tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33420023897538617882024-02-21T06:05:22.857-05:00Scion Test DriveA blog about an automotive enthusiast's test drive of a Scion made possible through Scion Canada's grassroots marketing campaign. Also, my thoughts and comments on Scion news and experience as a Scion owner.Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-74451966528340565002011-10-30T23:04:00.000-04:002011-10-30T23:04:51.409-04:00New Scion Test Drive WebsiteCheck out the new Scion Test Drive website at <a href="http://sciontestdrive.ca/">ScionTestDrive.ca</a>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-86091661500689428982011-09-11T20:54:00.001-04:002011-09-11T20:54:49.873-04:00Scion iQ Photoshoot<p> </p><p>While on vacation, I stumbled across a photo session for the Scion iQ at the Halifax Citadel. They had two iQs and pictures of both are below.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAiM0ZG2Dc7ZuX7ApzCg8nVISE9P0YUdzOU09s1aPcwgCeIM1BMFTYXTr8lIFK89NDoHT_rEDT7mjAcjQspBBFvU_3J76vkN6z590acNbmv2qJkW5qYIwE6DMEh2vadGuOHnrzAFF-QSN/s500/Photo%252520Sep%25252011%25252C%2525202011%2525208%25253A46%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnAiM0ZG2Dc7ZuX7ApzCg8nVISE9P0YUdzOU09s1aPcwgCeIM1BMFTYXTr8lIFK89NDoHT_rEDT7mjAcjQspBBFvU_3J76vkN6z590acNbmv2qJkW5qYIwE6DMEh2vadGuOHnrzAFF-QSN/s500/Photo%252520Sep%25252011%25252C%2525202011%2525208%25253A46%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1315788900381.793" class="alignright" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGPkRyvivAwIwFGr3ZqGSVQ7pB_GnVrt7gB9umTseEypQrs_-WCfDrUz3GsrBsn1iKYijzczbDojBAMghLHr5bidWI9O1uUBMculaD1eLoCGVMzV6yO2zVAaBL7n8gP5AqyKoLJY7n_4q/s500/Photo%252520Sep%25252011%25252C%2525202011%2525203%25253A40%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGPkRyvivAwIwFGr3ZqGSVQ7pB_GnVrt7gB9umTseEypQrs_-WCfDrUz3GsrBsn1iKYijzczbDojBAMghLHr5bidWI9O1uUBMculaD1eLoCGVMzV6yO2zVAaBL7n8gP5AqyKoLJY7n_4q/s500/Photo%252520Sep%25252011%25252C%2525202011%2525203%25253A40%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1315788900329.2512" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-70578398822880070122011-08-25T06:24:00.000-04:002011-08-25T06:24:35.604-04:00Vote for the 2011 Scion Tuner Challenge<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The tuner cars are all ready for the show! The three Scion Tuner Challenge cars are on the road. You can see them this Saturday in Toronto at <a href="http://www.importfest.com/">Importfest</a>. Check out the three entries and vote for your favourite here: <a href="http://www.tunerchallenge.ca/en">2011 Scion Tuner Challenge</a></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/299100_10150402096234056_232272029055_10426672_7232999_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/299100_10150402096234056_232272029055_10426672_7232999_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/297346_10150404305469056_232272029055_10444878_3832430_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/297346_10150404305469056_232272029055_10444878_3832430_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/301217_10150402108889056_232272029055_10426952_5313129_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/301217_10150402108889056_232272029055_10426952_5313129_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-39799770465401348252011-08-24T00:27:00.001-04:002011-08-25T06:26:51.971-04:00Pricing of the Scion tC RS 7.0<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Canadian pricing for the 2012 Scion tC RS 7.0 has been released:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Manual - $23,425</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Automatic - $24,475</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><u>UPDATE</u></i></b>: There are only 2200 of these cars available in North America. Scion Canada has confirmed for me that the 2200 car production run includes the Canadian cars. Better order yours now!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read more about the tC RS 7.0 here: <a href="http://www.scion.com/rstc/">Release Series tC</a></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.il.edmunds-media.com/scion/tc/2012/ns/2012_scion_tc_f34_ns_62811_717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://media.il.edmunds-media.com/scion/tc/2012/ns/2012_scion_tc_f34_ns_62811_717.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2012 Scion tC RS 7.0</span></td></tr>
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Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-67213148505962230142011-07-25T20:48:00.001-04:002011-07-25T20:48:06.937-04:00Road & Track Drives the iQ<a target="_blank" href="http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/impressions/2012-scion-iq">Road & Track</a> magazine has published their first drive of the iQ. Read all about it <a target="_blank" href="http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/impressions/2012-scion-iq">here</a>. They do not really give much of an opinion on the driving dynamics, but they seemed to enjoy it for what it is.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/07/25/4447.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/07/25/s_4447.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='171' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br />Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-78484693733343118622011-07-21T21:59:00.001-04:002011-07-21T22:01:00.696-04:00Scion iQ Now Available for Presale<a target="_blank" href="http://www.scionnation.ca">Scion Canada</a> has announced that the new Scion iQ is now available for presale and should be arriving in the fall. The list price? $16,760.<br /><br />Read all the details at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.scionnation.ca/scion/about/news/post/4821538737061329460">Scion Nation.</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/07/21/4502.jpg'><img src='http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/07/21/s_4502.jpg' border='0' width='210' height='140' style='margin:5px'></a></center><br /><br /><br /><br />Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-53412468500643735372011-07-21T21:48:00.001-04:002011-07-21T21:53:11.828-04:00FR-S is Roll Cage Ready?According to various reports, including this one on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/19/scion-fr-s-designed-with-a-rollcage-in-mind-and-other-key-tidbit/">Autoblog</a>, the Scion FR-S has an interior designed with a roll cage in mind. The idea being that one could install a cage, without the need to cut up the dashboard.<br /><br />If this is true, it bodes well for the rest of the car. Clearly Toyota wants to make this car a true enthusiast's car, ready for the weekend track warrior.<br />Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-44035728685106024712011-07-02T23:23:00.001-04:002011-07-02T23:25:12.635-04:00Electric iQ is Coming<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Toyota USA has confirmed that an electric iQ is arriving stateside in 2012. Of course, we are still waiting for the gas powered version to make it's debut at Canadian dealerships. No word whether we'll get the Scion iQ EV north of the border. I guess we'll just have to wait an see.