Scions a sigh

Remember the year 2003? Remember thinking, “What the hell?”
I do, because that’s what I thought the first time I saw an oddly shaped box with wheels. I remember walking up to it, taking note of all the sharp angles and the badge that said, “Scion.”
In 2003 I wasn’t going to as many car shows, so I missed the unveiling of Toyota’s daughter company, Scion, but thanks to Google I was able to fill myself in on the new brand.
During its first years, Scion had two main cars, the xA and xB. The xA was a small hatchback that was a little funky looking, but not shocking enough to turn heads. I mean really, how creative can you get with a hatchback, anyway?
But the second model, the xB was the one that sparked my interest in the company. For those of you who don’t know the truth, the xB is a station wagon — it just looks like a shoebox on wheels.
Scion was designed for younger drivers. I guess that means my contemporaries and me. I did see a few of these in my high school parking lot, and I see some even now at Cal State Long Beach.
But no matter what Scion does, I’m really just not impressed.
In 2005 Scion started selling its very own coupe, the tC. The tC is probably the only model I could see myself driving. For its price tag (base MSRP $17,620), it’s a pretty chic-looking car with smooth lines. It also has a 2.4-liter engine and can put out 161 horsepower at 6,000 RPM.
For the 2008 model year, the xA was discontinued and the xB was given a makeover, but it was more like a make-under. I was never a fan of the moving box, but at least it was distinctive. Now it’s toddler-friendly with the corners rounded.
The xA was replaced by the xD and the 1.4-liter xA engine was changed out for a 1.8-liter one that puts out about 128 horses.
At this point, you may be thinking, “Neat, but what’s the news?” And that’s the problem. The news is just not there.
Scion was supposed to be a company with cars that constantly change, yet since the start of production there hasn’t been many exciting facelifts. If there’s one thing I know about my generation it’s the fact that most of us have short attention spans. Scion, like its parent company Toyota, can’t seem to handle our high-speed lifestyles, despite the flashy displays at auto shows.
Later this month, at the New York Auto Show, Scion will be unveiling its new coupe concept. Based on the one barely-revealing picture I’ve seen, the new concept will be just what Scion needs to re-ignite its creative spark, because whether people love the cars or hate the cars, Scions should invoke the reaction, “What the hell is this?”