The younger generation has a different taste for cars and needless to say, car manufacturers have been taking advantage of this for quite a while. Actually, I bet you and your dad will disagree with the design of the cars that you prefer which is more like a generation gap with regard to cars. The two cars featured in this category are the Scion TC and the Mitsubishi Eclipse GS. I’m going to talk about the cars’ performance, exterior, interior and the drivability before deciding which one is worth the buck.
Scion TC
Price: 18,000
The TC which stands for “touring coupe” is a front-wheel drive car with a coupe body-style. It’s powered by a decent 2.4 liter and 16 valve engine although it can only muster 161 horsepower. The TC’s acceleration is pegged at around 7.8 seconds which I think is good enough for a car with moderate-sized engine. On the other hand, what caught my attention about the TC is its tinted glass roof but overall the TC appears to be a standard car with regard to its exterior.
The space that the TC provides is rather limited just like every coupe car out there. If you’re 6 feet and above, you will have a little bit of problem maneuvering inside the car while the seats are quite impressive when I saw them. When it comes to its multimedia artillery, the TC has quite a bit to offer. It has an FM/AM radio with a CD player installed. However, it does not have a navigation system which I think is imperative in every car these days. However, despite of its lapses the TC is remarkably cheap although its performance needs a little bit of fine-tuning.
Mitsubishi Eclipse GS
Price: 20,000
The Eclipse GS is a front-wheel drive coupe that has a 2.4 liter 16-valve engine. Its horsepower capability is almost the same as that of the TC at 162 and it can reach the 60 mph mark in 8.2 seconds. The exterior design of the Eclipse GS is far better than that of the TC. The angles are smooth and its aggressive contours make the whole car such a sight on the road. On the other hand, when it comes to the interior of the car, this has a lot more space compared to that of the TC. Cars shouldn’t always be about power and speed because there should always be enough room inside to allow movement of the passengers.
The digitized odometer and thermometer caught my attention and not only that, the adjustable steering wheel pretty much caught me by surprise. On the other hand, the entertainment aspect of the Eclipse GS is standard and overall its price is justifiable by what it can actually offer. The Eclipse GS is a road demon that is both responsive and powerful when you get behind its steering wheels. Its downside however is its lack of turning radius which might be difficult to handle especially to inexperienced drivers.
So what’s the verdict? The Eclipse GS has the looks but its performance is quite poor. Overall, if you want to save some money while driving an above-average coupe then the TC is a good choice between the two.
