By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(December 21, 2015) It’s hard to understand how Toyota will get even more out of its TNGA architecture than it has gotten from the “New MC” platform. That structure is found under a wide variety of vehicles, from the Toyota RAV4/Lexus NX to the Toyota Corolla, last generation Prius, Scion xB, tC and iM, Toyota Avensis, Toyota Sai/Lexus HS, and more.

However, after spending time in a Scion tC, Toyota Corolla and Lexus CT 200h, it’s pretty clear that the TNGA architecture will have to do better. The New MC suffers from overreach.

Scion tC

Even if Toyota hadn’t mentioned that the tC and iM are built off the Avensis platform, it wouldn’t have taken long to figure it out. Especially since it has the same questionable clutch take-up as the five-door iM. The reason for the late clutch engagement, says Toyota, is that — since these are entry-level vehicles often bought by first-time buyers with no previous manual transmission experience — rookie drivers are less likely to stall the car with this setup.

Unfortunately, those of us who have been driving manual transmission-equipped cars for a long time do end up stalling the car as clutch engagement isn’t measured in fractions of a second, but in geologic years. And we sputter off with the revs heading for the redline as we wait for the bite point to be reached.

Once past that, however, the tC comes across as a very likable car. It is light, reasonably lively, and has the added involvement of a manual gearbox, even if the clutch takes some getting used to. The flat-top roof isn’t to everyone’s liking, but the reasonable rear headroom is a product of this styling feature. You can carry friends in the back seat without having to apologize or worry about picking up their chiropractor bill. And the tC has an innate honesty that is refreshing; it doesn’t pretend to be something it isn’t.

It may be a touch louder and less refined than expected, but that’s in keeping with its personality. Besides, you can dart in and out of traffic, attack curves, and otherwise have fun without driving so far above the prevailing limits as to be a danger to yourself or others. Add the $184 carpeted floor mats and $770 destination charge to the $19,210 base price, and you’re out the door with a stylish little coupe for $20,164 That’s value.

Toyota Corolla S Plus

Ditch the tC’s double wishbone rear suspension, drop in a 1.8-liter four in place of the Scion’s 2.5-liter engine (good for a loss of 37 hp and 34 lb.-ft. of torque, but a five mpg mileage gain), add two doors and take away the hatch, and you have the Corolla. The wheelbase is exactly the same, the rest of the dimensions are close enough to be nearly interchangeable. In fact, it could be the car Toyota wants tC buyers to move into once they feel the need to move up to a responsible four-door sedan.

It’s not a bad move if you stick to the manual transmission. This gearbox makes the Corolla much more fun than it does with the soul-draining CVT automatic, giving the little sedan a personality that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. Especially since the Corolla has a clutch that bites near the floor, despite being an entry-level car, and one directly related to the Scion tC and iM. Go figure.

This is a compact, roomy runabout with a decently sized trunk, roomy interior, and decent gas mileage (28 city/37 highway/31 combined). I averaged 36 mpg both to and from a trip to the Michigan’s west coast while keeping up with surprisingly speedy traffic. However, the Corolla  quote literally has one sore spot, its seats. After time in the office and time at press conference, it was time to jump in the car and head to the Holland/Grand Rapids area on the west side of the state for a next day tour of the LG Chem battery plant.

With just over half the trip complete and a tight timeline in which to get to the hotel, the seats began to make their presence felt. By the time Holland was in sight, it was apparent that the driver’s seat could be banned under the Geneva Convention as an instrument of unspeakable torture.

Long distance travel is not high on the list of Corolla owners. For them this sedan is an around town and around the suburbs transport for kids and things. Perfect for the school run, shopping run or the run to the office or coffee shop, the Corolla does its duty frugally and with an air of fun. It also does so rather inexpensively. Adding the $815 destination charge to the Corolla S Plus’s base price brings the bottom line to $22,430. This should leave more than enough for a fly-away vacation that will keep you from experiencing the unique… charms of the Corolla’s seats.

Lexus CT 200h

This is where the honesty and fun of the least expensive members of the New MC platform club crash and burn. Like General Bernard Law Montgomery’s Operation Market Garden during World War II, the CT is a bridge too far for this platform.

Is it the price? Certainly you expect certain things when asked to pay $31,250 for the base car. Add in things like the $900 Premium Package, $1,265 for the LED lighting package, $3,480 of the Navigation System, $500 for Park Assist, $1,100 for the moonroof and $940 for the destination fee, and this brings the total to $39,435.

At nearly $40,000 you expect certain things, like a chassis that is more coordinated, steering with feel, a navigation screen that doesn’t washout when the sun shines, and the elimination of the annoyingly high-pitched  “beep, beep” that starts every time you engage reverse gear. (As a vehicle that often is in full electric mode when reversing, this is a sound that should be broadcast outside of the car, not inside.)

That sound is the same annoying tone you get in the Prius, which makes sense as the drivetrain is shared with that car. Which means the CT 200h is rated at 43 city/40 highway/42 combined, and returned an honest 36 mpg in testing. Those for whom living in a retirement home is fast paced will find the Eco setting perfect. It’s pathetically wheezy off-line acceleration feels incapable of pulling the skin off pudding, or an old woman out of her chair.

Switching to Normal livens things up a bit, and is the default setting, while switching into Sport gives you a 50 Shades of Gray level of sadomasochism without the bruises. In this setting, acceleration is much more sprightly and determined, and is in keeping with the expectations of a nearly $40,000 Lexus. However, the switch to Sport also changes the boost level for the electronic power steering.

This accentuates the car’s initial understeer, and moves the needle from “no feel” to “no feel but slightly heavier." The understeer can be quelled by entering corners wide and apexing late, and the chassis will hang on reasonably well without too much protest from the tires. But it’s still not fun. Nor is the CT 200h especially useful. True, there’s decent room for four in the leather-lined cabin, but the cargo area is shallow, the styling is awkward, and the negatives outweighs the positives.

The little Lexus truly is a bridge too far.

The Virtual Driver