- 21,286
- GR-MI-USA
- YSSMAN
- YSSMAN
No, you didn't read the title wrong. Although, the "Toyota" part is a bit misleading. Technically, its a Scion, and technically technically its a Dihatsu. Its called the Scion xD, and truthfully, I didn't think it was too bad.
I spent the day today driving around looking at various cars simply because I wanted to enjoy the weather and get the car bug out of my system before school starts. I started on one end of 28th Street, and went through the main part of what I'd call the "dealer district," and eventually ended the day at Toyota.
I've been looking at Scions since they first hit the streets a few years back. The staged launch put their arrival in Grand Rapids further back than say Chicago, but nevertheless they had arrived, and I was a bit disappointed. The previous models were decent, don't get me wrong, but they weren't what I was hoping for. As dressed-up Toyota Ecos built by Dihatsu, they were only marginally cool vehicles. The xB took off, the xA floundered a bit.
This Scion xD replaces the xA in the US, and is based on the Toyota Yaris. My salesman (he calls himself "Spider Man," go figure...) said it was based on the Corolla, but that doesn't matter. Based on the smaller chassis with the smaller engine out of the Corolla (that he did get right), it came off as a package far more attractive than the xB that preceded it. The fuel mileage seemed right, and the price wasn't too bad... Just shy of $16K without any options.
So, driving it. It was a very short drive. I drove a basic model with a stick, in white, with hubcaps. The cars don't have radios installed when they arrive at the dealer, in case you upgrade them (which I find silly), so I didn't get to test the stereo system. The overall look of the interior is quite nice, particularly compared to the xA before it. Its clean, pretty efficient, and feels pretty nice by comparison to say a Yaris or a Camry.
I really liked the steering wheel and the instrument panel, as it was pretty easy to read, however the overall layout of the speedo/tach was a bit off... Given that they reside in the same unit. Not having the speedo/tach in the center was a good choice, and automatically put the new xD leagues ahead of the xB right there... Not to mention the xD felt more expensive and all together a bit more "quality-oriented" than the xB. The seats were quite comfortable, had a fair bit of adjustment, and it looked as though there was plenty of room in the quite comfortable rear seats as well.
But then I reached the first issue, the seating position felt all wrong. You felt like you were sitting up too high and too far forward to get any kind of setup "right." Granted, given a few extra minutes with the car, I probably could have had it sorted out easily. So that one will be neither negative or positive I guess. Outward visibility was good in the front, but looking anywhere outside of the front windows was difficult. I'd have to get used to the rear-tint, but look out the hatch, you've got something the size of a mail-box to look through... Negative points there. The glass could have been a bit bigger I think, even adding a few inches in height would help a lot.
Okay, so the drive... Well, I got right in, got myself situated as best as possible, and tried to start it up. Nothing happened. There were only six miles on the car, so I was thinking "What the hell?" in my head. I turned to the guy and asked "Does it have to be in reverse to start?" He said no, told me to put the clutch all the way down (it already was...) and then try to turn it over again. It fired up, and it was quiet. If I wasn't paying attention, I wouldn't have heard (or felt) it. I put the gear selector in gear, something that felt a little vague for me, and proceeded to take off. I over-revved it, and let the clutch out slowly... Very different from the Volkswagens, Porsches, and Corvettes that I'm used to. The clutch was really light on the uptake, which was nice, but the throttle was a bit too touchy. I'm sure that with time I'd get used to it, but it was awkward.
I was quite surprised by how quick the engine spooled up, and the shifts to match it were quite quick (it felt like a short-throw shifter), but really didn't feel as "direct" as it does in my Vee-Dub. I never missed a gear, but I was always worried about if I was actually in gear. It was rubbery to say the least, but that could be fixed easily. Shifting through the gears, its easy to appreciate the little amount of effort required, particularly if this is to be a city car. But I took it through a twisty neighborhood road, and I got to the second major issue.
It just wasn't that exciting to drive. The gear selector was rubbery, the wheel was a bit vague (electric steering), and while the ride was nice, I think it isolated a few too many things to appeal to me. If I were a bit older, and maybe cared a little less about performance driving, it would probably be perfect. The steering was a bit too light at speed, and you felt as though it was darting around, but given how short of a ride it was, that may change as the trip gets longer.
So overall, how was it?
The Scion xD comes off as a car that I can appreciate, and would consider buying at the right price. Just shy of $16K without any options seems a bit high for a car that size, but there are enough standard features to make it seem worth it. The problem is, against the VW Rabbit and the upcoming Saturn Astra, I'm a bit skeptical. I'm going to have to drive the Saturn to get a good comparison in price and performance, but the xD came off as a pretty reasonable option to the best-in-class Rabbit. The same options of the VW would push the price to nearly the same area as the Scion, but would come with alloy wheels, a bit nicer of an interior, and that quirky VW driving style that I love so much.
I'd call the xD a fair deal, and I think a lot of other people will too. Overall I'd have to give it an 8/10, a good value for those who aren't necessarily looking for the performance options, but not something that will get the Rabbit and Mazda3 folks excited.
