With its new Scion tC, Toyota has launched an all-out offensive to capture America’s Gen Y buyers. The assault on the minds and wallets of young, small, performance-minded car buyers wanting a 3-Series BMW — but maybe able to afford a used Mustang — began last year with the simultaneous debut of the Scion xA 5-door hatchback and the xB microvan.

I saw the Scion early last year in Del Mar, Calif., while attending an unrelated, non-automotive event being held directly adjacent to one for SoCal auto writers. I wandered over, took a look, and frankly, wondered whom Toyota expected to sell these semi-strange looking vehicles to? Now the answer is clear.

Debuting at the 2004 Detroit Auto Show, the new Scion tC hatchback coupe recently hit showrooms after lots of online buzz. This 160-horse rocket was developed in only 13 months with a single outcome in mind — capturing Gen Y buyers and turning them into lifelong Toyota customers before anyone else has a shot at them.

The tC is built on the same chassis as the Toyota Avensis, which is only sold in Europe. But it’s positioned to capture Gen Y buyers by offering a stylish, well-equipped vehicle featuring a huge menu of personalization options, at a nearly unbeatable low price.

The Scion tC hatchback coupe has a base price of $15,950 and comes only one way — well equipped. Standard are power steering, brakes, locks and mirrors, as well as A/C, tilt wheel, keyless entry, cloth-covered sport bucket seats with position memory, a two-tiered console, engine immobilizer, and cargo cover — not to mention about a dozen other things.

Something guaranteed to appeal to Gen Y’ers is the standard 160-watt Pioneer AM/FM/CD unit that boasts a user-customizable welcome screen, MP3 capability, four speakers, and a cover for the system’s faceplate. A 10-inch subwoofer is optional, as is a 6-disc changer and XM satellite radio.

There are only two major mechanical options — the $845 automatic transmission and the side and roof air bag system for $650.

But personalization is what the Scion tC is all about, so there’s a laundry list of freestanding options —40+ — more than any other car in its class. These range from a selection of different chrome and leather shift knobs to a $4500 supercharger that boosts horses hitting the highway to 200.

Special Toyota Racing Development (TRD) high-performance items include struts, shock absorbers, a clutch kit, a quick shifter, rear anti-roll bar, stainless steel muffler, a shift-point indicator light, as well as a lowering kit and 18 and 19-inch wheels. Toyota’s high-performance division is already working on a 300-horsepower package, which will make the tC a genuine monster.

Walkaround: The Scion tC has a look of understated but determined performance. It’s not in your face with spoilers, wings, badging or molding to become dated, but it’s definitely there. With personalization the focus of this car, it’s more like a blank canvas awaiting the artistic young hot-rodder and/or customizer.

The doors are actually quite long for a car this size. The long rear side window allows the design to flow gracefully front to rear giving it the look of a two-door sedan rather than a hatchback. The wheel arches are somewhat exaggerated and easily accommodate the larger 18 or 19-inch factory wheels and tires.
Like the other standard features, the panorama glass roof is an unexpected bonus in this price class.

Interior: Inside the Scion tC, materials are first-class while eschewing lots of different textures and finishes. The brushed-metal center stack, which houses vents, sound and climate controls, looks hot, fits together well, and works intuitively.

The front bucket seats look and feel like racing seats, without being too hard or narrow. They’re comfortable, with enough adjustments to suit most drivers, and feature a mechanical seat position memory. There’s also a drivers left-foot dead pedal. The driver and passenger seats recline into what Scion calls a “sleep” position, while the 60/40 split folding rear seats lounge 45 degrees through 10 positions. With the seats up, there’s more than 26 inches of cargo length, and with the rear seats folded, almost 60. With the front passenger seat folded, almost 104 inches of cargo length is available.

Instrumentation is a three-pod, amber-illuminated analog setup that’s easy to see, day or night, as are the balance of the instruments and controls.

The Scion tC is also the first US Toyota to have a knee airbag standard.

Under The Hood: Although the 2.4-liter, inline four-cylinder under the hood of the Scion tC has seen duty as a Toyota car and truck powerplant in one form or another for years, it’s been continuously improved for power, torque, quietness and reliability. It features electronic variable valve timing, and twin balance shafts for smoothness. Tuned to 160 horses and 163 foot-pounds of torque, it’s quiet, smooth, and delivers plenty of power in this 2900-pound car. With the pedal to the metal, it even sounds powerful and has a valved muffler that opens at high rpm adding as much as 5 horses.

The 4-speed automatic transmission isn’t really suitable for major acceleration the way the 5-speed stick is (especially in first and second), but it does move out smartly, is much easier to live with in traffic and offers significantly better mileage — 25 or so combined highway/city

Behind The Wheel: The steering, ride quality and overall handling of the Scion tC were excellent for a car this size That’s due to its 106-inch wheelbase — longest in its class — the MacPherson strut front, and independent double-wishbone rear suspension not found on many cars in this price class. Bridgestone Potenza tires originally developed for the hot-rod Lexus IS 300 are standard.

Steering is a touch heavy, but drama-free and not unpleasant.

Braking is courtesy of a combination of ventilated 10.8-inch front and 10.6-inch rear discs — quite large for a car this light — with both ABS and electronic brake force distribution standard.

Whines: Nothing worth mentioning.

Bottom Line: The killer 40+item option list and TRD parts catalog enable you to custom build a totally unique hot rod without leaving the dealership — and the hot-rod parts carry the same factory warranty as the car.

The quietness (there’s more sound insulation than any Toyota this side of Lexus), performance, and typically perfect Toyota fit and finish of this small, inexpensive car astonished me. The Scion tC may be inexpensive, but it’s definitely not cheap and is perhaps the best small coupe I’ve ever driven — at a price that’s outrageously low.