2011 Five Axis Scion iQ

Auto Car | 2011 Five Axis Scion iQ | Five Axis, the high-end show vehicles designer has released a stunningly modified Scion iQ at the New York International Auto Show 2010. The custom styled compact ride was presented as a part of the grand North American premiere of the all-new 2011 Scion iQ premium micro-subcompact car.

Exterior modifications include an aerokit with new fender flares.  Painted in titanium with a dark chrome line, the company used dark 7.5×18-inch wheels wrapped in Yokohama S.drive tires.  TRD brakes were also installed, with four-piston front, two-piston rear calipers, as was a Tein suspension.

Inside, the special iQ show car is appointed with custom leather-trimmed seats and door inserts and an Ultrasuede® EcoDesign™ headliner. Unique upholstery is provided by Little John’s Interior Concepts and custom floor mats were provided by Chilewich.

The cabin gets custom leather-trimmed seats and door inserts and an ultrasuede EcoDesign headliner. Performance upgrades include a TRD custom big brake kit and a Tein suspension. The iQ showcar rides on 18-inch Yokohama S.drive tires.

It has been fitted with puny engines, including a 1.0-liter I-3, a 99-horsepower 1.3-liter I-4 and a 1.4-liter diesel, although up to 1.6-liters will fit, Nakajima-san says. A mileage-enhancing stop-start system is already fitted to 1.4-liter versions. The iQ is not a cheap car, selling in Europe for similar prices to the Yaris. It's a design-led premium car for the city-center early adopter, but following criticism that the iQ's cabin plastics are insufficiently premium, they are in for redesign.

It's less than 118 inches in length, yet seats three adults and has qualified for a five-star rating under the recently toughened European NCAP safety assessment program. Clever packaging innovations enable the passenger to sit further forward than the driver, so an adult can sit behind. A child can squeeze behind a sub-six-foot driver, making the car a 3+1.

(automotiveroom.com)

2011 Scion tC test drive

 

Auto Car | 2011 Scion tC test drive | Scion introduced the tC coupe (which, technically, is actually a hatchback) into their lineup in 2005; for 2011, the Scion tC is essentially all new. I've never been a huge fan of the tC, but the new model brings a series of changes that just happen to address what I consider to be the old car's shortcomings. Is this the tC that will win me over? Read on. Price range $18,995 - $19,995 plus options, EPA fuel economy estimates 23 MPG city, 31 MPG highway.

If you poke around this web site a bit, you'll notice that I've never actually reviewed the Scion tC myself. Instead, I've farmed out my tC test drives to freelancers -- Bob Bowden in 2005, Jason Fogelson in 2006, and nobody else since.

This isn't because I never drove the tC; it's because I simply didn't like it. I thought it was a misfit in the Scion brand -- a handsome car, yes, but about as exciting to drive as a Toyota Camry. (Scion is a division of Toyota.) And yet the tC went on to become Scion's best-selling model, so I figured the problem must be me. After all, Scion is a youth-market brand, and I'm just too old. Bob and Jason weren't crazy about the tC either, but they're even older than I am.

Scion has introduced a new tC for 2011, and while I'm even older now than I was in 2005 (who isn't?), I like this new tC better than the old one. Of course, that's not saying much -- fact is, I like it, period.

At first glance, the new tC looks a lot like the old tC, but look more carefully and you'll see lots of differences in the details. The new tC was designed to look like a helmet with a visor, which explains the blacked-out windshield pillars. I can't imagine why anyone would design a car to look like a piece of protective headgear intended to prevent injury in vehicle crashes, but I do like the tC's new look, especially the funky (and vaguely Mustang-like) taillights.

Like the old tC, the new tC is available in a single trim level. A no-haggle price of $18,995 ($19,995 with automatic transmission) gets you a tC with power windows, mirrors and locks, air conditioning, butt-kicking stereo (link goes to photo), and a long list of standard safety equipment, including electronic stability control and knee airbags for both driver and front passenger. As with other Scion models, the new tC is available with a plethora of dealer-installed accessories, everything from big-brake kits to fancy shift knobs to stick-on carbon-fiber trim -- all designed to allow Scion owners to customize their cars and Scion dealers to maximize their profits. (about.com)