It’s only been a little over a month since we news broke that the Scion brand would be no more, and now, Scion->ke79 is set to make one final appearance in the place where it debuted the first Scion model – the New York Auto Show.->ke226 Scion is looking to use the show has a final farewell and will display a number of models from the last 14 years, including the 2002 BBx Concept, 2004 FiveAxis speedster xA, 2009 Kogi BBQ Truck xD, 2009 iQ Concept, 2011 FR-S concept, and the 2014 Slayer tC. That isn’t all Scion is bringing to its last Auto Show, though.

Meet the Scion tC Release Series 10.0, a model that was designed in partnership with Kei Miura. As a final farewell, this special tC->ke1339 is equipped with a number of performance and visual enhancements that is said to make it the best production tC ever built. Scion Vice President Andrew Gilleland said, “For those enthusiasts looking for a piece of history, this is a great opportunity to own our best tC ever. With the TRD performance parts, the JDM Aero Kit and the screaming red and black color scheme, it’s a fitting tribute to Scion’s mission to build cars for younger customers.” He continued, “We have a lot of fans that are sorry to see Scion being transitioned to Toyota. But it’s the right thing to do, and we know the spirit of Scion will live on, so we are going out in style.”

Scion is a youth-oriented brand, and aside from a couple of good years, it has struggled with sales pretty hard over its lifetime. There may be fans out there, but as unfortunate as it is for the brand, there weren’t enough fans to keep it alive. With that said, let’s take a look at Scions final model and see what Scion and Kei Miura did to leave a lasting impression on the world.

Continue reading to learn more about the Scion tC Release Series 10.0.

2017 Scion tC Release Series 10.0

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2017 Scion tC Release Series 10.0
  • Engine/Motor: inline-5
  • Horsepower: 179
  • Torque: 173
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

What makes the Scion tC Release Series 10.0 special

To start off, let’s take a glance at the exterior of the TC Release Series 10.0. The body is finished in Barcelona Red and has been equipped with an aerodynamic kit designed by Kei Miura himself. To be honest, I was expecting to see redesigned bumpers and side skirts, but instead, a small lip spoiler has been added to the front bumper and the side skirts. The Scion emblem below the hood and the tC emblem in the grille has been finished in a dark-out gloss black. To the rear, the taillights have a slightly darker appearance, the Scion badge has been blacked out, and the rear fascia got the same “aerodynamic” lip treatment as the front and sides. The lip in the rear gives a diffuser-like appearance that sits well between to two chrome exhaust tips. A small fin has been added to the deck lid, which is something that should have come standard on the tC to begin with.

On the inside, Scion carried over the black and red theme by adding sport-tuned inserts to the seats that also have red accent stitching. You’ll also find red stitching on the E-brake handle, shift lever boot, and steering wheel. In addition, to the seat inserts and red stitching, special floor mats and cargo mats that are exclusive to the Release Series have also been added. Red seatbelts further the contrast of colors and a special, sequentially-numbered badge is also found inside.

As far as performance upgrades go, there isn’t much. Scion added TRD performance lower springs to drop the ride height a bit and reduce the center of gravity. This should provide for better cornering and steering response, but I wouldn’t expect much of a difference over a standard tC. In addition to the lowering springs, the Release Series 10.0 has also been equipped with a TRD performance dual exhaust system, which Scion says provides a “deeper, more resonant, exhaust note.” Outside of these two things, the Release Series 10.0 is bone stock, sporting a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 179 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque. The car can be had with a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed sequential automatic with paddle shifters. Even with the performance exhaust, I would hold my breath if you were expecting much improvement performance-wise. In stock form the tC hits 60 in 7.3 seconds with the manual or 7.8 with the automatic. If anything, expect an improvement of 0.1 seconds with either transmission.

The Release Series 10.0 will hit Scion dealerships in June of this year and carry a price tag of $23,190 when equipped with a six-speed manual or $24,340 with the automatic. That price doesn’t include taxes or a delivery fee of $795. In all honesty, it’s nice to see a tC with aerodynamic and performance enhancements, but I expected to see more considering this is Scions last hoorah.

If Scion really wanted to leave a lasting impression, this baby should have been decked out every which way with a more aggressive body kit all the way around and engine enhancements to go with exhaust and suspension upgrades. Then again, maybe that is why the brand is going under. In all reality the tC, as well as other models, were merely production models with custom-looking appointments here and there – you know the kind of thing young people do to cars themselves to personalize them.

Scion tC

The Scion tC made its debut in 2005 and was a welcomed addition to the line of affordable vehicles from Scion. Despite Scions original promise to stand out in the crowd and offer frequent product cycles, the first-gen tC lasted until 2010. Scion tried to make better with its promise, offering a refresh for the 2014 model year and again for the 2016 model year, but in 2016, the brand didn’t change the exterior at all. Apparently the brand never understood the concept of what frequent product cycling means. For its final production year, the tC did make some changes to the interior, including a 7-inch Pioneer radio and push-button start. At the time of this writing, the tC goes for $21,330 in base form, before taxes, options, and delivery.

Read our full review on the Scion tC here.