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">[Source: <a href="http://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota+highlights+national+dealer+meeting+june+2011.htm">Toyota</a>]</span>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-53285558646203955242011-06-14T23:59:00.000-04:002011-06-14T23:59:22.003-04:00Photos from the June 11th PITL Autoslalom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UnNsEAFpwe46YS2Y6cT8z6KpsPPcqv9mSZo-YvjvIdIXCwAUFER0gS5vTMD-qpYzNA5alvdcwNJ7lJP7uJEby4vW9beVXypv0lBYSTWrUNvI6cqTgN0eBjBWe4GVorlIIM77pqKvZbO3/s1600/1000000247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UnNsEAFpwe46YS2Y6cT8z6KpsPPcqv9mSZo-YvjvIdIXCwAUFER0gS5vTMD-qpYzNA5alvdcwNJ7lJP7uJEby4vW9beVXypv0lBYSTWrUNvI6cqTgN0eBjBWe4GVorlIIM77pqKvZbO3/s200/1000000247.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XRkqqh2mtlM/Tfa-6F6pAxI/AAAAAAAAEZE/4eBQVLfjBLY/s1600/1000000246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="83" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XRkqqh2mtlM/Tfa-6F6pAxI/AAAAAAAAEZE/4eBQVLfjBLY/s200/1000000246.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjBuicUEdWY4qMCAGED9NqU711qUoQKHAR2p2HPPhL_g3jQND-Z9kXWu6doMZuRpA6uAc2CgPYjexJnVdvRsNcrNQO7r40r-uMdWk_1FAq0G7NwlfjUukjio9fHn_FlFqiLLtug5JCGzQ3/s1600/1000000267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjBuicUEdWY4qMCAGED9NqU711qUoQKHAR2p2HPPhL_g3jQND-Z9kXWu6doMZuRpA6uAc2CgPYjexJnVdvRsNcrNQO7r40r-uMdWk_1FAq0G7NwlfjUukjio9fHn_FlFqiLLtug5JCGzQ3/s200/1000000267.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggndppy1e2WFRzsVLQnkseYd9-lpvqBqNl5oqshPhY2cCFtd16Bcjss-xlsODhBrEZUBMhSR4P1jT9wk2aL1Es2MaH7N3Uzm18K3sxFoh3cA5CN8LGsZIytjSITkcCm7De0ZcQVtmRaOse/s1600/1000000264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="81" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggndppy1e2WFRzsVLQnkseYd9-lpvqBqNl5oqshPhY2cCFtd16Bcjss-xlsODhBrEZUBMhSR4P1jT9wk2aL1Es2MaH7N3Uzm18K3sxFoh3cA5CN8LGsZIytjSITkcCm7De0ZcQVtmRaOse/s200/1000000264.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-2219385994533414692011-06-01T14:41:00.004-04:002011-06-01T15:00:53.114-04:00Autoslalom with the Scion tC<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DAH-uA5_1CrTDNErMBeyY96Y6jYcuoNh_Shs4_5jAWie3qe7RFWzH52vAzHMnHy0ZV8O0yBYPciqDlAvNn5I4nsr-VuV8zgngo-SRrf1BssH5DmBNnW4nXIKivPzuKObNGklTOnTbINs/s1600/1000000177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DAH-uA5_1CrTDNErMBeyY96Y6jYcuoNh_Shs4_5jAWie3qe7RFWzH52vAzHMnHy0ZV8O0yBYPciqDlAvNn5I4nsr-VuV8zgngo-SRrf1BssH5DmBNnW4nXIKivPzuKObNGklTOnTbINs/s400/1000000177.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On May 28<sup>th</sup> I took a Scion tC, provided by <a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/scion">Scion <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Canada</place></country-region></a>, to the <a href="http://www.wiredmotorsports.com/pitl/">Push It To The Limit (PITL) Autoslalom Series</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I picked up the car on Friday evening and was pleasantly surprised to see what I was getting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a 2011 Scion tC, Cement Grey Metallic in colour, with a few modifications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mechanically, the only modification was the addition of the TRD lowering springs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The springs definitely gave the car a sportier stance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other upgrades included the optional Alpine stereo, leather interior, TRD muffler (which sounded wonderful) and beautiful 19” TRD rims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A couple of other additions were a Seibon carbon fiber hood and a fairly tasteful body kit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overall, the Cement Grey colour, with CF hood and black roof, along with the rims and springs, makes for a rather striking package.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This really is a good looking car, to my eye.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As it turns out, <a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/scion">Scion <place w:st="on"><country-region w:st="on">Canada</a></country-region></place> is one of the sponsors of the <a href="http://www.wiredmotorsports.com/pitl/">PITL Autoslalom Series</a> and is providing a car at each of the events this year (the June 18<sup>th</sup> event is also Scion Day).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are interested in pushing your car to the limits in a safe and friendly environment you really should check out one of their events – see their <a href="http://www.wiredmotorsports.com/pitl/">website</a> for more details.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They always put on a first-class autoslalom.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1-OwvFW7QkAUiSRBRwoA4qnPEnkWFzSVvjMy40em5__EaT4e6sdZ8sWZJfkGe7UYekiacY06gE2S6A3rK8U9pzSD1yAoRQ33IyKuwKxsiVE3AcRRb9xO0UoSZYW9bKQwp8VM6IN0AxhW/s1600/1000000175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1-OwvFW7QkAUiSRBRwoA4qnPEnkWFzSVvjMy40em5__EaT4e6sdZ8sWZJfkGe7UYekiacY06gE2S6A3rK8U9pzSD1yAoRQ33IyKuwKxsiVE3AcRRb9xO0UoSZYW9bKQwp8VM6IN0AxhW/s400/1000000175.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.wiredmotorsports.com/pitl/">PITL Autoslalom Series</a> uses a fairly simple classing system for the cars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lowering springs meant that the tC was in the modified class for front-wheel drive cars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This puts it in with some very tough competition, as many of the modified entries have much more done to them than just springs, such as sway bars, strut towers, stripped interiors, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having said that, though, one of my co-drivers – Darryl – placed the tC second in class, behind only a highly modified, well-driven, Integra Type-R.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scion <place w:st="on"><country-region w:st="on">Canada</country-region></place> should be very pleased having someone like Darryl showing off what their cars can do.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found the tC to be fairly neutral in handling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Didn’t really find any understeer, or oversteer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I probably wasn’t driving in quite hard enough, being my first event in over 18 months – I was a little rusty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know - excuses, excuses.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only real issue I found with the tC were the sight lines out of the car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The design of the tC is one that has a fairly high beltline – the bottom of the windows are actually rather high.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While not a problem in typical day-to-day driving, it meant the some cones on the course were completely blocked from view when approaching them around a corner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is an obvious disadvantage when you are trying to cut into the pylon as close as possible, without hitting it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the other drivers of the tC, Taylor, commented that he thought the designers were trying to create the feeling of having the car wrap around the driver, through the higher dashboard and window sills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to agree with him, because the car really does feel like it is hugging you.