Any previous Scion tC owners? Pros & cons vs. the tC?

[LALFAN]

I'm curious if any of you had a tC prior to getting a FRS? I'm interested to hear your pros and cons. What do you miss about your tC? What do you love about your FRS now?

I'm fairly interested in getting a FRS but I have some reservations.

Thoughts on...

1. Torque? I have an auto tC and I test drove and auto FRS and it had noticeably less punch to me. The numbers aren't all that different, but it just felt lacking to me. Granted I only drove it for about mile or two. This isn't a deal breaker, but is this something you miss after the fact?

2. Practicality? Do you miss your trunk space and/or the ability to actually put two people in the rear seats with your tC?

3. Insurance? Did you see a bump in insurance for your FRS vs. the tC?

4. Gas? I'll throw this one out there, but from the numbers the better MPG of the auto FRS would seem to offset the cons of having to buy premium fuel. Do you find this to be true in reality? (numbers)

Thanks!

[peri.Laynz]

So I had a 2011 tC, but I had the TRD package WITH a supercharger, so my experience might be slightly different. Had around 220whp in my tC vs the typical 170ish.

I was going to do a number by number breakdown for your questions, but honestly I can sum it up like this:

The tC is definitely more of a touring style coupe with a lot less "feel" of everything. Driving feels very detached(not much different than any old Camry or what have you), but the ride is a LOT smoother than the FRS. The space in the tC was a big strong point but didn't actually affect my decision to trade it in for the FRS since I also have a truck and an xB.

From a performance standpoint, the tC obviously won't feel as planted as the FRS, and the tC is obviously heavier than the FRS, coupled with the whole "feel factor" just puts the FRS in a different class than the tC altogether. I essentially wouldn't compare the tC with an FRS, but would probably most definitely compare it to something like a Corolla or Altima.

[Snowblind]

The only thing the tC is better at is getting groceries.

[PHLonomenal]

I actually thought the previous gen tC was a reasonably attractive, affordable little car...oh boy they f-ed that up.


Sent from my StarTrek communicator using Tapatalk

[Tromatic]

Release 8 tC owner before the FR-S. The tC is a POS compared to the FR-S. The tC's only advantage is room.

[scary alien]

I had a tC for the nine months prior to trading it in for my FR-S (which I've now had for 1.5 years).

Originally Posted by LALFAN

1. Torque? I have an auto tC and I test drove and auto FRS and it had noticeably less punch to me. The numbers aren't all that different, but it just felt lacking to me. Granted I only drove it for about mile or two. This isn't a deal breaker, but is this something you miss after the fact?

The FR-S (to me) has more "punch" and is more responsive to the throttle than my tC ever was. Not huge, but noticeable.

2. Practicality? Do you miss your trunk space and/or the ability to actually put two people in the rear seats with your tC?

I miss the overall space a little bit, but at least now the guys at work know I can't drive at lunch time 'cause the FR-S really only seats two :p.

3. Insurance? Did you see a bump in insurance for your FRS vs. the tC?

I don't remember a bump and am pretty sure it wasn't an issue for me (but I'm over 50, too).

4. Gas? I'll throw this one out there, but from the numbers the better MPG of the auto FRS would seem to offset the cons of having to buy premium fuel. Do you find this to be true in reality?

Definitely get better gas mileage with the FR-S than the tC (both were/are automatics). Just a mile or two per gallon, but I tracked the MPG for each car for a year and was pleasantly surprised that the FR-S did better.

By the way, I loved my tC, but I wouldn't go back .

[InspGadgt]

Originally Posted by LALFAN

I'm curious if any of you had a tC prior to getting a FRS? I'm interested to hear your pros and cons. What do you miss about your tC? What do you love about your FRS now?

I'm fairly interested in getting a FRS but I have some reservations.

Thoughts on...

1. Torque? I have an auto tC and I test drove and auto FRS and it had noticeably less punch to me. The numbers aren't all that different, but it just felt lacking to me. Granted I only drove it for about mile or two. This isn't a deal breaker, but is this something you miss after the fact?

