MORE power, ,more torque, increased fuel efficiency, standard 6-speed transmission, improved suspension and handling, better looks and added safety. Sounds like the 2011 Scion tC would have a significant price increase over the 2010 model. However, the good news is that the MSRP increased by only $1,175 from the previous year. If the 300,000 Scion tC owners on the road believe that their first-generation tC was a good value, the new tC is an astounding value. Perhaps, it’s the best value under $20,000. Recently, DSPORT had the opportunity to be among the first group of automotive press invited out to test drive and evaluate the 2011 Scion tC. We then talked them into giving us the car to take to the dyno and the strip.

BACKGROUND

Scion introduced the tC in 2004 with an MSRP of $15,950. During its seven-years in production, the first-generation tC has attracted a young, ethnically-diverse, predominantly male buyer with a median age of 26. Over 70-percent of the Scion brand purchasers have been new to the Toyota family, proving the brand’s effectiveness at attracting first-time new car buyers. Of course, the purchase of any Scion provides citizenship to the ever-growing Scion nation that has been fostered by Scion’s exceptional and unrivaled support of automotive enthusiasts.

NEW TC PHILOSOPHY

Scion listened to its first-generation owners in order to establish the design criteria for the new tC. With the majority of owners being male, improved vehicle performance was at the top of the list. This would mean improved power, handling, braking and driving experience. Chief Engineer of Product Planning Masayuki Nagai said, “Enhanced driving dynamics was a must.” This called for a car that could not only perform well on windy roads, but also deliver good performance in urban environments where lane changes and overtaking are frequent. In addition to performance improvements, styling was of equal importance. A more masculine, rugged, sharp and menacing look was the goal. To achieve these objectives, almost nothing carried over from the first-generation tC to the new model.

A BETTER ENGINE

The 2AZ-FE engine has been replaced by the 2AR-FE engine. The new “AR” series delivers improved torque, horsepower and fuel economy. New technologies allow the AR to outperform the previous-generation AZ-series. Comparing the bottom ends, both the bore and stroke are larger on the AR. This provides a 5.6-percent increase in engine displacement. Like the AZ-series, the AR-series features a fully-counterweighted forged-steel crankshaft. To reduce horsepower losses to friction and to reduce engine wear, pistons now feature a lower-tension ring package and additional cooling from oil jets. A variable-output engine oil pump is also employed to minimize horsepower losses. A higher 10.4-to-1 compression ratio increases the engine’s thermal efficiency, while improvements to the cylinder head and induction system allow the AR-series to really shine. The AR series features dual Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence (VVT-i) which allows the ECU to control the advance or retard of both the intake and exhaust cam timing. The dual VVT-i advantage is the same as having two adjustable cam gears instead of just a single adjustable gear on the intake cam. Being computer-controlled, VVT-i allows the engine to be calibrated with optimized cam timing at different engine speeds. This allows for the broadest and highest torque curve possible through cam timing optimization. In addition, a variable-induction intake manifold (similar in function to the Honda B-series GS-R intake manifold) provides both a long and short runner intake path to the cylinder head intake port. This allows for low-RPM torque improvements with high-RPM power enhancements. Tumble control valves have also been added to improve cold engine emission levels.

On the Dynojet chassis dyno, the 2AR-FE didn’t disappoint. On the first three passes, the engine delivered roughly 160 horsepower to the wheels (about 188 flywheel horsepower). On the next pass, 180.11 horsepower was delivered to the wheels. We had to double check our results, as 180.11 horsepower to the roller is equivalent to over 210 horsepower at the flywheel. We made three more pulls all delivering 180 horsepower to the wheels. It seemed that once the ECU learned that we wanted to make peak power (based on our throttle input), the engine simply generated 20 more horsepower from that point forward. It was as if the electronic throttle used some type of fuzzy-logic strategy. If we get a tC in our D’Garage project car stable, you can be sure that we’ll explore this phenomenon further.