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi012EHOHijAdphZg_VR1-9vPXarapvAFg31hiz67X_uiQSFDA1DHzpMwGjvx165sXAsuR6Lq3dwq1cKajUMV7ZKNn0UJS5Lu2QjyHm5m9KJKK51VUy0td-eNMOObssi4pcZrd7kRGvR4D5/s1600/1000000191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi012EHOHijAdphZg_VR1-9vPXarapvAFg31hiz67X_uiQSFDA1DHzpMwGjvx165sXAsuR6Lq3dwq1cKajUMV7ZKNn0UJS5Lu2QjyHm5m9KJKK51VUy0td-eNMOObssi4pcZrd7kRGvR4D5/s320/1000000191.JPG" t8="true" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall, the experience was a good one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wouldn’t hesitate to buy one for myself, if I was in the market for a 2-door coupe – especially when you consider these cars start at $20,850.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was on the drive home that I was reminded why I enjoy the tC so much – it is a very comfortable, capable tourer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would be very happy with this car, driving to and from work, everyday.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I should again thank <a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/scion">Scion <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Canada</place></country-region></a> for the wonderful opportunity to drive their tC, and for sponsoring my favourite autoslalom series – <a href="http://www.wiredmotorsports.com/pitl/">Push It To The Limit</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition to Scion <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Canada</place></country-region>, <a href="http://www.wheelandtirezone.com/">GTA Wheel & Tire Zone</a> have loaned the race rims, and <a href="http://www.toyocanada.com/">Toyo Tire Canada</a> & <a href="http://allaboutimports.com/">All About Imports</a> have provided the tires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to all those involved for providing an opportunity for people to experience the Scion tC the way it should be, pushing the limits in a safe environment.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7aHG2_AcQ972XPDXUrBYDbkoNJU9XQPU4xlmU7A0BpClfJ9AZJsH792iL9MsO2f6pxME6_HQJ70icMgl9iU5U2y3GaK6RbZ1gdJVy9fRF6cCYpC7L34Y-G-tdHmmj4w781-yAsGNqjk5v/s1600/1000000196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7aHG2_AcQ972XPDXUrBYDbkoNJU9XQPU4xlmU7A0BpClfJ9AZJsH792iL9MsO2f6pxME6_HQJ70icMgl9iU5U2y3GaK6RbZ1gdJVy9fRF6cCYpC7L34Y-G-tdHmmj4w781-yAsGNqjk5v/s400/1000000196.JPG" t8="true" width="400px" /></a></div></div>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-90416175892671622962011-05-31T13:04:00.001-04:002011-05-31T13:05:09.493-04:00Photos from Push It To The Limit - May 28th, 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1-OwvFW7QkAUiSRBRwoA4qnPEnkWFzSVvjMy40em5__EaT4e6sdZ8sWZJfkGe7UYekiacY06gE2S6A3rK8U9pzSD1yAoRQ33IyKuwKxsiVE3AcRRb9xO0UoSZYW9bKQwp8VM6IN0AxhW/s1600/1000000175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1-OwvFW7QkAUiSRBRwoA4qnPEnkWFzSVvjMy40em5__EaT4e6sdZ8sWZJfkGe7UYekiacY06gE2S6A3rK8U9pzSD1yAoRQ33IyKuwKxsiVE3AcRRb9xO0UoSZYW9bKQwp8VM6IN0AxhW/s400/1000000175.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsGl9atV62Nj0w4QSyk5KFyOCmdI_VSFzmrHnM1gTuzEuuIhyupaksRm5oUv6pTz_r2OZSRBEV4qkvbfyGTi2FDCQubnceF611VNhthyphenhyphen_1pH054DGM5hDUzS6IynELk_sN3SACNZe2q1-/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsGl9atV62Nj0w4QSyk5KFyOCmdI_VSFzmrHnM1gTuzEuuIhyupaksRm5oUv6pTz_r2OZSRBEV4qkvbfyGTi2FDCQubnceF611VNhthyphenhyphen_1pH054DGM5hDUzS6IynELk_sN3SACNZe2q1-/s400/photo.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/">Scion Canada</a> has generously agreed to allow me to take a Scion tC to an autoslalom. In particular, the <a href="http://www.wiredmotorsports.com/pitl/">Push It To The Limit Autoslalom series</a>. As it turns out, Scion Canada is one of the sponsors of the series. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am looking forward to seeing what the tC can do around the cones. I'll post my thoughts afterwards.</span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsGl9atV62Nj0w4QSyk5KFyOCmdI_VSFzmrHnM1gTuzEuuIhyupaksRm5oUv6pTz_r2OZSRBEV4qkvbfyGTi2FDCQubnceF611VNhthyphenhyphen_1pH054DGM5hDUzS6IynELk_sN3SACNZe2q1-/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_itzcKHJAtmJu4RnTfCmZ0C99Ri6FB8zyK2OVNQOhouYHzh6iqiyO-xGdPVinyGQxdTS5Bh54qcB_af90fiEoUhvhDGKquY8eNDp7eTt8Hm8OOLOqJZK__0e_2dTuUaYXgpVE-rnPPPme/s1600/pitl-2011-series-flyer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_itzcKHJAtmJu4RnTfCmZ0C99Ri6FB8zyK2OVNQOhouYHzh6iqiyO-xGdPVinyGQxdTS5Bh54qcB_af90fiEoUhvhDGKquY8eNDp7eTt8Hm8OOLOqJZK__0e_2dTuUaYXgpVE-rnPPPme/s640/pitl-2011-series-flyer.jpg" width="492" /></a></div>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-67932595198542005692011-05-20T08:26:00.000-04:002011-05-20T08:26:21.685-04:00Fun at the track, and practical too.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week I had the xB at the <a href="http://sciontestdrive.blogspot.com/2011/05/track-day-with-scion-xb.html">Mosport DDT</a>, this week it is loaded with gardening supplies. I managed to fit in a new wheelbarrow and 8 bags of wood chips, with room to spare. I put the back seats down, of course, but that is the advantage of having a smaller hatchback - you can still cram it full of stuff you need to cart around.</span><br />
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</span>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-13933298253609802182011-05-18T22:29:00.002-04:002011-05-18T22:34:51.225-04:00Scion Racing Contingency program is here!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, <a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/">Scion Canada</a> posted details of their <a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/scion/lifestyle/racing">Racing Contingency Program</a> today, and it is very exciting. Here's a bit of info from their website:</span><br />
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<h4 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Racing - It moves you</span></span></h4><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">"Approaching a tight right curve...you're coming in too fast. Sitting hard on the brakes you heel and toe down 2 gears. You wait for the right moment for full throttle and then accelerate out of the curve. You think "Should have nailed it a bit earlier. Oh well, good enough." It's a straightaway now...pedal to the metal."</span></span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Sound familiar? Even if it's just you daydreaming as you're stuck in traffic, you now have a chance to take it to the track and get rewarded for your skills. Scion Canada is now offering cash awards to drivers who race and win their Scion vehicles in an accredited series, bearing Scion-supplied decals on their cars and badging on their gear. Autoslalom, road race, time attack, drag racing and more are eligible for consideration.</span></span></div><h4 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Register to Win</span></span></h4><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Find a racing series, register to compete and then connect with Scion Racing. We'll hook you up with decals and swag so you can look the part.</span></span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Then, Finish 1st, 2nd, or 3rd and the award is yours—up to $500.</span></span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">To be eligible, you need to participate in a minimum of two races, and you need to pre-register. Click on the button below for a full list of the rules and regulations and the racing agreement form. Then win with Scion.