Sorry to drag this up... But I'll admit owning both cars (which the Alltrac is still being repaired) the Alltrac would pull out ahead by a decent margin. By no means will it annihilate the tC, but it will beat it.
The tC by my standards is incredible! Guys/gals, this is a great daily driver. I am not going to upgrade anything on this car (it goes to the Alltrac
) because it is, for it's price, unbeatable for DD!
The car was a lot quicker than I thought, and the suspension was surprisingly stiff for this price (don't forget 17" stock alloys that don't look like crap and 4wheel disc brakes). The interior is superb for it's class, so is the exterior (although I see a lot of BMW/Volvo inspiration in the exterior of the car, no worries it looks more $$$ than it really is).
As I've said before, I have no idea how Toyota is making money selling these things at such a low price! My friend recently picked up his 04 Civic Si for $22k+ where as I bought mine (no options) 2005 (w/ 100k warranty) for $18,500. Monthly payments don't hurt either, and the insurance in my area is pretty good (I pay about $400 a year on this car).
Sales pitch or whatever you want to call it, the car is a real treat for it's price.
EDIT
BTW, Toyota mentioned their TRD SC unit for it. It should make a modest 200hp, but they even went as far as saying 300hp. I doubt the 2nd claim. The engine bay is HUGE though, you could easily shoehorn a V6 in there...