Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Scion xA

2456714

Comments

  • taurus2taurus2 Member Posts: 63
    As a "teen," please allow me to express my opinion. I always wonder why car companies try to make cars look so wierd, and gaudy to appeal to kids. As a senior in High School, most kids drive Accords, Camrys, Passats and Maximas. I'm 18 and I drive a 2000 Toyota Camry. I love my car. It had clean lines, and doesn't look so strange. It just baffles my mind on how these Scion cars are trying to look cool. I don't want to start anything or make people mad but thats just on my 2 cents.
  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    The xB is definitely out there. However, the xA is much more mainstream, and if I fit well in its compact size, I wouldn't mind driving one. It should be an exceptional value. All it is really is a lesser-performance, more efficient, more practical, and muscular Mini Cooper. Aren't they sizes relatively the same, the xA may even be bigger? something like 9 inches?
  • revdrluvrevdrluv Member Posts: 417
    Well these cars were not made for the US market. They were designed for the japanese market, and from what I read they are pretty popular (especially the xB). Hey if Pokemon did great over here right??? (jk). I know what is cool in one market is not always in another.

    I don't think these cars were really meant for high school kids anyway. Not that many high school kids buy their own cars. Also they often have unrealistic dreams when it comes to the cars they think they are going to be able to own.

    I think Scion is more for 20 some things and college kids. People who have taken care of their own financial situation long enough to realize that the Porsche, 350z, Corvette they thought was just around the corner might never come, and that it wouldn't fit their life style and budget anyway. So their desires adjust according to their situation.

    Only the true car nuts are willing to live in the poor house to own a sexy sports car.
  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    I think you hit the nail on the head. 16-18 year olds in high school a) don't typically have the money for a new car and b) want something flashy, expensive and fun. That's not Scion. Scion will sell (hopefully, for Toyota) to a young adult crowd that recognizes the true value in the vehicle.
  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    Everytime I see the xA, I'm liking it a bit more. I can't believe it doesn't offer cruise control. It would be nice if it did have a moonroof, but that goes against the purpose and simplicity of Scion. If I had another better-appointed car, I'd definitely have an xA as an economical short distance driver. It looks fun and I haven't heard a bad review of it or the xB as of yet.
  • stragerstrager Member Posts: 308
    I'm in Northern California and have been trying to get info on a Scion city tour starting April 24th in San Diego, as posted on the Scion web site. Thought this would be a great opportunity to check out the xA before sales start in June.

    Unfortunately, the Scion web site has not been updated and those answering the Scion toll free number don't know any more than what's posted on the web site (that's what I was told by the customer service rep).

    Not what I expected from Toyota...
  • revkarevka Member Posts: 1,750
    Check out Edmunds' Full Road Test of the 2004 Scion xA, and let us know what you think....

    image

    Thanks for your comments!

    Revka
    Host
    Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards
  • scooter71scooter71 Member Posts: 56
    The xA or xB review mentioned a LEV rating for Scions. What's the deal with Toyota lowering their environmental standards?

    This is a big disappointment to me.
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    the car is a DEAL. no need to worry about emissions......with all the gas you save, its green enough.
  • rayrockrayrock Member Posts: 14
    I'm looking for a replacement for my civic. the xA would make a great commuter car cheap, easy on gas, and small enough to park in the city. unfortunately, like the echo, it doesn't have cruise control so its out of contention. excellent design otherwise.
  • scooter71scooter71 Member Posts: 56
    "Green enough"? High mileage doesn't make the air cleaner.
  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    It seems that Edmunds' article about the xA is just another positive review for a Scion vehicle. Perhaps Scion will be more successful than previously believed. Lexus had its doubters.
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    remember the Lexus formula......when then started their Luxury cars were also aggressively priced....then over time they jacked up the price. Maybe the same thing is going on here.....hook em with cheap cars and then jack it up over time.
  • scooter71scooter71 Member Posts: 56
    Does anyone know how the accessories will be sold? Will the buyer be able to customize 100% at the dealer, or will buyers be stuck with whatever was bolted on at the plant or port of entry?
  • cookie55cookie55 Member Posts: 15
    Like Rayrock,Scion would be an ideal,cheap commuter but without cruise it won't work for me.Gotta have it.
  • curiousgeorge7curiousgeorge7 Member Posts: 2
    I used the Scion.com/Tour site to retrieve information about the test drives. Based on my experience, it was accurate. The people at the drive event told me they are usually giving drives between 11am - 7pm on the noted days.
  • stragerstrager Member Posts: 308
    The Scion site had outdated info, AND Scion customer service was completely uninformed about the city tour on May 5th, when I posted my concern here.

