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2004 Scion xA
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| Standing Out In A Sea of Blasé |
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| Updated |
Jun 10, 2004 22:23:50 |
| Rating |
 1103 ( -16 -1.45% ) | | Author | Tara Baukus Mello |
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Description:
2004 Scion xA
Standing Out In A Sea of Blasé
Writer's Notes
MSRP Range: $12,480 - $13,280
MPG: 31/37
Curb Appeal: Unique without being "out there;" Overall a winner with the crowd I spoke to
Asphalt Rating: 108 hp @ 6,000 rpm and 105 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4,500 rpm is a bit wimpy, especially for the fast-and-furious crowd; go for the option cold air intake if you are performance-minded.
Real World: Great quality, terrific price, fun accessories.
Comfort: Love those sport seats; hold you tight in sharp corners and comfortable on long drives
Favorite Accessory: Illuminated cupholders in your choice of colors at the push of a button.
Despite having slightly less power than I prefer, the xA performed nicely on the highway and on nearby twisting canyon roads thanks to its MacPherson struts with coil springs in front and torsion beam suspension with toe-correcting geometry in the rear.
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At first the little silver Scion xA didn't strike me as all that different. Perhaps that's because my initial point of reference was the very boxy xB sitting next to it. When I took the Scion (pronounced "sigh-on") home with me to suburbia for the week, however, my perspective changed: My first stop in town was a strip mall for a few errands. The parking lot was busy and I parked the car in the first space I found, hurrying into the store. When I came out, I realized that I hadn't paid much attention to where I'd parked and headed off in the general direction of the xA's resting spot. I scanned the lot, looking carefully at the compact silver cars (of which there were many) for the Scion. I kept walking and suddenly the Scion came into view, hidden previously by a heavy-duty pickup parked nearby. Its look was so different than the other compact cars in the lot that it actually startled me. What at first appeared so commonplace was really an eye-catcher in a parking lot filled with other blasé silver compacts.
The 2004 Scion xA may be the tamer design of Scion's first two models, which went on sale in California in early June, but it is anything but common. The diminutive five-door has an aggressive look and a muscular stance, although its styling lines are more rounded than angular. Its front end has the styling cues of its cousin, the Toyota Echo, while the steeply raked windshield makes for a surprisingly spacious interior. With the wide front grille, strong horizontal line through the rocker panels and its sculpted wheel arches, the 2004 Scion xA has a bit of a bulldog-like look---small, but strong.
The Scion xA's styling caught the eye of more than one passer-by. Parked outside the bank one day, a man in an older Toyota Corolla looped the lot several times to get a closer look. As I walked up to the car, he asked if it was "Toyota's new brand" and when I said yes, he gave the car another appraising look and proclaimed, "cool."
Toyota is aiming for "coolness" with its new Scion brand and hoping to attract young drivers (under age 25) with well-built, inexpensive cars that can be personalized to the owner's tastes with over 40 accessories. While my xA did garner the attention of several teenage boys in town, it was of interest to a wide age group, (although mostly men) many of whom were astounded at the low sticker price.
The starting price, $12,480 for the manual transmission xA and $13,280 for the automatic transmission model, is perhaps one of the most attractive aspects of the vehicle. Consistently, people I talked to (of all ages) were impressed with the quality and standard features for the price. Indeed, it is impressive. Standard exterior features include multi-reflector halogen headlamps, intermittent front wipers, a rear wiper, chrome exhaust tip and a choice of three wheel-cover designs.
On the inside, standard features include air conditioning, power windows with one-touch down driver's side, power door locks, power mirrors, tilt steering wheel, tachometer and trip meter and under-floor storage in the cargo area. The Scion xA's tall cabin will accommodate four adults comfortably, although it is technically a five-seater. And although the car is classified as a subcompact, it offers substantial cargo room (11.7 cubic feet) behind the rear seats. For additional space, the 60/40-split rear seats can be folded, increasing cargo capacity to 32.8 cubic feet. It easily passed my grocery store test, accommodating several brown grocery bags of food, plus some super-size quantities of paper products without folding the rear seat.
The best things about the Scion's interior are apparent from the driver's seat. The sport bucket seats are supremely comfortable and are made of a durable, yet attractive charcoal gray fabric. The side bolstering gives them the look and feel of some very popular aftermarket seats and makes sitting for long periods more comfortable than in many far more expensive vehicles.
The interior is awash in textures of black and gray that give it an industrial look. It's a simple, yet fluid design.
The instrument cluster is mounted in the center and features black-on-white gauges accented by metal-tone trim, while the center console is accented by an illuminated translucent storage compartment.
The standard tunes come from a Pioneer six-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system with Scion Sound Procession (SSP) digital sound processing that offers three settings. SSP Neutral keeps the music in the background, while SSP Hear adds crisp highs and lows. With SSP Feel, you not only hear the music, you feel it. My Scion xA came equipped with the optional six-disc CD changes, which featured an illuminated display that changes 10 different colors at the touch of a button. A subwoofer is also offered.
My test vehicle also featured the optional cup holder illumination, a bright red leather-wrapped steering wheel, cool red auxiliary interior lighting, metal doorsill enhancements and side curtain airbags. Other optional features include a carbon fiber shift knob for manual transmission models, sport pedals, cargo net, carpeted floor mats with cargo area mat, instrument panel appliqué and security system with remote keyless entry.
While checking out the looks from passers-by was interesting, I was aching to get the 2004 Scion xA out on the open road. Powered by a 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine with variable valve timing with intelligence, the Scion xA produces 108 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 105 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,200 rpm. The engine is a capable daily driver, although it's not likely to satisfy those who are more performance-oriented. Scion offers a cold air induction system from its aftermarket partner AEM, designed to boost the xA's performance. The intake is a $335 option that is installed at the dealer and is fully covered by the factory warranty.
Despite having slightly less power than I prefer, the xA performed nicely on the highway and on nearby twisting canyon roads thanks to its MacPherson struts with coil springs in front and torsion beam suspension with toe-correcting geometry in the rear. The rack-and-pinion steering is mounted to a subframe to help reduce noise and vibration, while stopping power comes from front ventilated discs with rear drums. Those who really want to trick their xA out can add sport parts from Toyota Racing Development (TRD), including 18-inch Racing Hart "Evolution" wheels with Pirelli P Zero tires, lowering springs kit, a strut/shock set and a sport muffler.
What became clear to me over the week that I had the 2004 Scion xA is that it can be anything you want it to be. If you are looking for an inexpensive vehicle with all the most popular comfort features as standard, then the base xA fits. If you want an inexpensive car that you can customize with the coolest accessories and still be covered by a factory warranty, then you can do that too.
---Story by Tara Baukus Mello
© 2002, Tara Baukus Mello, All Rights Reserved. |
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