</span></span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's right, up to $500 for finishing first in your class, or just finish top 3 for other cash rewards. There are a wide range of qualifying series across Canada. Check out their website - <a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/scion/lifestyle/racing">Scion Racing</a> - for all the details and registration form. I'm sending mine in tomorrow, what about you?</span></div>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-47684931945998933872011-05-16T22:04:00.003-04:002011-05-16T23:17:09.884-04:00Track Day with the Scion xB<div class="alignleft"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHWQ1Bvie_I93yPV5tPtAbNj8360QWbF8uc1rGQr1L2b5RZw7BRhO9VE1BxB3roLn5RWwdRHbBUmHg9XlfHo41rgj3SsloZspVTug42j6sr71Q9nEQYEkYXC8nZjvYBWRQhFox6ViVHsVo/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="alignleft" height="150" id="blogsy-1305600564631.1614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHWQ1Bvie_I93yPV5tPtAbNj8360QWbF8uc1rGQr1L2b5RZw7BRhO9VE1BxB3roLn5RWwdRHbBUmHg9XlfHo41rgj3SsloZspVTug42j6sr71Q9nEQYEkYXC8nZjvYBWRQhFox6ViVHsVo/s200/P1050437.JPG" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Friday, May 13th, <a href="http://www.wietzesscion.ca/">Wietzes Toyota Scion</a> hosted their first track day at the Mosport Driver Development Centre. If you have never been to the <a href="http://goo.gl/maps/fF7I">Mosport DDT</a> it is a road course with a wide variety of turns and a couple of straights. The rolling topography adds to the interest as there is a fairly significant change in elevation through a full lap. It is quite a bit of fun, even if it does not offer top speed thrills like some larger tracks - the Mosport big track would offer this.</span></div><div class=""></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbR0Spg1bbwJkv3hdrGgYuFDstItvqEYWoaGyLZT-ntXuY6_LCgCxp0QHYi9zAl5wpSDYAq2mGuE4eRSuImadPct1OpwP_t6aCiwNkmHWyXsOXXYplc1WQlUB_wrkr4gR1UKqFBKXZXIc/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="alignright" height="150" id="blogsy-1305600564642.2222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbR0Spg1bbwJkv3hdrGgYuFDstItvqEYWoaGyLZT-ntXuY6_LCgCxp0QHYi9zAl5wpSDYAq2mGuE4eRSuImadPct1OpwP_t6aCiwNkmHWyXsOXXYplc1WQlUB_wrkr4gR1UKqFBKXZXIc/s200/P1050430.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVUznR_Hputkt4IpIfNyzwqV9VXWmUHgV-OWhv-yXi7yhi7qv_DbFo7YPX3YZuZk1-kLoyK0PVY2LHF1iW-ksbbL7MplTQvHScdEnwpJFpNxwi7XZXRGv_0SteYBtQhAbw6X6jh_v2v7W/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="alignleft" height="150" id="blogsy-1305600564635.803" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVUznR_Hputkt4IpIfNyzwqV9VXWmUHgV-OWhv-yXi7yhi7qv_DbFo7YPX3YZuZk1-kLoyK0PVY2LHF1iW-ksbbL7MplTQvHScdEnwpJFpNxwi7XZXRGv_0SteYBtQhAbw6X6jh_v2v7W/s200/P1050431.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For an autocrosser like me this track provides plenty of thrills. At an autocross it is very rare to get into third gear, but the DDT had a couple of spots where you were full throttle in third, before braking hard for a corner. Top speed, when it was possible to glance at the speedo, was around 125 km/h. The digital speedo in the xB was actually helpful here, because it was easy to read quickly.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The day turned out to be very nice, weather-wise, if not a little hot. The weatherman had been calling for thunderstorms all week, but the track stayed dry all day long. There was quite a wide assortment of cars at the track. Everything from the top dog 911 GT3 RS to a Scion xD, with a number of other Porsches, an Audi A3, BMW 6 Series, a couple of Camrys and several Scion tCs.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-U9JnMkSvj_dnsUR6DjL891w2l0YMXY7bComnRFcckbcWq2SN9oVvRUrvEc_C_6lh-mYgzsQlpLSU8whEmBnocGlt0TKdS4jdnY6UPwlYJrA8juV3RlSzIQ5bGLjptWSgXXCy5V3-4DDQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="alignleft" height="240" id="blogsy-1305600564652.9946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-U9JnMkSvj_dnsUR6DjL891w2l0YMXY7bComnRFcckbcWq2SN9oVvRUrvEc_C_6lh-mYgzsQlpLSU8whEmBnocGlt0TKdS4jdnY6UPwlYJrA8juV3RlSzIQ5bGLjptWSgXXCy5V3-4DDQ/s320/P1050435.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speaking of the Scion xD, it was there courtesy of <a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/scion"></a><a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/scion" target="_self" title="">Scion Canada</a>. Nice to see Scion out enjoying the day with some of their customers. Special thanks to them for the bit of swag they sent my way.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was obviously my first opportunity to drive my xB hard. I had only had it for about a week and a half. Not really knowing how it would handle, nor wanting to learn the track on my good tires, I started the day on the stock tires that came with the car. I quickly got comfortable with the xB on the track, and soon was wishing for the extra grip the Falken FK452s would provide. I'm glad I started out on the stock tires as it allowed me to get up to speed without any real danger of over-driving my skills, not to mention the noticeable wear the tires showed when I took them off.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once I put on the Falkens there was a significant increase in grip. Proof that spending money on better tires was worthwhile. Overall, I was very pleased with the handling on the xB. The TRD springs, rear sway bar and front strut tower proved themselves to be very important upgrades. The lack of understeer was actually a little surprising to me - I only had understeer when I really over-cooked a corner.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall the day was well organized and safely run, with a good group of guys ( and a lady or two). Having a couple of instructors on hand was invaluable, and certainly made my day better after listening to some advice. A nice lunch was provided, and given the heat, lots of drinks were available. Hopefully <a href="http://www.blogger.com/htt"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=3342002389753861788&postID=4768493194599893387"></a><a href="http://www.wietzesscion.ca/" target="_self" title="">Wietzes Toyota Scion</a> will make this an annual event.</span><br />
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</span></div><div class=""></div>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-83932556031061035982011-05-14T23:34:00.002-04:002011-05-14T23:36:14.018-04:00Scion Racing Contingency program is coming to Canada<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/">Scion Canada</a> has confirmed on Facebook that the Scion Racing Contingency Program is coming to Canada. Details are to follow next week. Can't wait - should be interesting to see what they are offering!</span><br />
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</span>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-17442771517699835982011-05-06T16:17:00.000-04:002011-05-06T16:17:48.030-04:00Ahhh, that's better....<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Found some time to put the rims on my new <a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/">Scion xB</a>. I think most would agree that they are a major improvement over the steel wheels/hubcap combo the car came with.</span><br />
