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2014 Scion tC taps into its inner FR-S

Cashing in on some of the excitement surrounding the FR-S, Scion has given its front-wheel drive coupe a refreshed look at the New York Auto Show. When the 2014 Scion tC shows up at dealers this June, the entry-level coupe with have an improved exterior styling to give the car a sportier appearance while also adding some new cabin tech and an updated six-speed automatic transmission.
The new face of the tC includes an oversized lower grille very similar to the FR-S, but reshaped headlights, hood and vertical lower accent lights also creates a more dynamic look for this budget-priced coupe. At the rear of the car, clear-lensed taillights and a blacked-out lower diffuser finishes the major styling changes. Inside, a new touchscreen audio system also includes Bluetooth connectivity, and the optional Scion BeSpoke Premium Audio includes navigation and Aha Internet radio app.
Building on the tC's sportier image, the automatic transmission adds a little extra excitement as well with a new manual shift mode and a rev-matching, throttle-blipping feature. For better driving dynamics, Scion also promises a more rigid body structure and enhanced suspension components. Scroll down to read all about the 2014 tC in the official press release.

SEMA crowns Mustang, FR-S as this year's hottest cars in the building

After wrapping up the first day of the 2012 SEMA Show, organizers handed out awards for some of the trendiest vehicles on display. Since the whole point of SEMA is to show off new products available in the aftermarket world for use in cars, trucks and SUVs, each year, the show distinguishes the most popular vehicle in various segments. Not surprisingly, this year's Hottest Car and Hottest Sport Compact are the Ford Mustang and Scion FR-S, respectively, while the Ford F-Series brought home the Hottest Truck and the Jeep Wrangler was named the Hottest 4x4-SUV.
More than 2,000 companies are at this year's show, and the display booths represents a "vote" for each car to determing the trendiest vehicles in each of the four categories. It isn't clear if these awards also take cars brought by OEMs into account, but the Mustang and FR-S were definitely well represented by both OEM and aftermarket show versions.
As usual, the OEMs showed up in force at the this year's SEMA Show exhibiting a variety of cars ranging from production-intent cars like the beastly Ford Mustang Cobra Jet to much flashier rides like Scion's Carbon Stealth FR-S.

2014 Scion tC with updated styling priced from $19,210*

Scion has released pricing information for a number of models, the most important of which being the updated 2014 tC that debuted at the New York Auto Show in March. The cost of entry for the tweaked coupe is now $19,210 with the standard manual transmission, or $20,210 if you'd rather the car did the shift-work for you (*both prices exclude the $755 destination charge). These numbers represent an increase of $485 versus the 2013 model with either transmission.
We have yet to drive the refreshed tC, but Scion says it ought to provide a much more engaging experience from behind the wheel. Automatic-equipped models now enjoy faster shift times with dynamic rev matching, and regardless of transmission, the tC is said to have improved handling dynamics thanks to reworked shock absorbers, stabilizer bar hardware modifications and retuned electric power steering.
In addition to the obvious re-schnozzing of the tC, other updates for the 2014 model year include a new standard auto display, featuring a 6.1-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, HD radio and steering wheel-mounted controls.