I spent the day today driving around looking at various cars simply because I wanted to enjoy the weather and get the car bug out of my system before school starts. I started on one end of 28th Street, and went through the main part of what I'd call the "dealer district," and eventually ended the day at Toyota.
I've been looking at Scions since they first hit the streets a few years back. The staged launch put their arrival in Grand Rapids further back than say Chicago, but nevertheless they had arrived, and I was a bit disappointed. The previous models were decent, don't get me wrong, but they weren't what I was hoping for. As dressed-up Toyota Ecos built by Dihatsu, they were only marginally cool vehicles. The xB took off, the xA floundered a bit.
This Scion xD replaces the xA in the US, and is based on the Toyota Yaris. My salesman (he calls himself "Spider Man," go figure...) said it was based on the Corolla, but that doesn't matter. Based on the smaller chassis with the smaller engine out of the Corolla (that he did get right), it came off as a package far more attractive than the xB that preceded it. The fuel mileage seemed right, and the price wasn't too bad... Just shy of $16K without any options.
So, driving it. It was a very short drive. I drove a basic model with a stick, in white, with hubcaps. The cars don't have radios installed when they arrive at the dealer, in case you upgrade them (which I find silly), so I didn't get to test the stereo system. The overall look of the interior is quite nice, particularly compared to the xA before it. Its clean, pretty efficient, and feels pretty nice by comparison to say a Yaris or a Camry.
I really liked the steering wheel and the instrument panel, as it was pretty easy to read, however the overall layout of the speedo/tach was a bit off... Given that they reside in the same unit. Not having the speedo/tach in the center was a good choice, and automatically put the new xD leagues ahead of the xB right there... Not to mention the xD felt more expensive and all together a bit more "quality-oriented" than the xB. The seats were quite comfortable, had a fair bit of adjustment, and it looked as though there was plenty of room in the quite comfortable rear seats as well.
But then I reached the first issue, the seating position felt all wrong. You felt like you were sitting up too high and too far forward to get any kind of setup "right." Granted, given a few extra minutes with the car, I probably could have had it sorted out easily. So that one will be neither negative or positive I guess. Outward visibility was good in the front, but looking anywhere outside of the front windows was difficult. I'd have to get used to the rear-tint, but look out the hatch, you've got something the size of a mail-box to look through... Negative points there. The glass could have been a bit bigger I think, even adding a few inches in height would help a lot.
Okay, so the drive... Well, I got right in, got myself situated as best as possible, and tried to start it up. Nothing happened. There were only six miles on the car, so I was thinking "What the hell?" in my head. I turned to the guy and asked "Does it have to be in reverse to start?" He said no, told me to put the clutch all the way down (it already was...) and then try to turn it over again. It fired up, and it was quiet. If I wasn't paying attention, I wouldn't have heard (or felt) it. I put the gear selector in gear, something that felt a little vague for me, and proceeded to take off. I over-revved it, and let the clutch out slowly... Very different from the Volkswagens, Porsches, and Corvettes that I'm used to. The clutch was really light on the uptake, which was nice, but the throttle was a bit too touchy. I'm sure that with time I'd get used to it, but it was awkward.
I was quite surprised by how quick the engine spooled up, and the shifts to match it were quite quick (it felt like a short-throw shifter), but really didn't feel as "direct" as it does in my Vee-Dub. I never missed a gear, but I was always worried about if I was actually in gear. It was rubbery to say the least, but that could be fixed easily. Shifting through the gears, its easy to appreciate the little amount of effort required, particularly if this is to be a city car. But I took it through a twisty neighborhood road, and I got to the second major issue.
It just wasn't that exciting to drive. The gear selector was rubbery, the wheel was a bit vague (electric steering), and while the ride was nice, I think it isolated a few too many things to appeal to me. If I were a bit older, and maybe cared a little less about performance driving, it would probably be perfect. The steering was a bit too light at speed, and you felt as though it was darting around, but given how short of a ride it was, that may change as the trip gets longer.
So overall, how was it?
The Scion xD comes off as a car that I can appreciate, and would consider buying at the right price. Just shy of $16K without any options seems a bit high for a car that size, but there are enough standard features to make it seem worth it. The problem is, against the VW Rabbit and the upcoming Saturn Astra, I'm a bit skeptical. I'm going to have to drive the Saturn to get a good comparison in price and performance, but the xD came off as a pretty reasonable option to the best-in-class Rabbit. The same options of the VW would push the price to nearly the same area as the Scion, but would come with alloy wheels, a bit nicer of an interior, and that quirky VW driving style that I love so much.
I'd call the xD a fair deal, and I think a lot of other people will too. Overall I'd have to give it an 8/10, a good value for those who aren't necessarily looking for the performance options, but not something that will get the Rabbit and Mazda3 folks excited.
I am little skeptical of this one. You comment on how you don't like certain parts about the car, yet say those aspects would be nice.