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</span>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-63010585504004110322011-05-04T17:54:00.003-04:002011-05-04T22:52:04.150-04:00Picked up my new Scion xB<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbYdBQYtdg1j16FXw7qyeiVlAxiDqs_fqVKSo_DRUDs7nPf7t57sT8_wedfQ7nO466Rr6ns_ta1mZcEMnaBjaxTqw1V2OiLPg2q8FUYITkmQfvv1CoodGktv6KETax-JOREqDtdcMTM0_/s1600/IMG-20110502-00491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbYdBQYtdg1j16FXw7qyeiVlAxiDqs_fqVKSo_DRUDs7nPf7t57sT8_wedfQ7nO466Rr6ns_ta1mZcEMnaBjaxTqw1V2OiLPg2q8FUYITkmQfvv1CoodGktv6KETax-JOREqDtdcMTM0_/s320/IMG-20110502-00491.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I picked up my new Scion xB on Monday at <a href="http://www.wietzesscion.ca/">Wietzes Scion</a>. It is always exciting to get a new car, and this was no exception.<br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEOJolo4m2Rlr-fqhDVJHPPfbKHX1JYzxu528VC6spALbImXu3U3_wk4GrL1FdkgKYDt1dF9QQWiRp2qrZkYH27hB5f_Erw9THHR8YEb6zF601-5z26G_-FFte-AvWpAKbmKUE_88YRM_Z/s1600/IMG-20110502-00492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEOJolo4m2Rlr-fqhDVJHPPfbKHX1JYzxu528VC6spALbImXu3U3_wk4GrL1FdkgKYDt1dF9QQWiRp2qrZkYH27hB5f_Erw9THHR8YEb6zF601-5z26G_-FFte-AvWpAKbmKUE_88YRM_Z/s200/IMG-20110502-00492.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As mentioned in a previous post, I added a number of upgrades including the TRD lowering springs, rear sway bar and front strut tower. After driving it a few days I have to say those upgrades were money well spent. The car's suspension feels firmer than the stock suspension, but not uncomfortably so. Through the corners, though, the car is noticeably flatter, with very little body roll.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVliLhQRipzuPWlg-BzIGImgFQESfp2Hay7hFv4RBSGSfWn2F2FSQBJuFl7_2gYLRVEVANfh3umTWVvZV0TdXChGLfVWkvNMgMmhL6MFJPeuJAttMPjgILK_pkCAtRxH6FvfCtCZ1V8rV9/"></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslW2ZAxnJFuilf8p_AX9iRi4xkAEAqljDTEo1qVeLi4JotH9ZQVtV_tE9ohhvW2PTLp6UMELiaAtD1GGtqSvreBDr5hjFVdxZe-xTex73x6XGy8QbdbcHcjW4NlSYwxsxehm8AWobDaz-/s1600/IMG-20110502-00495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslW2ZAxnJFuilf8p_AX9iRi4xkAEAqljDTEo1qVeLi4JotH9ZQVtV_tE9ohhvW2PTLp6UMELiaAtD1GGtqSvreBDr5hjFVdxZe-xTex73x6XGy8QbdbcHcjW4NlSYwxsxehm8AWobDaz-/s320/IMG-20110502-00495.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a photo that clearly shows the springs and rear sway bar (the red parts in the photo). You can also clearly see the shiny new TRD muffler. It won't stay that shiny for long.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQj66BRC27-WTGFpNwb3N4I_OgRdQQRlWM4JHphcPDunbTtuh2qrwIpvIv_inBqqNwP_OTrHe9k4yxcMj_WvwupT3r8CcEp_j0lGtvuholdpZV8Xn8MTcTHKMVsDZ6Ak9d7JrDJ5cZ_Tw/s1600/IMG-20110502-00494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQj66BRC27-WTGFpNwb3N4I_OgRdQQRlWM4JHphcPDunbTtuh2qrwIpvIv_inBqqNwP_OTrHe9k4yxcMj_WvwupT3r8CcEp_j0lGtvuholdpZV8Xn8MTcTHKMVsDZ6Ak9d7JrDJ5cZ_Tw/s400/IMG-20110502-00494.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Can't wait to get some rims on it!</span></td></tr>
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</div>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-81913710038042525002011-04-30T21:12:00.004-04:002011-05-01T15:50:39.707-04:00My New Scion xB<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Time to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak. I have been so impressed with the Scions that I have had the opportunity to test drive, that I have purchased one for myself. On Monday I'll be picking up a 2011 Scion xB from <a href="http://www.wietzesscion.ca/">Wietzes Scion</a>.</span><br />
<div class=""><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrM-QUESkmgWq2Swce27S0kwAzlGGpBcDyIpxWVZ1Ku5a7PilVN77GeoafowvnB2W-nJqUYhoa5H-ezbFqjRuPPvzlSacWxDAkJwnWTYKB-ARSwUkmuNr2NwQh8s459RYD8gn4-6_Ezpj/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrM-QUESkmgWq2Swce27S0kwAzlGGpBcDyIpxWVZ1Ku5a7PilVN77GeoafowvnB2W-nJqUYhoa5H-ezbFqjRuPPvzlSacWxDAkJwnWTYKB-ARSwUkmuNr2NwQh8s459RYD8gn4-6_Ezpj/s400/photo.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have chosen to get it in Sizzling Crimson Mica. There are not many factory options choose from - basically pick your colour and transmission. I believe the leather interior is also a factory option. I passed on the the leather, since it would add about 10% to the cost of the car. For the transmission I of course went with the manual option.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I couldn't leave it at that though. I have added several TRD performance parts, including:</span><br />
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">TRD Lowering Springs</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">TRD Rear Sway Bar</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">TRD Front Strut Tower </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">TRD Quick Shifter</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">TRD Exhaust</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">TRD Air Filter</span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All the upgrades should result in a more enjoyable ride.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPVxP1lE_66muRnwUgiRyupK9Nw8CADYmOlvj6At4wUDLV399yiaX-L8OPVtTLmD2uhaFwF9XnRRuET0epbo_-3PIgTTDJ4q5mk7_WeKkf7QJ4Hvjs7K9OJukLnTLWbbwGnkLUdYM4rSPc/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPVxP1lE_66muRnwUgiRyupK9Nw8CADYmOlvj6At4wUDLV399yiaX-L8OPVtTLmD2uhaFwF9XnRRuET0epbo_-3PIgTTDJ4q5mk7_WeKkf7QJ4Hvjs7K9OJukLnTLWbbwGnkLUdYM4rSPc/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMuya3jdVSuYvA6K7TzdixYESmjpjDs0Qc9WD6tbyDWgOpc4j-rAO2FnGUaxXiUkS5zyK4KVJgrJYOeHt8F6kMLF-rv0Kd1DWUfMD0JMPHhEnPDMtVM2Ea_k741fbLFf31xvVxWED0mteT/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMuya3jdVSuYvA6K7TzdixYESmjpjDs0Qc9WD6tbyDWgOpc4j-rAO2FnGUaxXiUkS5zyK4KVJgrJYOeHt8F6kMLF-rv0Kd1DWUfMD0JMPHhEnPDMtVM2Ea_k741fbLFf31xvVxWED0mteT/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="aligncenter"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50TnWlwaWiie2WFHfBvUa7VnNCZcTqfiVuS2apf8H19cQy4CudmQIq2EZO9UjdthFDRG2HGp6MZfzJWwWfWlZX-P8cRne3gKS5H-6xu70RSD741l9Rp3Cu7IRExzcRMJnucT0zj3NNcSm/" target="_blank"></a>[Photos Source: <a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/">www.scionnation.ca</a>]</span></div>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-74311630582667171022011-04-20T21:23:00.003-04:002011-04-20T22:46:49.305-04:00The Scion FR-S is coming!<center><a href="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/04/20/2847.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="167" src="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/04/20/s_2847.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="400" /></span></a></center><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As promised, Scion introduced a new concept car today at the New York Autoshow called the FR-S. This stands for Front engine, Rear wheel drive, Sport. A little different from their other cars, the xD, xB and tC.</span><br />
