Scion iQ Photoshoot

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.

Track Day with the Scion xB

On Friday, May 13th, Wietzes Toyota Scion hosted their first track day at the Mosport Driver Development Centre. If you have never been to the Mosport DDT 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.

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.

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.


Speaking of the Scion xD, it was there courtesy of Scion Canada. 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.


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.

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.


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 Wietzes Toyota Scion will make this an annual event.

Scion Racing Contingency program is coming to Canada

Scion Canada 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!

Ahhh, that's better....

Found some time to put the rims on my new Scion xB.  I think most would agree that they are a major improvement over the steel wheels/hubcap combo the car came with.

Picked up my new Scion xB

So I picked up my new Scion xB on Monday at Wietzes Scion. It is always exciting to get a new car, and this was no exception.

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.

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.

Can't wait to get some rims on it!

My New Scion xB

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 Wietzes Scion.

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.
I couldn't leave it at that though. I have added several TRD performance parts, including:

• TRD Lowering Springs
• TRD Rear Sway Bar
• TRD Front Strut Tower
• TRD Quick Shifter
• TRD Exhaust
• TRD Air Filter

All the upgrades should result in a more enjoyable ride.

[Photos Source: www.scionnation.ca]

Scion to debut concept car

Looks 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.

Teaser video, and the live reveal on April 20th, can be found here: www.sciondimension.com

Picked up a Scion tC today.

Picked up a Scion tC today from Scion Canada's headquarters - again thanks to their grassroots marketing campaign.  My initial impressions are very good.


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.


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.

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.

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.

Goin' to the mall with the xD

So it was time for a little daddy-daughter quality time, so we headed off to Upper Canada Mall.  I moved the car seat over to the xD.  Installation went smoothly as the xD has the standard anchor points.  The only issue was attaching the rear strap.  In order to get to the anchor I had to remove the floor of the trunk.  Not a big deal, since it is not something you would do on a regular basis, it's just that I found on other cars it was easier to do.

The car seat fit comfortably.  My daughter had room to kick her legs without hitting the back of the front seat, for the most part.  As she gets bigger, though, she'll definitely be within striking distance.

Loading up the trunk I found that the stroller barely fit across the back of the trunk.  Something to consider when buying a car of this size. I do love the hatchback design, though.  I really wonder why I've never owned a small hatchback myself?










I think the trunk size would be suitable for a family weekend getaway, but for anything longer you might want to look at roof-top storage.  Scion Canada installed a Thule roof-rack system on this car.  Never having used a Thule roof-rack system before I can't comment on how well they work, but hopefully they are easy to put-on and take-off.  I'd hate to have to drive this car all the time with the rack on - it somewhat ruins the lines of the car.

Overall, this car has really exceed all my expectations.  It would make a fine daily driver.  My full review will be posted shortly, so please check back.

Test Driving the Scion xD

Praise Jeebus! That was my first thought getting into the Scion xD.  They managed to put the instrument panel in its proper location - in front of the driver!


Scion Canada has been generous enough to offer me a chance to drive the 2011 Scion xD for a few days, following my drive of the xB in December.  Read my review of the xB here.  So I headed out to the corporate offices of Toyota/Scion during the afternoon rush hour - never fun - to pick up this little car.

First thing I noticed were the gorgeous  18" TRD rims.  They really fill out the wheel wells very nicely and provide a nice aggressive stance for the car.  Fortunately they are wearing a set of Continental winter tires, which came in handy last night and this morning.

My first impressions of the car are very positive.  So far it has managed to greatly exceed my expectations.  

A couple of oddities, at least to me.  First, the rear window defroster doesn't shut off automatically, which is foreign to me.  Secondly, it has a tachometer, even though it has an automatic transmission.  This is a nice touch.  Most of all, I am really pleased with the engine they chose to put into this car.  It is the 4 cylinder base Corolla engine, which is a very nice step-up from the power plant in the Yaris, the xD's sibling.  Power is more than adequate for a car of this size.

