This is the deal of the century for Scion's target audience (aka younger folk) wanting affordable, practical performance. I had a chance to check out this car at the 2011 Detroit auto show and came away thoroughly impressed. The seats are aggressively bolstered and offer great support. The seating position is low but easy to get comfortable, and the steering wheel sitting in front of you is a thick meaty drivers-inspired thing, even featuring the cutoff bottom that makes entry/exit of the vehicle easier. Of course it has an excellent sound system (stock) with upgradable head units from the Scion dealership, or an easy swap-out for any unit in the aftermarket. To top it off, the torquey 2.5L, 180 horsepower engine isn't a slouch - mid-7's is plenty quick to 60. The mileage is good, and reliability is also likely to be tops. If I was shopping right now, this would be on my must-drive list.
The 'rumbly exhaust' noted by the editor was likely the optional TRD exhaust, which in fact does improve performance due to lower restriction. Paired with the also-dealer-available TRD cold-air intake, it opens up the breathing and would likely add 10 hp overall. Greddy showcased a turbo kit at SEMA that would offer another 100-150 hp, not bad.