<a href="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/show_photo.php?p=11/04/20/2848.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img align="left" border="0" height="133" src="http://photo.blogpressapp.com/photos/11/04/20/s_2848.jpg" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 5px;" width="200" /></span></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The car really is a stunner in the looks department. Really a gorgeous car. This being a concept car, not everything you see will make it to production. The 20" rims probably won't survive, nor will the extremely small side mirrors. The brakes, apparently, are designed like a motorcycle - the disc is attached to the wheel.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The concept had a couple of interesting features. One being a staggered wheel set-up. The front rims are 8" wide, the rear are 10". It would be great if this could make it into the production model. The car is slated to appear next year.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a car that will inject some serious performance into the Toyota/Scion line-up. I'm sure the enthusiasts out there, including myself, are looking forward to the day they can drive the FR-S.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More details, photos and video can be found here: <a href="http://www.sciondimension.com/" target="_blank">SCIONDIMENSION.com</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad</span>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-62829748506511771772011-04-17T11:42:00.004-04:002011-04-19T13:08:23.815-04:00Scion to debut concept carLooks like Scion will debut a new car at the New York Autoshow on April 20th. They have released a teaser video and the car in the video certainly looks like a Toyota FT-86. This suggests that the rumors about Scion getting the FT-86 are true. All that remains to be seen is whether Toyota and Scion both get a version (which is my hope), or whether Scion will be the brand selling the FT-86 in North America.<br />
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Teaser video, and the live reveal on April 20th, can be found here: <a href="http://www.sciondimension.com/">www.sciondimension.com</a><br />
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<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wsitn16R2wE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-65917761078482626522011-04-13T13:10:00.002-04:002011-05-06T16:19:58.853-04:002011 Scion tC: My Review<div><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-fZIgKFVSDE-Wh22GN7ZwRY4o6J27zOrXmXwRJnW9WPKP2gILcOWM8Y3TXJkKBS2qHHqNlQCyyNAob98uy1e14wcnU7nRAlAH8w9yUNE878x8Bh9pRLd0ql65T3hMtclJf_4XhaqdSoF/s1600/P1050207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-fZIgKFVSDE-Wh22GN7ZwRY4o6J27zOrXmXwRJnW9WPKP2gILcOWM8Y3TXJkKBS2qHHqNlQCyyNAob98uy1e14wcnU7nRAlAH8w9yUNE878x8Bh9pRLd0ql65T3hMtclJf_4XhaqdSoF/s320/P1050207.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">2011 Scion tC</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/scion">Scion Canada</a> was kind enough to let me drive a <a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/scion/vehicles/tc">2011 Scion tC</a> for a few days as part of their grassroots marketing campaign. This is the third Scion vehicle I've had the opportunity to drive, following the <a href="http://sciontestdrive.blogspot.com/p/2011-scion-xb-my-review.html">xB</a> and <a href="http://sciontestdrive.blogspot.com/p/2011-scion-xd-my-review.html">xD</a>, and certainly the one I was most looking forward to.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/scion/vehicles/tc">Scion tC</a> is a 2-door sports coupe. It's only engine choice is a 2.5 Litre 4-cylinder engine rated at 180 bhp. This is a car in a small class, as the 2-door coupe has seen its share of vehicles going out of production, such as the Toyota Celica, Honda Prelude and Acura RSX. Currently, the Scion's main competition is the Honda Civic coupe and Kia Koupe. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The car I drove was pretty much stock. It arrived in Alpine White wearing snow tires on the standard 18" alloy wheels, and equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission. The only options were a leather interior ($1,975 - which includes heated front seats) and Alpine stereo ($535). The car comes with many standard features, including A/C, power windows, and huge sunroof for the front passengers and a glass roof for the rear seat occupants. Speaking of the rear seat, it was very roomy - certainly large enough for adults to sit comfortably.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2fMhh1tQmTz4nvUnxq4HxGXvIVEA639wAYc_b9U09BgKiBvfb_rLhTohkvSz1PgL-eFuyzzp3FUm6Ah848H3khDOAzkZliEDGn-RzbRJ6QFBpHhyYUmdPZr4mR7ihX0Hp1pLNd5QMisG/s1600/P1050203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2fMhh1tQmTz4nvUnxq4HxGXvIVEA639wAYc_b9U09BgKiBvfb_rLhTohkvSz1PgL-eFuyzzp3FUm6Ah848H3khDOAzkZliEDGn-RzbRJ6QFBpHhyYUmdPZr4mR7ihX0Hp1pLNd5QMisG/s200/P1050203.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The interior was very nicely laid out, with a large tachometer and speedometer in front of the driver. They really should copy this layout for the <a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/scion/vehicles/xb">Scion xB</a>, as it works well and provides the driver with all the information they need. One interesting feature was the design of the steering wheel. The steering wheel has a flat bottom, which you might find in a race car or Lamborghini - it's a very sporty set up. The wheel had controls for the stereo located on the front, along with the cruise control stalk behind it. Overall, a fairly typical arrangement of the controls. It made it very easy to find everything when I jumped into it.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8Arc_bJiyQwloujwznUGRaFCgSHscKbmQQQNNzw5Mqd6JOXMqpDIqHfgpxzIb0jYOux2PnDL-hnjnnPxosPXyc-Y-Agw7NTKQguMLEemkCNIHiD3Wi1tkVVjy4IpvAQYbvExzurTmJfo/s1600/P1050197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8Arc_bJiyQwloujwznUGRaFCgSHscKbmQQQNNzw5Mqd6JOXMqpDIqHfgpxzIb0jYOux2PnDL-hnjnnPxosPXyc-Y-Agw7NTKQguMLEemkCNIHiD3Wi1tkVVjy4IpvAQYbvExzurTmJfo/s320/P1050197.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Flat bottomed steering wheel.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The exterior design of the car wasn't one I really appreciated until I saw it in person. In photos it appears rather slab-sided, and the roof looked low creating a chopped look. Having now seen it in person it is actually a quite aggressive design. The fenders flare out quite nicely, especially the rear ones which add a nice flare to it. Styling is always subjective, but to me this design was quite pleasing.</span><br />
