Is the Subaru BRZ's Small Backseat a Big Inconvenience?

We knew full well the 2013 Subaru BRZ wasn't meant to carry more than a driver and a passenger when it became Cars.com's Best of 2013 winner. The BRZ and Scion FR-S got our vote for reasons you can read here. Still, we went through with a plan to buy one and live with the BRZ's small backseat.

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The four-seat BRZ has received plenty of use in its six months of ownership so far; the backseat has not. It remains something Cars.com editors have to live with considering the BRZ is a daily driver — even split a dozen ways — not a weekend warrior.

2014 Scion tC Starts at $19,965

Scion's tC coupe debuted at the 2013 New York Auto Show with mildly freshened exterior styling as well as upgraded materials and features inside; it'll debut at dealerships next month with a slightly higher price. The 2014 Scion tC starts at $19,965 for models with the six-speed manual and $20,965 for automatic-equipped versions (all prices include a $755 destination fee). That’s an increase of $485 over 2013 base models.

Outside, the front-wheel-drive coupe wears new grille and headlight designs as well as LED taillights. Inside, there's a new 6.1-inch touch-screen audio system. Newly optional is an upgraded Scion BeSpoke audio system with navigation and smartphone app compatibility for $1,198. Under the hood, the previous version's 180-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder returns; Scion says it's mated to a faster-shifting six-speed automatic transmission for 2014.

The automaker announced pricing for its tiny iQ hatchback, too. The 2014 version also gets the new 6.1-inch touch-screen audio system and is otherwise unchanged. It starts at $16,420, including destination; model-year 2013 versions started at $16,250. The minicar also goes on sale in June.

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2014 Scion tC at the 2013 New York Auto Show
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NHTSA: 2013 Cadillac SRX, 2014 Scion tC Earn Five-Star Rating

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released the results of a new crop of tests, including some updated-for-2014 vehicles.

All-wheel-drive and front-wheel-drive versions of the 2013 Cadillac SRX earned the agency's highest rating, an overall five stars. Its composite score is made up of four stars in front and rollover tests and a five in side crash testing. The model-year 2012 version also scored five stars, although it earned a five in front crash tests. For 2013, the compact crossover got some light exterior styling and interior updates and Cadillac communications spokeswoman Jordana Strosberg told Cars.com that "the SRX interior was modified for 2013 and our score was fractionally different."

Scion's updated-for-2014 tC coupe also earned an overall score of five stars, a repeat of last year's safety rating. Model-year 2014 versions of the tiny Scion iQ and subcompact Ford Fiesta were also tested; both received four stars overall. Sedan and hatchback versions of the Fiesta were lightly updated for 2014. Model-year 2013 versions of the Fiesta were also rated at four stars; the 2013 iQ hadn’t yet been tested.

Editor's note: This post was updated on April 23 with comments from a Cadillac representative.

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2014 Scion tC Photo Gallery

Scion's sporty coupe, the tC, has been redesigned for 2014, and on first glance, you'll notice a front end similar to that of Scion’s newest sports car, the FR-S. A new grille design has Toyota influences, and there are new headlights and standard LED taillights.

More 2013 New York Auto Show Coverage

While the tC's 179-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine remains the same, there's a new recalibrated six-speed automatic transmission that buyers can choose over the a six-speed manual. Engineers also retuned the suspension and stiffened up the body for better handling. Interior materials have been improved, and there's a new standard 6.1-inch touch-screen.

Check out photos of Scion's sharp-looking new tC below. Cars.com photos by Evan Sears.

2014 Scion tC: Up Close

Since its introduction, the Scion tC has been the brand's top seller, a sporty coupe (but not really a sport coupe) very much in the vein of a Hyundai Veloster, Kia Forte Koup or Honda Civic Coupe. With a more powerful base engine than any of them, it's done fairly well in the marketplace but is about to be massively upstaged by Toyota's decision to bring its new true sport coupe to the U.S. as the Scion FR-S.

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It's time for an update to the tC, and Scion has decided to try and bridge the gap between the two models, making the tC more visually like the FR-S and tightening up its handling as well.

Scion Series 10 Limited Editions Celebrate Brand's 10th Birthday

Coming to dealers in June will be special editions of Scion's entire lineup, including the just-announced 2014 Scion tC. Marking the brand's 10th anniversary, the Scion 10 Series editions of the xB, xD, iQ, FR-S and tC will all be painted one color — Silver Ignition — and feature the Scion name illuminated on the dashboard when drivers enter the vehicle before it fades to reveal the number 10.