I'll be posting my thoughts and comments over the next week or so, so please check back again for updates.

Ahhh, a properly located IP.  Thank you Scion.

Scion Release Series coming to Canada

Just got a Tweet from Scion Canada and they advised that the Scion Release Series will be arriving in Canada this summer.  Great news from Scion!  My prediction (read it here)  about having to wait a while for the Release Series to arrive in Canada was, fortunately, a little off. Can't wait to see what models and features they offer north of the border.

Scion xB RS 8.0 has arrived... in the States

Sciclonic.com  reports (Read their post here) that the 2011 Scion xB Release Series 8.0 has started to arrive at dealerships.  Scion apparently puts out a special edition car at the rate of approximately one per year.  For 2011 it is the xB Release Series 8.0, and it features the following:

Source: Autoblog.com

• Voodoo Blue paint job
• revised, more aggreesive body kit
• RS 8.0 logos and numbered badge
• power tilt'n'slide moonroof
• optional painted rear spoiler

Really, the only exclusive features are the colour and sunroof.  The sunroof is not available in any other xB model.  Seems to me that the roof would be a nice addition.

Will Canada get a special edition in the future? Probably. Soon? Probably not.  Special editions are usually used to drum up some excitement and media coverage.  Scion is only a few months old in Canada, so there really is no need to try and drive up sales with a special edition.  I would expect that they will eventually arrive in Canada.  Maybe sooner than I think?

[Sources: Sciclonic.com, Autoblog.com]

Scion VP - Volume is not a goal...

Autoblog.com sat down with Scion VP Jack Hollis and a number of different issues were addressed by him.  Despite a 20% reduction in U.S.  sales in 2010, compared to 2009, Hollis stated that those numbers are only important "if volume is your goal".  Hollis went on to suggest Scion could double their sales numbers through the use of incentives, but will retain their non-negotiable sales prices.


Hollis also provided some information on the average age of a Scion buyer in the States.  The median age in 2010 was 41.5 years, up from 40 years old a year prior.  He also restated that a goal of Scion was to bring new buyers to the Toyota family.  To that end, buyers of the second gen vehicles include a similar mix to the first gen cars.  Apparently 70% of the first gen xA and xB buyers were new to Toyota.


The good news a Scion fan can take away from this is that Toyota is squarely behind the Scion brand.  In conjunction with the comments Toyota's President Akio Toyoda (read my previous post) made earlier in the week, one can rest easy that the Scion brand will be around for some time to come.  Scion seems to be achieving the goals Toyota set out for it when it was introduced to the U.S. 


Read the full Autoblog.com post here.  I also wanted to compliment Autoblog.com for giving Scion some coverage.


[Source: Autoblog.com]

Canadian Debut of the Scion iQ

The Scion iQ had its Canadian debut at the Montreal International Auto Show today.  The 2012 Scion iQ is expected to arrive at dealerships later this year.  Some of the features of this car are:

• 10 airbags, including the first rear-window curtain airbag
• estimated fuel consumption of just over 5 litres per 100 km
• 1.3 Litre engine putting out 90 hp

Probably the most impressive feature is the fuel economy.  I don't think my wife's motorcycle gets that good of mileage!  From the Toyota Canada press relaease:

“The Scion iQ is the boldest example to date of the Scion brand philosophy,” Mr. Hutchinson continued. “It’s the ultimate small, urban-friendly, fuel efficient vehicle that’s big on style, features and safety, and offers the functionality and comfort that drivers expect from a vehicle twice its size.”

I'm sure this car will find its market.   I can certainly see the value in a small urban vehicle like this.  For someone living downtown, working and socializing in Toronto, a car like this would be ideal.  Especially with its smaller dimensions and maneuverability, parking and driving in the City would be a breeze.


Full press release and photo gallery is here.

[Source: Toyota Canada]