2011 tC - A Firsthand Look From Your Senior Tech Mod

[navylife59]

Tool'n last night around Forgotten Bank here in New Orleans when I happened by the local Dealership sporting a white 2011 tC! It was too late to go snooping around so I had to wait till today to get a hands-on look at the tC's new threads. After scoping out the undercarriage and suspension, I headed out for a test drive. It was an auto so it was a little hard for me to compare the powerband and responsiveness of the powertrain to that of my near stock 2007 RS3.0. It only had 13 miles on it so I did not want to romp on it too much (break-in period). Listed below are my findings.

Drive:
1. Response from the 2AR-FE was quick from a dead stop. Making a U-turn then pressing the gas pedal a little firmer than normal resulting in a somewhat lazy acceleration. To get a more positive acceleration, I had to give the pedal a quick stab. The transmission then made the transition into downshift. This is most likely due to the shift logic in the trans ECU and is similar to the same issue as the 2007-up 2GR-FE V6's 6-speed auto trans that has a huge delay in the downshift logic. Hopefully this will be tweaked by the ECM as it learns driving patterns. Remember, it only has 13 miles on it so these tables have not been formulated yet.
2. Ride seemed a bit smoother than it's predecessors. I was not able to get any sporty driving in. Too much traffic and the Dealership only was alotted one car for the time being. I did feel some sway as the car transitioned from the steel grating of a canal drawbridge to the concrete pavement. New tires and certain tread patterns will induce this sway. It was not too bad.
3. New for 2011 is an electric actuated power steering. The steering feel was crisp and responsive. It was a step better than the already great steering for the older model. At one point, I remarked to the Scion Salesman that it was almost like it was a bit too easy. You could actually turn it with one finger while stopped.
4. The interior not only mad me feel like I was in the 2nd Gen Box, but gave the apparent ethos of a chopped top Rat Rod. Much the conundrum, I was at first turned off by the boxy appeal only to find myself enthralled by the Rat Rod feel. Leg room in the back with the front seat fully pushed back seemed a bit tighter. I did find the head room in the back to be shorter. This must be a drawback to the new square shape of the roof line and the rear of the body. The trunk space is no more ample thanks to the taller rear section of the body. The underdeck where the huge looking 16" temporary spare is mostly empty save the two plastic storage trays.
5. The stereo looked alot nicer, and along with the dark interior, much more sporty. Sound was crisp with a decent sound stage. I did not spend much time with the stereo as my C-130T induce hearing loss precludes me from an effective review. Besides, I had a more juicy prize under the hood that was calling me.
6. There is no step guard on the side mud guards (aka side skirts).
7. The Kick Panel, Front Door Scuff Plate, even the A-pillars look the same or, at the least, interchangeable. The same may be said of the headliner.

Drivetrain: 2AR-FE is loosely based on the 2AZ-FE that powers the previous model tC. I won't go into the specs; just observations of what appears different.
1. The engine bay seems to be smaller.
2. The header looks the same.
3. Motor mounts are slightly different.
4. There is no longer a transverse mount.
5. The battery location is closer to the engine.
6. Smaller, triangle shaped airbox.
7. No power steering pump (electrically driven steering).
8. Alternator sits up a little higher on the engine due to the accessory drive system.
9. ABS air diverter panel.
10. Upper strut towers tucked under cowl panel. Connecting the strut towers to the firewall and providing support for the leading edge of the cowl panel are steel brackets.
11. There is no plastic engine cover due to the added height of the 2AR-FE engine.
12. The underside of the hood to appears to be like the older hood save for the square metal heat shield in the hood sound dampener pad.