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Each will be sequentially numbered, with a total run of 10,000 units to be produced. All will feature silver seat belts, LED Scion badges on the hood and rear that light up when the car is unlocked, and a solar-powered illuminated shift knob. The xB, iQ and xD models will come with unique alloy wheels, while the FR-S 10 Series will have standard high-intensity-discharge headlamps, dual climate control and smart key with push-button start ignition.

2014 Scion tC at the 2013 New York Auto Show

• Competes with: Hyundai Veloster, Honda Civic Coupe, Kia Forte Koup
• Looks like: Scion raided the FR-S parts bin
• Drivetrain: 179-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed manual or automatic transmission, front-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: June

Toyota's youth brand, Scion, is updating its biggest seller, the tC sports coupe. Unveiled at the 2013 New York International Auto Show, the 2014 Scion tC is a mild refresh of the existing front-wheel-drive coupe aimed at making it more appealing while sharing showrooms with the much more capable rear-wheel-drive FR-S sports coupe. Changes are apparent front and rear, with a new front grille design, headlights and a lower valance that is meant to recall the FR-S' design. Standard LED taillamps reside out back, looking as if they came out of Scion's accessory catalog.

More 2013 New York Auto Show Coverage

The drivetrain remains unchanged: A 179-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine is mated to either a six-speed manual or new, faster-shifting six-speed automatic transmission. The Scion's engine makes more power than the standard motor in either the Hyundai Veloster or Honda Civic Coupe, but less than both of those vehicles' optional engines; there is no high-powered option for the tC. Scion has retuned the suspension for more aggressive handling as well as stiffened the body structure for 2014.

Toyota Executive: New Scion tC to Draw on FR-S Cues

Toyota won't reveal a restyled tC sports coupe from its Scion division until Thursday, but one executive said to expect styling cues to follow the new FR-S. Bob Carter, senior vice president of automotive operations at Toyota’s U.S. arm, told reporters this morning that the FR-S' "halo" status atop the Scion brand meant the tC would follow in the same styling mold, especially in the rear. Carter spoke at the National Automobile Dealers Association/J.D. Power and Associates' 2013 Automotive Forum on the eve of this week's 2013 New York International Auto Show.

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"You’ll see family resemblance of the FRS coming over to the tC," Carter said. "But you’ll still see about $5,000 difference" in transaction prices between the two, which should keep younger shoppers heading toward Scion's front-drive coupe. That suggests the next tC won't have a radically higher price. The current car starts at $19,480 including the destination charge. The FR-S, meanwhile, starts at $25,255.

Carter confirmed the next tC will continue to be front-wheel drive, keeping differentiation from the rear-drive FR-S. Interior quality may take a big leap over the current car, whose cost-cut materials drew our criticism when Scion introduced it in mid-2010. Toyota is "obsessed with styling, both interior and exterior," Carter said.

2014 Scion tC to Debut at 2013 New York Auto Show

Scion just announced it will roll out an all-new Scion tC at the 2013 New York International Auto Show next Thursday.

There was no additional information on the car but we expect it to remain a more affordable, front-wheel-drive sports coupe to offset the more performance oriented Scion FR-S.

Find out what other cars will debut at the 2013 New York Auto Show

Scion tC sales are down 15% through the first two months of the year. There is slightly more competition lately in the compact coupe segment from the Hyundai Elantra and Kia Forte Koup along with Honda's Civic.

The latest version of the coupe is the 2013 Scion tC Release Series 8.0 shown above. There are currently 3,340 new tCs in Cars.com's national inventory, about the same number as new Hyundai Elantra coupes but roughly half the number of Honda Civic coupes.

Shoppers looking for a deal as Scion phases out the tC won't find one. Scion continues a no-haggle pricing policy on new cars.

10 Cars for $10K: The Best Used Cars for $10,000

At Cars.com, we focus on new cars, but when it comes to overall car sales, used cars own the field. CNW Marketing Research reports shoppers bought more than 40 million of them in 2012, the highest total since 2007. For every new car sold, nearly three used cars changed hands.

Shoppers are still taking the used route despite near-record used-car prices, which soared so high that we suspended our $10,000 used-car recommendations — once a regular Cars.com feature — for two years. Blame the recession, which slashed new-car sales and the resulting supply of late-model used cars that are typically traded in for them.

Used-car prices are coming back to earth, according to Manheim's Used Vehicle Value Index, but that's not to say used-car prices are low again. They have ebbed enough to give $10K cars another go.