2014 Scion tC at the NY Auto Show: “Hey Guys, Remember Me?”

2014 Scion tC

It seems like most of the automotive world has largely forgotten about the Scion tC since the release of the incredible Scion FR-S. It’s understandable, I mean the tC a good little car that competes within an enormous segment of the market: small, sporty, inexpensive, front-wheel-drive economical coupes and hatchbacks. I don’t even want to start listing the long list of potential competitors. It’s a good, unique car for its price-point, and definitely worth a look for someone looking for a car in that class.

But ever since the highfalutin’ rear-wheel-drive Scion FR-S sports car was unveiled, most of us kind of forgot about the tC. Scion decided that at the 2013 New York Auto Show, they’re going to give some spotlight to the tC again.

The 2014 Scion tC is still a second-generation model, but it’s a moderate facelift. And I gotta say, it does look better than the last one.

The 2014 tC’s styling is more aggressive, as you can see, with new headlights and hood in the front along with LED-accented upper and lower grilles. In the rear, the lower valance is blacked-out for a touch of FR-S, along with new LED tail lights.

2014 Scion tC rear

New dark gray 18-inch alloys are standard, and 2014 tC will be available in seven colors, two of them (Absolutely Red and Blue Streak Metallic) are new.

Inside, the tC comes with upgraded material and the new Scion Standard Display Audio featuring a 6.1-inch touchscreen LCD, which will be pushed out into all Scion models next year. This means that bluetooth, HD radio, and steering-wheel mounted controls – stuff that we almost expect nowaways – come standard. If you want a bit more tech, check the box for the BeSpoke Premium Audio and you’ll get sat nav, along with “the ability to connect compatible smart phones through Aha to access 30,000 free audio stations, including Scion’s own signature station featuring a lineup of its 17 music channels.” It also connects with service like Yelp, TripAdvisor, Facebook, Twitter, and more. Definitely a plus for the younger crowd they’re shooting for.

No real changes to the mechanics – it still has the 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine producing 179 hp and a standard manual gearbox, but it gets a new optional automatic transmission that claims to switch gears twice as fast as the outgoing version and taken from the FR-S, adds a throttle blip to match revs on downshifts. The suspension is also retuned a bit to give a sportier, less wobbly ride.