I'm just about to sell my seriously luxurious truck to buy an xA (long story as to why). Anyhow, I know the xA is a tiny economy car, so I don't expect it to cruise the highway like a Buick. But how bad will it be if I take it on a long trip? I may never have the need to, because my wife's car is better for that. But if I ever need or want to, what part of the trip will I mind the most?

I have had my xA for about two and a half months and taken it 6300 miles so far. The only thing I miss, is an armrest, but that can be taken care of via aftermarket armrests, of which I believe there are three. Other than that, the car is great. Great mileage, comfortable and great view of the road. I regularly take the car between Annapolis, MD and Philadelphia, PA. I also deliver pizzas in it, it is a comfortable car, since it seems like I spend more time in my car than I do in my house, I have no complaints really.

That's good to know. Like I said, I probably won't do too much long distance stuff in it, but there is always that chance. If I were to wind up taking it down to SC to visit my brothers from where I live in PA, it's a little over 9 hours each way. I know it wouldn't be the most comfortable trip, but I don't want to hate it.

it is SURPRISINGLY comfortable for an *economy* class car... that being said with a max road time at once being 2 1/2 hours. I'm planning a 2-day, 20-hour drive fest through south dakota this weekend... i'll let you konw more after that. (yes... that means nearly as much driving as stopping...) To be honest, i'm not worried in the least. These seats sit upright and give me good support. If anything, I'd recommend getting cruise control on it... a MUCH needed aftermarket device.

good luck.
~jonathan

it is SURPRISINGLY comfortable for an *economy* class car... that being said with a max road time at once being 2 1/2 hours. I'm planning a 2-day, 20-hour drive fest through south dakota this weekend... i'll let you konw more after that. (yes... that means nearly as much driving as stopping...) To be honest, i'm not worried in the least. These seats sit upright and give me good support. If anything, I'd recommend getting cruise control on it... a MUCH needed aftermarket device.

good luck.
~jonathanYes, please do post again after your trip. I'd really like to hear how the car did and what you thought of it.

i've driven mine for a little over a year, and i have about 32k on the odometer. i've taken it on some trips. LA to San Jose was the longest...that was about 6 hours, and i did that one twice. i've driven it from LA to Vegas (3-4 hours) about three times. LA to San Diego (2 hours) 2 times. it's fine for me. the only time i don't like it, is when there are steep, long hills, but even then i can live with it.

The longest trip i drove in my xA was from san diego to san ramon. That trip was about 7 hrs. I was comfortable most all the way. Seats had good support. Cruise control would of helped a lot. Overall it wasn't that bad at all.

Drove up from North Hollywood...to Stylis's muffler shop.... what about 4.5 hours, also drove to san francisco, vegas and bakersfield all with in that 6 hour range and I have no complaints, seats,space...after the cat back install I didn't even want to listen to the radio...just the tone of my exhaust..... yeah for reals......

I posted the same question before I bought my xA. Here is the old thread:

http://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=21086&highlight=xa+long+trips

The day after I bought it, I drove it nearly 10 hours through New Mexico in awful weather. I have a bad back, so no car is really comfortable for me. However, the xA is the most comfortable car I have ever owned. That’s not saying much, as I have had a 1976 Toyota Corona and a 1984 Tercel. But I have also had a 1998 Subaru Legacy, which was about as comfy for the first two hours and then no so good. I have also driven a relative’s 2000 or 2001 Chevy Impala for 8 hours. It’s OK but no better than the xA. Because of my back, I sit on a thick chair cushion that I keep in the driver’s seat. This helps. Overall, I love the xA on the open highway. It feels very stable to me, even at 75 MPH or in terrible weather. The only option I splurged on was cruise control ($500 – ouch), and it is a lifesaver on long drives. I was just thinking today: The more I drive my xA, the more I love it!

the ride is a bit bumpy.

That "bumpy" part might actually work in my favor. Our 11 yr old son tends to get car sick if he's in the back of a car with a "floaty" ride. My wife's buick is fine if we're on a long, straight, major highway. But if we get on any twisty or hilly backroads or secondary highways, that car will make him sick every time. My 4X4 truck (with it's stiffer ride) doesn't bother him at all. So I'm kinda glad the xA will be a stiffer ride.