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</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM207HePA1aG9mGAIrpuF8QJMltGCyZj27L1qhyXKfRNl99Vw1QfH80OYS1KjW158uPqER0piP8Vb1-zSAUOmzxEn2-fv-zoLnzkdZLFVHfhHy8imPWiYsZ2rToTsbGDjUIy5X5nr88CIL/s1600/P1050218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM207HePA1aG9mGAIrpuF8QJMltGCyZj27L1qhyXKfRNl99Vw1QfH80OYS1KjW158uPqER0piP8Vb1-zSAUOmzxEn2-fv-zoLnzkdZLFVHfhHy8imPWiYsZ2rToTsbGDjUIy5X5nr88CIL/s200/P1050218.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWY6LGVgElzyxWEBhkUhjIaK26VvMEeejeqtTIBNH41atQln9r55phRGiYN5_dInoH1Ei_3AONiknPUOG6gWiRoxTDifvCIwGsk4KVqcTJysfYpltHFdJa0gSIsgzKeSbYO7JeKlId23UH/s1600/P1050166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWY6LGVgElzyxWEBhkUhjIaK26VvMEeejeqtTIBNH41atQln9r55phRGiYN5_dInoH1Ei_3AONiknPUOG6gWiRoxTDifvCIwGsk4KVqcTJysfYpltHFdJa0gSIsgzKeSbYO7JeKlId23UH/s200/P1050166.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Driving the car was a real treat. It handled nicely - steering was fairly sharp, suspension was on the firmer side (befitting a sporty car) but not uncomfortably so. Power was acceptable (you can always use more), at 180 bhp, and there was good torque available to get you moving. The driving dynamics were such that I could easily pass the day away driving this car, especially on the highway. On the highway this car really shone - it was stable and comfortable, power to make a pass - an excellent cruiser. I would love to have this car as a daily driver if I had to travel the highway on a daily basis.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One missed detail was the spacing of the pedals. The accelerator and brake pedals were fairly far apart - far enough apart that heel and toeing was difficult (I don't really have small feet, so it wasn't me). On the plus side, left foot braking was a breeze.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I was looking to replace my Celica this is definitely a car I would consider. Fun, sporty and a little bit different from anything else out there makes this car a winner in my mind. Especially when you consider the price, at $20,850, compared with the Civic Coupe SI ($25,880) and Kia Forte Koupe ($22,295) - both of which have less power. The <a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/scion/vehicles/tc">Scion tC</a> looks to me like the leader of the (rather small) pack.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8I3VU2p8YF6KULI44cPFhsfVhoYknJTxIs7k53FALwQDw6xh9TX9FmEkVUcdd_XeFHLmdnNTkkTQQNllzzkn2XD3hSs3O7yRJyoYgfFJmkbP5wlCoYOTHGeG4s9sia_IZblKBZU7IaMf/s1600/P1050161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8I3VU2p8YF6KULI44cPFhsfVhoYknJTxIs7k53FALwQDw6xh9TX9FmEkVUcdd_XeFHLmdnNTkkTQQNllzzkn2XD3hSs3O7yRJyoYgfFJmkbP5wlCoYOTHGeG4s9sia_IZblKBZU7IaMf/s200/P1050161.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-VWTLgxZyTO01V45VC7JrEKoRWLDkfdSp8Qoy2CmVjjNaHzihCkwjOI0vOytYbW5p54XjYwd225m40vQN8xn_FpfKiuN5sDTNtzFc4DoDCqg4tDmSNl4py4icKB0yTUM41y78tUO4-Qm/s1600/P1050159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-VWTLgxZyTO01V45VC7JrEKoRWLDkfdSp8Qoy2CmVjjNaHzihCkwjOI0vOytYbW5p54XjYwd225m40vQN8xn_FpfKiuN5sDTNtzFc4DoDCqg4tDmSNl4py4icKB0yTUM41y78tUO4-Qm/s200/P1050159.JPG" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div></div>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-22469544129833167092011-03-22T12:55:00.003-04:002011-03-23T12:53:56.727-04:00Sunday Drive in the Scion tC<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2udS0GmM6LeahK1CAWtYciEFMqEBy6d7N_7fOz8vkva2Okv1REpujwfXw90LRkWMcaDeVLuS8Xf9n9tBcCuNIP8jIkkMm0PgpYNigKS4O760-l-cLmR7Xu5EEQs9WxxNwv28WFsbOY0yd/s1600/P1050131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2udS0GmM6LeahK1CAWtYciEFMqEBy6d7N_7fOz8vkva2Okv1REpujwfXw90LRkWMcaDeVLuS8Xf9n9tBcCuNIP8jIkkMm0PgpYNigKS4O760-l-cLmR7Xu5EEQs9WxxNwv28WFsbOY0yd/s200/P1050131.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Decided to try something with the <a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/scion/vehicles/tc">Scion tC</a> that I would never try with my Celica - installing my daughter's carseat in the back seat. The back seat of the <a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/scion/vehicles/tc">Scion tC</a> is actually fairly roomy for a two-door coupe and the standard childseat anchors are provided, so the process was pretty straightforward. Getting her into, and out of the seat wasn't too terrible. I actually had enough room, with the front seat slid forward, to climb into the back seat area and squat so that I could tighten her belts. I think I proved that it is possible to use the tC as a family car, although not the most convenient.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2udS0GmM6LeahK1CAWtYciEFMqEBy6d7N_7fOz8vkva2Okv1REpujwfXw90LRkWMcaDeVLuS8Xf9n9tBcCuNIP8jIkkMm0PgpYNigKS4O760-l-cLmR7Xu5EEQs9WxxNwv28WFsbOY0yd/s1600/P1050131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05pGCF63xDfDjtjEOglCJI3sn1KPqTdBEIoKlX-O_PhkGoeof9bCikGo77F6aOyM_dByScfZoXrxegdLeQBMT4h_PV-D0Hwvbh4RqlnIg6XlfWx5XOnLWlfgcTNGLXFotaEJwxHDWmJbi/s1600/P1050190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05pGCF63xDfDjtjEOglCJI3sn1KPqTdBEIoKlX-O_PhkGoeof9bCikGo77F6aOyM_dByScfZoXrxegdLeQBMT4h_PV-D0Hwvbh4RqlnIg6XlfWx5XOnLWlfgcTNGLXFotaEJwxHDWmJbi/s200/P1050190.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAp7Kw_jUIb7lxWelniqb7jAppB3eI8LHQELlgiZUuOSbqqImQZuXuqtT6Fc5oBaHnjO9nMPe5A8ML5L7k1rFZxE7XkzvXjZXDmqL0kLOi6io5B6XWj7v8RRX6SlQD9Nvs3c9A-aDqYLBm/s1600/P1050129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAp7Kw_jUIb7lxWelniqb7jAppB3eI8LHQELlgiZUuOSbqqImQZuXuqtT6Fc5oBaHnjO9nMPe5A8ML5L7k1rFZxE7XkzvXjZXDmqL0kLOi6io5B6XWj7v8RRX6SlQD9Nvs3c9A-aDqYLBm/s200/P1050129.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The trunk certainly had more than enough room for the usual baby-related stuff - stroller, diaper bag, etc. This is one of my favourite features of cars like this - the two-door coupes with the liftbacks. The liftback allows for a large opening into the trunk, and with the rear seats folded down quite a bit of trunk space.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, we headed out for our Sunday drive. Up Highway 27 and then west along the 8th Line into <a href="http://goo.gl/maps/ZgBs">Beeton, Ontario</a>. It occurred to me that this may be the very first time Beeton has been visited by the Scion! Who really knows? Had a bit of a swing at the park and headed out for our next stop.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiooPxE4PGmYdFSwgddZSmXXTFwTBIcsPzlrdmeIah0YO3mTCY3HLej1CdJoAE2M-vaYSUj1HGbfbIQjcKoJHbzhlQSy84BU97Y2YjvNCljVZ3Tu2a1ifyOCchLwAmNBsqmQAt3fefwb_lH/s1600/P1050140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiooPxE4PGmYdFSwgddZSmXXTFwTBIcsPzlrdmeIah0YO3mTCY3HLej1CdJoAE2M-vaYSUj1HGbfbIQjcKoJHbzhlQSy84BU97Y2YjvNCljVZ3Tu2a1ifyOCchLwAmNBsqmQAt3fefwb_lH/s400/P1050140.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">The Scion tC in Beeton, Ontario</span>.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next up was the bustling town of <a href="http://goo.gl/maps/iNRu">Tottenham, Ontario</a>. I hadn't realized it before but Tottenham actually has their own community centre, and it was very busy on Sunday morning. This compliments their <a href="http://www.tottenhamconservation.com/">conservation area</a> and <a href="http://www.southsimcoerailway.ca/">steam train</a>.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was this bit of driving that really highlighted the tC's touring capabilities. The car was very comfortable for the three of us. The available power was quite adequate for the cruising we were doing, and the fuel economy gauge kept reporting better numbers as the drive went along. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have found the suspension to be a little choppy at slower speeds - say 50km/h or less - but once travelling along at the speed limit of 80km/h on the back roads the suspension is a delight. Very smooth and stable. I believe it is a car I could drive all day long. All in all, the tC proved to be an excellent Sunday drive car, and showed that it would be suitable for longer trips with the family.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yi_QEpUsuijZ-Ay7mTemxujNPnj8qz8VwkW-O0pZlpflfYA2DZvIboYvbhIJQgMIlFDjTkneYv6Xn3axUETfG-LpSEFQGAwpO_IPBppUS0fkc8qQ_GEZXsk8xpQdKAYJUqrQ6DJzMgw-/s1600/P1050145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yi_QEpUsuijZ-Ay7mTemxujNPnj8qz8VwkW-O0pZlpflfYA2DZvIboYvbhIJQgMIlFDjTkneYv6Xn3axUETfG-LpSEFQGAwpO_IPBppUS0fkc8qQ_GEZXsk8xpQdKAYJUqrQ6DJzMgw-/s200/P1050145.