    Subsequently on May 7th, I received an email from Scion providing the link Scion.com/Tour that you mention. By that time the tour was already 2 weeks old.

    Even if you go to the Scion site TODAY, the only thing mentioned is:

    4/24/03 Behind the Wheel, California Tour (but there are few details posted other than to "stay tuned" and no mention of the Scion.com/Tour site)

    Incidentally, at the event in San Jose last weekend (which I went to), apparently VERY few people showed up. I really doubt that more than a handful knew about this event. The marketing company which was managing the tour said that many potential customers must not have known of the tour.

    Regardless, I'm happy that I had a chance to check out the xA and xB - both terrific cars. Can't say the same about the Scion website.
  • jontyreesjontyrees Member Posts: 160
    If Scion is trying to reach the younger audience with unconventional marketing, eg web info, promos at Vann's Tour type events, word of mouth instead of the usual TV and print blitz, they are really remiss in letting their website slip. The site should be their #1 priority.
  • civicwcivicw Member Posts: 135
    I think Toyota is trying too hard to make the Scion website (what Toyota thinks is) cool with pictures of Gen X/Y people and music downloads while ignoring the basics: speed and functionality. This site is very slow compared to any other auto websites that I've seen. Just tried the build your Scion feature, it's a work in progress and unusable. Information links for accessories are screwed up. I'm surprised that Toyota has made available to the public a work-in-progress website.
  • a_l_hubcapsa_l_hubcaps Member Posts: 518
    Yeah, I always get a laugh when companies say, "We know that Gen-Y people don't like to be marketed to," and then proceed to make lame attempts to market to them. A simple, clean web site with good photos and information would suffice just fine for Scion customers. Another thing that young people don't like is wasting their time wading through slow-loading and buggy web sites.

    -Andrew L
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    Well said, Andrew L.

    Doesn't do much for us relatively old folk, either!
  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    The Scion's website build your own feature is now working.
  • mikusmikus Member Posts: 109
    During all my trips from San Diego to San Francisco, and I was making them twice a month a while ago, I never used a cruise control. It is simply unsafe. You take you foot from the pedal, you put it under the seat, you're comfortable. How much time will you need to apply brakes or add some more throttle, if something happens? 7 hour drive with foot on gas, never use cruise.

    Back to xA: the only selling point is price. Which may be the main reason for most people. But add couple of grands and you can get Matrix, which is bigger but has the same gas mileage. What is the point in the car like xA with mileage less than 40 mpg? This is just a shame.
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    I'm not sure if all these mini-cars (Scions, Echo hatch, etc) appeal even to college students. My daughter will be going to college next year. I've been trying to get her interested in the Echo hatch which I thought looked pretty cool. No dice. Instead, she would go for either the Corolla or Civic sedan (both of which I thought would have registered high on her dork scale). What she (and most of her friends) really wants is a Civic Si coupe. If Honda can market a version of that at 80% of the current MSRP, they'll sell a million of them.
  • lenscaplenscap Member Posts: 854
    Will somebody who lives outside of California be able to by an xA? I know someone who is interested. Can they go to a dealer there, buy one, and drive it to a different state?
  • pzevpzev Member Posts: 807
    Not sure if this is a car I would ultimately buy, but lately I've been reconsidering it. Seems like a good buy and the Scion xA doesn't look too bad in pictures. Hopefully in real life it'll look even better, and if it drives ok and has a decent quality interior I may consider one.

    Here is some crash test scores for anybody interested. Seems to have done fairly well. Considering how lightweight and small it is, getting hit by an SUV could be disastrous. After looking at the crash test scores though, I've regained some confidence in its ability to at least protect the people inside if it hit by something much bigger than it. With side curtains and good crash test scores I would consider it.

    http://www.osa.go.jp/anzen/html2003e/09.html

    Also something that puzzled me was how a car so lightweight and with such a small engine could only have LEV emissions. Well found out that when converted to left-hand-drive the catalytic converter was moved and the exhaust system was redesigned. So maybe this had something to do with only LEV emissions, if not I have no clue why it isn't at least ULEV. Also the fuel mileage seems disappointing when a Corolla which has a more powerful engine and weighs more gets almost the same fuel mileage and also has ULEV emissions.
  • pzevpzev Member Posts: 807
    I know it's been awhile since you posted your question and you probably found the answer by now anyway. I have no experience in this area but I don't see how it could be any different than buying a Corolla out of state. It shouldn't be any problem going to California to buy a Scion and then driving it back to your home state, you would use the same procedure as buying any other car out of state I would assume.
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    The interesting part would be getting parts and service after the sale. Especially if, say, you lived in Vermont.
  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    Those scores for the Ist look very promising--the xA should fare equally as well--so long as those tests ie speed are very similar.
  • pzevpzev Member Posts: 807
    Good point. I guess the best thing someone can do is to call Toyota and find out if Toyota dealers can provide service and parts for Scions or not.
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    Not only if they CAN, but if they WILL.