2. Practicality? Do you miss your trunk space and/or the ability to actually put two people in the rear seats with your tC?

3. Insurance? Did you see a bump in insurance for your FRS vs. the tC?

4. Gas? I'll throw this one out there, but from the numbers the better MPG of the auto FRS would seem to offset the cons of having to buy premium fuel. Do you find this to be true in reality? (numbers)

Thanks!

I recently traded in my 2006 tC for a 2015 FRS. I'm only at about 600 miles on the FRS but so far I'm really enjoying it over the tC. First I'll address the points you asked:

1. I noticed right away even in my test drive the FRS does seem punchier than my tC. Both my tC and my FRS are auto. I also noticed there is less loss/gain of speed when using the cruise control going up and down hills.

2. Yes I do miss the trunk space and the almost pickup bed like room it has with the seats down. The FRS is still able to carry all that I carried before, which is quite a bit in my RC cars and planes hobbies, I just have to be better organized to fit it all in there.

3. My insurance actually went down about $.50 per year with the FRS due to having more safety features than the tC.

4. On good fill ups with the tC I would just barely reach 24mpg. I don't know what the average was but I'd guess I was averaging around 23.4ish. My FRS is showing an average of 23.2 now and is still increasing.

There are 2 things I miss most from the tC...I really miss having audio controls on the steering wheel and I kinda miss not having a center arm rest. I do find the door side arm rest and distance to the wheel to be more comfortable in the FRS so I'm getting use to not having a center arm rest. I've considered getting an aftermarket arm rest but then I'd lose the drink holders and I'm not as bothered about not having the arm rest as I thought I would be.

[litemup]

The only thing the tC and FR-S have in common is the badge.

[noobcake]

Originally Posted by Snowblind

The only thing the tC is better at is getting groceries.

Originally Posted by scary alien

By the way, I loved my tC, but I wouldn't go back .

Originally Posted by litemup

The only thing the tC and FR-S have in common is the badge.

inb4 pissed of tc owner

[litemup]

Originally Posted by Sp8ceCadet

That itself is reason enough for FR-S owners to get the Toyota badge.

Nah. Rebadging, to me, just reeks of insecurity over something even less important than a zit. Besides, the Scion logo looks cool.

[litemup]

That's a keeper.

[Ro_Ja]

I have a '07 tC (DD duty) and a FR-S (weekend toy).

The FR-S has more "umph" compared to the tC, but it isn't a whole lot and there are some moments where a little more would be nice (but from what I've read it's easily remedied with certain power mods). Comparing the two, the overall driving dynamics are completely different, and in my opinion, to the point where I don't care about how much power the car has. I definitely have much more fun driving in the FR-S.

I can't comment on space. I rarely had people in the backseat and carried any large items in the trunk. If you took advantage of using all the available space in the tC often, you will probably miss it.

Insurance is ~$10 more per month for the FR-S.

The FR-S has the ability to get similar mpg (low-mid 30s) to the tC (I was averaging 35+ in the tC), but you might be having too much fun driving it to see those numbers. haha. I lived in NorCal and used to go to school in SoCal and I would be able to make the 350 mile trip on 3/4 tank in the tC. I did the trip a couple times in the FR-S and while I probably could've just made it if I really tried, I just drove normally and filled up with a couple extra gallons once along the way. I probably got about 300-325 miles out of the tank.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by litemup

The only thing the tC and FR-S have in common is the badge.

A lot of tC owners don't seem to understand that. I've had several instances where tC owners (and even an xB) would alter their speed to pace me on the highway, as if they think we're in some sort of club together. And I have a BRZ.

I'll always hate Toyota now for not marketing the FR-S as a Toyota in the United States.

[peri.Laynz]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

A lot of tC owners don't seem to understand that. I've had several instances where tC owners (and even an xB) would alter their speed to pace me on the highway, as if they think we're in some sort of club together. And I have a BRZ.

I'll always hate Toyota now for not marketing the FR-S as a Toyota in the United States.

At the end of the day it's just a badge. And actually one that you won't even see from the inside when you swap steering wheels and head units.