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yc_anYbLJvSEyrPvGaegZYziHAq_Dk7BFHjexI9o4vm8VAHpeq7mrxeBurCgMirESQnhr58H34dTsGkqs6G3acEi_yl6hYBFnutyMqiWT243MWjmRnZJlYyy1As4S0AjfawczulpRs4n/s1600/P1050142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yc_anYbLJvSEyrPvGaegZYziHAq_Dk7BFHjexI9o4vm8VAHpeq7mrxeBurCgMirESQnhr58H34dTsGkqs6G3acEi_yl6hYBFnutyMqiWT243MWjmRnZJlYyy1As4S0AjfawczulpRs4n/s200/P1050142.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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</span></div>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-40587740009325565312011-03-18T22:29:00.003-04:002011-03-18T22:32:05.924-04:00Picked up a Scion tC today.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGopO-QXm-yCNUmGx5SXWCbyH0jt69IM-NXdipYugjdS-ZA89gEJXD2z5a0rp1078RNartQ4wsiI4BjrpNBUni4nmLR1CnuKlhsPiYHUDTteP2PnzcLiLDSh2FggKLw_W3IPM_YyAT15In/s1600/IMG-20110318-00383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGopO-QXm-yCNUmGx5SXWCbyH0jt69IM-NXdipYugjdS-ZA89gEJXD2z5a0rp1078RNartQ4wsiI4BjrpNBUni4nmLR1CnuKlhsPiYHUDTteP2PnzcLiLDSh2FggKLw_W3IPM_YyAT15In/s320/IMG-20110318-00383.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Picked up a Scion tC today from <a href="http://www.scionnation.ca/scion">Scion Canada's</a> headquarters - again thanks to their grassroots marketing campaign. My initial impressions are very good.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The car feels a little choppy at slower speeds (~40km/h), but once on the highway it just eats up the road. Really a wonderful highway car - plenty of torque to execute a pass, stable at speed and comfortable.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The interior is nicely laid out with a typical dash - large tach and speedo. The steering wheel is a treat - it is thick and meaty, with a sporty flat bottom - pics will follow. The driver's seat is comfortable with plenty of adjustments, which along with the tilt n' telescoping steering column, means it was easy to quickly get comfortable. The stereo is also very good, with a decent low end.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26wYqLF3M4CnG88LsvX0e8cnavM3HP-crzaZwmN3erp-5Uskt1_QD6QIix9Rzw3eTdGmrYWKbOC9xf58YYHCkeqlnLaShnbRpDAWAsaJ-HUHhMeIUl9KSmIptx7dWbnb1BVR0zmkY1EC4/s1600/2004_Celica_GT-S_100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26wYqLF3M4CnG88LsvX0e8cnavM3HP-crzaZwmN3erp-5Uskt1_QD6QIix9Rzw3eTdGmrYWKbOC9xf58YYHCkeqlnLaShnbRpDAWAsaJ-HUHhMeIUl9KSmIptx7dWbnb1BVR0zmkY1EC4/s320/2004_Celica_GT-S_100.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Only problem is, it's price is making me a little upset. When I bought my Celica GT-S in 2004, they were listing at over $30,000 - if I recall correctly it was closer to $33,000. A little pricey at the time. Now, here's a car that at first drive seems to be nearly as exciting and enjoyable as the Celica, but you can get into it starting around $21,000! Astounding! This car seems to be an incredible value.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWpaYP_rEz638iGYARwIytbE_VzBrDdBOjaSs8XrIbrqxRkFD4dgwF6anEpELQOXMwBpOHQYDE8tKwZQcwvLu8kaX1Be27Z9qn0AAQlNmnj5Od1tsaJzAKzcqse4Ji7VHTPbICZtPM8AS/s1600/2004_Celica_GT-S_090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWpaYP_rEz638iGYARwIytbE_VzBrDdBOjaSs8XrIbrqxRkFD4dgwF6anEpELQOXMwBpOHQYDE8tKwZQcwvLu8kaX1Be27Z9qn0AAQlNmnj5Od1tsaJzAKzcqse4Ji7VHTPbICZtPM8AS/s320/2004_Celica_GT-S_090.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I look forward to the next couple of days with the tC. As in the past, I'll post an update or two, and then a final driving impression.</span>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3342002389753861788.post-58412015524978952222011-03-17T22:11:00.000-04:002011-03-17T22:11:40.942-04:00Scion Canada to have a motorsports contingency program?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First heard this rumor that Scion Canada might be supporting Canadian motorsports with a contingency program on the <a href="http://www.casc.on.ca/forums/showthread.php?p=181796#post181796">CASC-OR</a> message board. It might even involve cash! So I tweeted Scion Canada:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtW3pr9eq7Wkoi4wTFxQP4xZNWp2JRNEvFLoiO8g-AtNI3MDl4CDPDsTE7umJrCz7meM_qwgYg5jmuImVI5cXQqgNSvDVJzEvw_dNBSC-yYzsQFBa6VQ7yCt6RzSC2mitXQ-2xnhbod7yr/s1600/ScionCanada+-+Contingency+Program+Question.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="77" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtW3pr9eq7Wkoi4wTFxQP4xZNWp2JRNEvFLoiO8g-AtNI3MDl4CDPDsTE7umJrCz7meM_qwgYg5jmuImVI5cXQqgNSvDVJzEvw_dNBSC-yYzsQFBa6VQ7yCt6RzSC2mitXQ-2xnhbod7yr/s400/ScionCanada+-+Contingency+Program+Question.png" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And this is the response I got back:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHIorvTPNz-74XRH_pdYoS-PH3ufq24iskHmGMfdu9N4JbUGy3IRGdl3rsKPskV-Z-_eg2l50TOYU7duSALQD4WIynZGZhWFK8mdjNoodYjdI-Dqe89iH25sOZ6bnFlDpvDg2xrUjMW0P/s1600/ScionCanada+-+Contingency+Program.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="66" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHIorvTPNz-74XRH_pdYoS-PH3ufq24iskHmGMfdu9N4JbUGy3IRGdl3rsKPskV-Z-_eg2l50TOYU7duSALQD4WIynZGZhWFK8mdjNoodYjdI-Dqe89iH25sOZ6bnFlDpvDg2xrUjMW0P/s400/ScionCanada+-+Contingency+Program.png" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If this comes to fruition I think it will be a very good marketing tool for Scion. Building some awareness in the motorsports community will only help in the long run. Potentially it leads teams to run a Scion over another brand, which leads to more exposure, which builds credibility among the fans.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It used to be "race on Sunday, sell on Monday", but it takes a lot more than that now. Scion is already involved in some racing, but a more grassroots-based program is a great approach. I'm involved in autoslalom, and probably the most popular car is the Mazda MX-5 (Miata). You watch one of those cars rip around a course, faster than higher horsepower and more expensive cars and you'll want one too - trust me. If I could fit into one better I might have one in my driveway right now. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having said that, I'd still love to pick up an xB, throw some TRD suspension parts on it, a set of R-compounds and surprise a few people at the first autoslalom of the year. Sadly, when I'm out at the events I am typically one of only a couple of Toyotas there, sometimes the only one. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If the contingency program falls into place I hope it will really support the grassroots racers in this country. It would certainly build Scion's name in the racing community.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u><i>NOTE:</i></u></b> If you are looking to get into some grassroots, low cost racing of your own, I strongly recommend checking out the <a href="http://soloontario.com/">SoloOntario</a> website. There you can find out about <a href="http://www.soloontario.com/solo_sprint.html">Solo 1 Time Trials</a> and <a href="http://solo2.casc.on.ca/index.php">Solo 2 Autoslalom</a>. These events are tons of fun in a safe and friendly environment.</span><br />
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</span>Todd Coleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16917611361842147037noreply@blogger.com0