Last weekend I went to meets for VWs and Scions. Both car brands are popular among young people and automotive enthusiasts, but Volkswagen has over 70 years of history while Scion hasn’t even existed for a decade. This was a good opportunity for me to compare the brands.

First was the annual Chicagoland Spring Break Cruise organized by VWVortex. This get-together was open to VWs and Audis from all around. The cruise began in Schaumburg, went through downtown Chicago, and ended at the lake front in Highland Park. Over 60 cars showed up despite the fact that we’ve been dealing with bad weather.

The Scion show was organized by Scikotics and took place at Grossinger Scion. Scion has been offering three models in the US for years, but the tC is the biggest seller and the most popular among tuners. The Scions crammed into the service department at Grossinger, but were still very impressive.

Compared to the VWs, the Scions seemed much more similar. I think there are three main reasons. First, the Scions haven’t been around as long so the aftermarket is probably still growing. Second, Scions have no optional engines so you can only really stand out with a turbo kit (and those aren’t even that rare). Third, Scions aren’t global models. Since VW sells cars like the Golf, Rabbit, GTI, Jetta, Bora, City Golf, and City Jetta around the world there are so many more parts, options, and resources for people that want to modify VWs. In my opinion Scion can’t gain the same sort of attention because it’s really just a niche brand, but oddly enough Scion owners don’t seem to embrace Toyotas. It’s as if the days of the turbo Supras, MR2s, and Celicas have been forgotten.