that naive? don;t you see what happening? the korean companies are taking a big share of the american market. Japan is designing the car to look them. I think thats good in a way. why? the korean car have a rackish look and alot of you have said that in so many ways. seen the new Legacy? looks like a Hyundai coming head on at you. seen the new Santa Fe? looks like a jet coming at you. so if the tC resembles a korean car, why act so surprised? some of you say the 5Axis kit makes it look way better. so then buy a tC2 and buy the 5Axis kit and be happy! I'm sick of the b!tchin about Scion. They have moved a market that has finally caught up. don't be mad.....it's the way it is. I like the Scion embossed in the taillight. nice detail.

 

i duno man but honestly KIA just gave scion a head shot with this car

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/01/2...0-live-reveal/

looks better.. and the 2.L version turbo @ 274 whp with the 10 yr warranty just gave scion something to cry about.

 

Again... mid-sized sedan is not the tC's market though. Yes, the Optima does look incredibly promising (I started a thread just a bit ago about it)... but it is not the tC's competition. At least not directly...

 

Yup, but when they make a KoupSPEED and drop that 2.0l turbo in there, *then* Scion will start to cry...

(hopefully Kia is reading this, hint hint)

 

I hear you on that...

 

Saying this thing will sell like hotcakes is a stretch. I think the TC gets a nice first year bump, but after that it fades. Once all the "have to have the new thing" people get their TC the sales numbers will drop.
The hit to Toyota's reputation the recall fiasco caused is going to really hurt this. Lots of people bought the TC because it was a safe choice and filled a unique niche in the market. Toyota isn't the safe choice it once was and there are a raft of stronger competitors that didn't exist in 2005. Moreover, people are far more willing to check out those competitors.
As a cheap car with lots of features, the Kia beats it. As a reliable car with a golden reputation the Civic EX beats it. As a drivers car there are numerous better options for not much more money. Scion no longer has a "new"/"cool" buzz around it. Provided Toyota doesn't botch it (always a possibility) the FT-86 sitting across the showroom for 4k more is going to kill the TC for all but the most credit challenged.
I know the economy is in the tank but the bottom line is that Toyota went cheap on this thing so they can milk as much profit out of it as they can. Maybe five years ago when Scion was new and Toyota was unassailable this would have worked, but the market is so much more competitive and the goodwill of the Toyota name isn't what it once was.

 

i have to agree that scion doesn't have a stranglehold on its niche market anymore. there are too many great competing cars in the sporty compact and sub-compact class. kia soul, nissan cube, ford fiesta, the list is now pretty long and impressive.

scion hurt itself by keeping the old tc on its roster for too long. in 2006, when i fell in love and rescued my tc from the dealership's cold floor she was truly a one-in-a-million car. you didn't see too many scion tcs on the road. now they are everywhere and in all the wrong places. too late i realized that my precious tc was actually part of a race of ******, whose pimp, toyota, would sell as many as possible and diminish the individual worth of each one. she turned out to be no different than the other sports compact coupes that would follow her.

it's kind of sad, but because of the shift in consumer purchasing trends, the way to be different in today's market is to come out with an SUV.

 

morning after thoughts:
Im happy that we have a second gen at all, i began to think that scion was just going to keep redesigning lights and changing audio components forever. I do think that the redesign is a little late. Everyone is dreaming about the ft-86 and is willing to stick it out in their current car until it comes out. I am happy that there is a six speed and a slight power increase, i just dont think that scion is keepin up with their whole generation y mentality. Lets face it things become outdated faster and faster for our generation. What was cool once is not the thing now. When the first gen was coming out i drooled and drooled until i could get one. With the second gen its not like that.. Im excited that scion did somthing but at the same time i dont really care, which im sad to say because ive been a loyal toyota owner for years. Also im tired of referring to the ft-86 because with all of this hype and a not so great tc this thing has crazy expectations.

 

Not only that, but the Koup currently has the 178hp 2.4l, NOT the 200hp 2.4l that's offered as the base engine in the 2011 Optima. How long do you think it's going to be before Kia offers a mild refresh and gives the Koup the additional 22hp, allowing them to leapfrog back over the tC? Also, remember that the Concept Koup did have a 290hp turbo'd DI 2.0l engine... I'd bet money that it's only a matter of time.

 

Exactly scion did somthing huge by introducing the xb which now has too many rivals. The second gen xb is nice but its big..that was not the original xbs motto. So if you are looking for a small car then the cube would be a better bet than the current xb.

The tc was the best bang for your buck when i was shopping around for cars and it was really something different..now we keep mentioning the kia forte which was unheard of a few years back..to tell you the truth i would consider a forte over the new tc..

 

I just hope that this brand sticks around. We can only wait and watch how the sales are going to be the next couple of years.