Rendered Speculation: Scion tC convertible cometh?

to go topless. The site names a handful of unnamed sources that say Toyota's youth-bent brand is looking for an easy way to inject some life into its lineup – something that could be easily accomplished by cutting the roof off of the newly unveiled tC coupe. The car just received its first significant redesign in six years, and as such, IL seems to think the time is ripe to add a convertible model to the mix.The site makes a compelling case for the move, including the fact that there are very few affordable drop heads on the market right now. Throw in the fact that Toyota just sent its one and only convertible, the Solara, packing for...

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2008 Scion xB

2008 Scion xB – Click above for high-res image galleryIn the latter part of the 1990s, Toyota realized it had a problem on its hands. Although its sales had been climbing steadily for years, the average age of its customers was also climbing. That's fine in the short term, but over the long haul if a company isn't attracting some younger clientele into its showrooms, sales will eventually begin to dry up. After several years of unsuccessfully trying to attract more youthful customers with cars like the Echo, the Japanese behemoth tried a new tack in early 2003. That was when Toyota announced a new brand called Scion that would be targeted...

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SEMA 2009: 0-60 takes the Scion xD rallying

0-60 Magazine/Sparco Scion xD Rally car - Click above for high-res image galleryScrew convention! Why do you have to build a rally car out of something sporty? Or powerful? Or off-road-worthy? According to 0-60 magazine at least, you don't have to. You can build a rally car out of just about anything. Take this Scion xD for instance. It's probably among the last cars you'd picture taking off-road, but seeing what it looks like after 0-60 and Sparco got their mitts on it, you might want to reconsider. They added a ton of safety gear, enough lights to rival the nearby Luxor's candlepower, and basically just butched it up enough to...

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2009 Smart ForTwo Cabriolet undone by tricky transmission

2009 Smart ForTwo Cabriolet – Click above for high-res image galleryThe Smart ForTwo isn't for shy people. Even though Smart USA has sold about 30,000 of these tiny two-seaters in the U.S., the little rollerskate attracts a lot of attention. On the road or in America's parking lots, the ForTwo is a conversation piece, and people don't hesitate to come up and talk to you. Some will tell you about the Smart they saw in Europe. Others will ask if it has the guts to make it onto the highway. Most will assume it gets great gas mileage (it doesn't). But one thing's for certain, during our week with the ForTwo, there was a 100-percent conversation...

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2010 MV Agusta Brutale 990R proves naked is beautiful

2010 MV Agusta Brutale 990R – Click above for high-res image galleryWhen Italian motorcycle manufacturer MV Agusta first announced the 2010 Brutale, there were some who questioned whether it was rational for MV to attempt an update that made the bike less, ahem... brutal. We decided it would be best to wait and see the bike in person and live with it for a while before making any such judgments – particularly since judging a vehicle solely by its spec sheet almost never has any real merit. And we're certainly glad that we did.Upon our first few minutes with the new Brutale 990R, we had developed an initial gut reaction: From the instantly...

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2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X Premium retains edge, adds smoothness

2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X Premium – Click above for high-res image galleryAdequate dynamics, very capable, super handy. That about sums up the last ten years of the Subaru Forester. And yet – once the sportier turbocharged version put rally-bred heat under the skinny pedal, the Forester was no longer just the squishy, squeezy Official Car of Vermont. It was suddenly possible to haul the family Newfoundland to the groomer and scorch the doors off more prestigious iron by flattening that Birkenstock. Eat our dust, punctuated by a "Be Green" sticker. More luxurious appointments were also put on offer, there was once even a Nardi edition....

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