    Scion is supposed to go national in a year, if everything goes well....
  • shades80shades80 Member Posts: 53
    Very nice and easy to drive. High seating position and location of speedo and tach a little hard to adjust to but in my 10 min drive got used to it..very quiet and base stereo is great..around town was plenty powerful..will return for another test drive on freeway..this car is tall and modern..not racey at all..personal opinion is that older drivers will buy this car as a second car instead of echo, corolla, civic.
  • pzevpzev Member Posts: 807
    Again you are correct. Even if the dealership could help you, you have to wonder if they would even go through the trouble. It's better to just wait until next year.
  • pzevpzev Member Posts: 807
    Thanks for the comments. How did the interior stack up against the competition? Is it of good quality? Also how comfortable are the seats compared to the competition?
  • shades80shades80 Member Posts: 53
    Very impressed by the quality of the materials in the xA...both xa and xb have a dark/black matte material on the dash that is soft to the touch..not low rent at all..seats are black cloth and very good..very comfortable...no adjustment for the height of the seat though i kept wanting to lower the seat but couldnt..site view is superb..see everything and there is lots of room. For 14K..quite a bargain imho
  • maxmonmaxmon Member Posts: 3
    I test drove both cars, regrettably in automatic transmissions, for 25 minutes each. The salesman was very hands-off and Saturn-like.

    Both of them are great cars for the price, which had no additional dealer markup. They were both very quiet on the freeway, even at 80 mph. I took them on a country road (identical routes) and they were very quiet and solid over bumps. However, the Xa had poor visibility, especially when looking over the shoulder to change lanes. This might be improved by folding down the back seats. Rear seat room and comfort were very poor. The front seats were acceptable, but not great. At 6"2", I felt cramped in the Xa.

    The Xb was very spacious and the view is great. But I worry about this light little boxy car in strong crosswinds.

    Both cars were very slow, and I will try to drive the manual transmission models. If I were you, I wouldn't even consider the automatics unless you like really slow cars.

    I don't think Toyota put its best engineering effort into the Xa. For its light weight, low horsepower, and good aerodynamics, the gas mileage should be better than a Civic and Corolla, not worse. Or it should be faster and sharper handling like the Mini Cooper. I like the styling of the Xa- like a Matrix crossed with a Mini.

    The Xb is extremely practical around town for hauling people to work- sort of an ideal carpool or night out car. But I would love to find out how it does over mountain passes. Some people will love its slick boxiness, but it's just not for me. The stereos in both models are fantastic, though.
  • libertycatlibertycat Member Posts: 593
  • a_l_hubcapsa_l_hubcaps Member Posts: 518
    Interestingly, the xB handily outsold the xA during the first month of sales (California only). The numbers were something like 900 and 500. I wonder if that trend is a reflection of California culture, or if the xB is actually going to be the bigger seller when they launch nationwide? I wouldn't have expected that.

    By the way, I popped in to the official Scion group on Yahoo, and I saw that almost all the owners there were in the process of buying HUGE wheel sets (like 19"!) for these things. I can't imagine how you can even fit a wheel that big on such a small car.

    -Andrew L
  • pzevpzev Member Posts: 807
    "I don't think Toyota put its best engineering effort into the Xa. For its light weight, low horsepower, and good aerodynamics, the gas mileage should be better than a Civic and Corolla, not worse. Or it should be faster and sharper handling like the Mini Cooper. I like the styling of the Xa- like a Matrix crossed with a Mini."