Body/Undercarriage/Suspension
1. Front K-member looks similar with only slight alterations.
2. Rack and Pinion looks smaller which means more room for S-Pipe clearance.
3. Sheetmetal of body in the forward half of the car seems to be a carryover from the older model.
4. The entire undercarriage looks to be a complete carryover.
5. The under pinnings of the front suspension appears to be a complete carryover.
6. Big change in the rear suspension. The short coil-over has been replaced with a long stroke shock and an inboard coil spring on a heavy duty lower control arm.
7. Rear caliper is larger with integrated parking brake mechanism. No more of the weak drum style parking brake shoes. More FWD drifting fun and without those annoying Mickey D's serving trays.
8. Exhaust looks to be more mandrel bent and possibly a corrosion resistant alloy. The muffler is a smaller straight-thru design with a lefthand exit. The piping does make a U-shaped turn from the opposite side so expect Axle-backs to be on the market soon.
9. The tunnel cross brace is a bit beefier.
10. Rear bumper cover, hatch, and tail lights not interchangeable due to squared off shape of the rear body.
11. Front head lamps, hood, fenders, and bumper cover may possibly be interchangeable with some work.
12. Hatch opens/closes smooth with little effort. Only one pull handle. Similar rear latch access.
13. Front driving lights look molded into airdam of front bumper cover.
14. Larger front brakes.

I plan on going back when I have more time and armed with a camera. There was so much that I need a refresher to go into more detail. Take a test drive yourself and post your own review right here. Here is a great review on the Gen2 2011 Scion tC Review: Car Reviews

Specifications:
Year Make Model 2011 Scion tC 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
Vehicle Type FWD 2dr 5-passenger Hatchback
Estimated MSRP $18,995
Assembly location Tsutsumi, Japan
Drivetrain
Configuration Transverse, front-engine, front-wheel drive
Engine type Naturally aspirated, port-injected, gasoline inline-4
Displacement (cc/cu-in) 2,499cc (152 cu-in)
Block/head material Aluminum/aluminum
Valvetrain DOHC, four valves per cylinder, variable intake- and exhaust-valve timing

Compression ratio (x:1) 10.4
Horsepower (hp @ rpm) 180 @ 6,000
Torque (lb-ft @ rpm) 173 @ 4,100
Fuel type Regular unleaded 87 Octane
Transmissions Six-speed automatic with console shifter
Transmission ratios (x:1) I = 3.300, II = 1.900, III = 1.420, IV = 1.000, V = 0.713, VI = 0.608, R = 4.148
Final-drive ratio (x:1) 3.815
Six-speed manual transmission with hydraulic throwout bearing.
Differential Open
Chassis
Suspension, front Independent MacPherson struts, coil springs, stabilizer bar
Suspension, rear Independent double-wishbone, coil springs, stabilizer bar
Steering type Electric-assist, rack-and-pinion power steering
Steering ratio (x:1) 14.8
Tire type All-season front and rear
Tire size, front P225/45R18 91W
Tire size, rear P225/45R18 91W
Wheels 18x7.5" cast aluminum (front/rear)
Brakes, front 11.65-inch ventilated disc with single-piston sliding caliper
Brakes, rear 10.98-inch solid disc with single-piston sliding caliper
0-60 MPH 8.3 auto/7.6 manual (seconds)

[Nikos]

like the new interior with the new, bigger gauges and the electronic steering, but idk about the new grille design.

[TMcJilton]

It seems everyone has the opposite opinion than myself. I never considered buying a Scion until I test drove the 11 tC, and Im now a proud owner. So far, Im loving it!

[navylife59]

Sweet. Post up some picts and more information. We are all eager for more. Did you get a stick or auto? I was only able to drive an auto and I am dying to try the 6-speed. I don't know how long it will be, but i am determined to get that 6-speed grinder and mate it to my 2AZ-FE.

Can you please take the time to go thru your Owner's Manual and post up all of the specifications, bulb sizes, oil types, etc?

[TMcJilton]

Sweet. Post up some picts and more information. We are all eager for more. Did you get a stick or auto? I was only able to drive an auto and I am dying to try the 6-speed. I don't know how long it will be, but i am determined to get that 6-speed grinder and mate it to my 2AZ-FE.

Can you please take the time to go thru your Owner's Manual and post up all of the specifications, bulb sizes, oil types, etc?

Unfortunately my better half made me get an automatic so she could drive it. However, I am very happy with it so far. Ill post some more info when I post the photos. I have put 1100 Highway miles on it since i got it and it needs a wash, which I plan to give it this afternoon after work. I will try and get some photos up after I wash it.