    Exactly. Not only is the gas mileage kind of bad considering its lightweight and engine, it only gets LEV emissions where as the Corolla and Civic with bigger engines and heavier weight get ULEV. And this is California we're talking about, the state where a PZEV Camry is available. Either there's some cost-cutting going on or something went wrong when it was made for the USA. As I said above though, when converted to left-hand-drive the catalytic converter was moved and the exhaust system was redesigned so maybe that's hurting the emissions and fuel mileage but not really sure.
  • pzevpzev Member Posts: 807
    If I'm not mistaken Toyota offers an 18" wheel option on Scions so I guess 19" could be possible.
  • boaz47boaz47 Member Posts: 2,747
    wonder how adding the additional unsprung weight a 19 inch wheel will add will effect this little car. The car comes stock with P185/60R15 tires. New wheels and tires will have to be 185 35R19 or even 185 30R19 maybe a 205 30R19. Each rim will be heaver and each tire will cost a bundle. I couldn't even find a tire in that size. A wheel and tire like that would cause the vehicle to ride like a buck board.
  • johnclineiijohnclineii Member Posts: 2,287
    and you would probably bend a wheel if you ran over a dime!
  • currygregcurrygreg Member Posts: 1
    Does anyone know if the cold air induction affects fuel economy?
  • boaz47boaz47 Member Posts: 2,747
    don't seem to make a big difference in fuel mileage. What does happen is you often drive a bit more aggressively and even use just a bit more fuel. Once you get cold air most often you get a less restrictive exhaust. Seemed to move the torque curve up a bit on my car and so I tend to shift a bit later and may use just a bit more fuel.
  • civicwcivicw Member Posts: 135
    There seems to be a lot more interest in the xB rather than the xA, among Toyota's target demographic. A friend who's a Scion sales manager told me that the xA is attracting a lot of Toyota Echo buyers, mostly people over 50. Also the xA isn't selling that well right now - but that could change as people realize that it's a great alternative to other subcompact cars.
  • dawgpakdawgpak Member Posts: 42
    bought for my daughter - she couldn't stand either scion model. I like it's interior, but not the exterior styling. she loves the echo. I don't think she likes hatchbacks, so the xa didn't fly. the xb is almost uglier than the aztek.
  • carpeoplecarpeople Member Posts: 36
    I am a "young'n", and that report from John's post hits right on with me.

    I could go for that Element concept with the electronics hooked in,ut would not get one as it is today.

    Amazingly everyone in here is dissing the xB. I like its styling. Toyota hits dead on with it. Its right on for their targeted market. The xA however, would not get. Too odd porportions, and too funky. Also looks like something that you go for just for its price and because its available.
    I am not surprised with the xB outselling a xA, and I would like to see a report of how old their buyers are if anyone could find it?
  • carpeoplecarpeople Member Posts: 36
    Found the info I was lookin for myself...
    Go to http://autos.msn.com/advice/standardart.aspx?contentid=4021974&am- p;am- p;src=News

    Some interesting points in the article:

    Sales: "As of June 26, 1,058 Scions have been sold, two thirds of which were the xB model."

    Average buyers age:"The average buyer's age was 36, 64 percent were male, 59 percent were new to Toyota, and 54 percent of buyers were age 35 or younger"

    Product: xB
    "The xB's boxy nature is actually quite functional. The interior has plenty of headroom and legroom, and cargo space is plentiful for a car of its size. "

    xA:
    "The xA is a small 4-door hatchback with seating for five; however, rear seating is extremely tight. I'm not particularly tall (5'8"), but my legs were pressed against the front seatback. Unless they were of small stature and extremely comfortable with each other, three people would have a difficult time sitting back there. Cargo space is on the small side as well, with only 11.7 cu ft of room behind the rear seats. However, the front seating position was very comfortable. "

    "Performance, however, is not very impressive. Even with a manual transmission, acceleration is quite poor. In the constant trade-off between performance and economy, Scion has opted for economy — the fuel mileage figures are much more impressive than the acceleration numbers"

    Customization:
    "Vehicle configuration can be accomplished at the Scion Web site, from any computer. The saved configuration can be recalled on terminals at the dealership for easy ordering. Since the cars all have the same basic equipment, half a dealer's Scion inventory remains at the port where they entered the country. Once a car has been configured online, accessories are added at the port, and the car is delivered to the dealership in a week or less. Accessories can also be added at the dealership. "
  • carpeoplecarpeople Member Posts: 36
    Is advertise their products on the same nameplate to show how style and preformance in not too far away. Like Nissan with its electricmoyo campaign(go to electricmoyo.com). Even though half that stuff does not make sense to me, Nissan's product line and the way they handle youg ppl is much more appealing to me than the route Toyota took.

    Check this out:
    http://www.chron.com/cgi-bin/auth/story.mpl/content/chronicle/aut- o/03/07/22/nissan.html

    They will use the Altima on a ten city tour which young'ns get to experience the Altima with nice electronics inside and the "young" look outside. That means we get to check out the cars while they play music and show movies to entertain the crowd.

    "Along with booming music played by at-the-scene DJs, Nissan plans to entertain crowds by projecting unreleased movies onto the sides of buildings. Online broadcasts featuring in-car interviews with music artists also are planned. "

    This is the approach Toyota should have tooken.
This discussion has been closed.