Not sure if I will have time this weekend to post info, but will try to get some up as soon as possible.

[navylife59]

We would much appreciate it if you could. So how do you like the feel of the steering? You could probably drive it around with your tongue.

[TMcJilton]

We would much appreciate it if you could. So how do you like the feel of the steering? You could probably drive it around with your tongue.

Ugh. Got her all cleaned up and looking spiffy over the weekend and my friend is borrowing my camera. Photos will have to wait.

The electric steering is interesting. I really like it. At low speeds, or while barely moving (or not moving at all), you can literally turn the wheel with one finger. I drove around my block with one finger the other day. Its cool that it computes speed and input to decide how much assist to give so that the steering is proper at higher speeds. Feels great while taking corners. I definately like it a lot more than hydraulic pumps.

On a side note, I have noticed that the drivers side mirror seems to vibrate a whole lot during music playback at medium to high volume, which is something the passenger side does not do. Not sure why, but its just something I noticed.

I hope to get some good shots this weekend.

[navylife59]

I want to convert my 2005's steering to the electric one when I put in my race motor. A few extra ponies and a great place for my new S/C by removing the P/S pump. Just have to figure out how it is wired up and controlled. Hopefully it is an external module to the ECM.

I would take your mirror complaint to the Dealership to have them troubleshoot and fix it. Don't accept the inevitable, "You should just turn your music down" crap. It should not do that. I drove my '05 w/o the mirror cover on the highway and could hardly see anything clear due to the wind buffeting the mirror. This is a driving safety issue. A stock stereo unit should not cause this no matter how much power. The engineers should have taken this into account. If you have installed an aftermarket component to your system or tired of the Dealer run around, you might be able to attenuate the vibrations with a few small pieces of Dynomat type material added to the backside of the mirror itself. This will require either removal of the mirror or disassembly of the mirror sub-assembly. The power feel between the slush box and the gear grinder were more closely related than that of the Gen1 transmissions.

I finally test drove a Gen2 with the 6-speed. It has been an extremely long time since I drove a 6-speed stick so I was back under the learning curve. The car had only 6 miles on it so, again, I did not want to flog it too much. I did not find it to feel more torquey than the Gen1. The clutch was ultrasmooth though. A quick look under the hood revealed an internal hydraulic clutch as apposed to the E350's external slave cylinder. Shift engagement went smoothly. I did not slam thru the gears though.

[harlequin428]

idk if its just me but it looks like honda made the gen2 tc...and thats a disgrace, i really dont like how it was designed (the grill really the only thing that is fubar) i think the gen1s look way better but thats just my 2 cents lol, and for those that buy a gen2 hope you love it and have fun with it

[navylife59]

Well, would you like the Gen2 better if I told you that you could pick up a Toyota badged tC in Shanghai? Yep, it's being bastardized into the Chinese market.

[harlequin428]

oh that basterdized thing is the jealous or or something like that right? i saw that somewhere and was like "wtf that looks just like a tC" lmao, why couldnt they just leave it scion?

[navylife59]

Toyota is a well respected name in the Asia-Pacific region and Asia Minor (aka Middle East). The Scion name is only known in the US markets. This necessitated Toyota to re-Brand the tC as a Toyota Zelas. The bastardizing while be inevitable influx of Chinese "performance" and "knock-off" parts.

[harlequin428]

well i cant blame toyota then, they have a business to run, and hey, more folks will be introduced to one of the coolest cars around in the tC albeit the thing has been renamed

[navylife59]

I might move to China to open up a performance shop.

[navylife59]

2012 Scion tC161 HP, EPA 20 mpg / 27 mpg Edmunds Empowers The Auto Consumer!
New Cars, Used Cars, Car Reviews and Pricing - Edmunds.com

Does anyone else see what is all wrong with this Gurgle Ad? I have found over the years that Edmunds can be way off the mark when it comes to specs.

[navylife59]

Happy to reports that I am fairly 99.3% certain that the front door panels are physical interchangeable. What is not certain is the mounting points. Would be a great cross-gen project.

OK, now someone go out and wreck your Gen2 so I can buy the panels on the cheap.