912 miiles in a 40 hour road-trip.
27.4 mpg total ---- most efficient @ 65 mph --- least @ 80 in wind (24 mpg!)

5 hours highway (80+ mph)
break
3 hours county roads (70 mph)
overnight
2 hours county roads (70 mph)
*short* break for coffee
5 hours slow driving - stop/go and in/out of the car - hiking/sightseeing in the badlands
break
7 hours highway (80 mph NASTY side wind - 24 mpg)
HOME

This car was by FAR the most comfortable car i have taken a trip in!! I give it an 9 out of 10 for comfort -- missing the 10/10 only because it needs an arm rest. Some of that was made up simply because I never once had to stop only to stretch (which is RARE for me)!! Stops were only dictated by gas, food, or bathroom needs. I had a small pillow with me, which doubled as an arm rest and that seemed to help alot.

It was interesting the number of comments and questions I received -- seems like every time we made a stop someone had to check it out. I'm sure that will pass as scion becomes more common.

My friend and I have decided that anyone even close to our sizes (i'm pretty average size guy: 5' 11", 185, she's short and pretty big) will have no problems traveling in this vehicle. I look forward to my trips over the next month: almost 6,000 miles by the time it is all said and done. I'm trying to get it all in before i start my new job on dec 20... after that, i just have my commute to look forward to.

Good luck with your decision matt_a. I hope this was even remotely helpful.
~jonathan

Oh yeah ---

GET CRUISE CONTROL!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can not imagine that i will ever regret spending the extra $$ on this feature -- this trip would have been MADDENING without it!! I found a really comfortable spot for my rt. foot up close to the seat, just next to the center console... would have been impossible w/o cruise. Imho - this feature should come standard before a rear window wiper or power mirrors. Why on earth they don't even have this offered as an option is beyond me. Do people actually buy cars w/o cruise? My dealer had them install a Toyota cruise (on my manual transmission RS1)... works great, and was part of my financing package.

~j

I'm glad to hear that you were happy with the xA on a long trip. That makes me even more comfortable with my decision to get one. Now I just need someone to buy my truck!

I have yet to take a long trip in my xA but I will be driving home during the summer. I'm Sacramento, CA and will be driving ALL THE WAY to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. West coast to east coast.. I'll make good use of my cruise control for sure.

I have taken several long trips in my fairly new XA rs1. I own several other cars, two high end sports cars and a luxury sedan, and I have to say I truly enjoy driving my XA. The car gets great mileage, city or highway.

My car usually rides at around 3,000rpm going 65-70mph. Normally, I'll drive 75-85 on the highway. Even though it's constantly at a fairly high RPM, you still get great mileage.

The cars are fun to drive anywhere you go.

This is a great car for long trips. I drove from Tampa to Daytona Beach (about 2.5 hours each way) twice in the week that I bought the car, with my 6'6", 300-pound stepfather as a passenger. We both found the ride extremely comfortable.

I've also made the solo trip from Anchorage, AK to Valdez, AK (5 hours one way), and that was easily the most enjoyable drive I've ever had. I love Alaska's long, relatively empty roads. Did you know that a stock xA will top out at about 112?

ya. . . like what everyone else says, get cruise control.

I love my xA and ironically it's more comfortable than my 1990 Lexus LS400 was. . . probably because of the upright seating position. . . but for some reason my foot is at an odd angle with the pedals, and sometimes my ankle gets sore, but that is fixed by resting my foot on it's side.

Have 21K on my Xa auto since Jan. 1! Several trips San Diego to Vegas, Phoenix, and Tahoe. Seats and handy radio controls a big plus. I had a Integra before and miss armrest and cruise control. The Integra was a lay back cruiser that liked 75-80mph and was very comfortable, so much so that on late night trips I tended to fall asleep...it was way too relaxing. (ALSO lots more tickets!) The Xa keeps you awake on long trips with a slightly busier ride and higher sit up seats. It is a little like mini-truck driving, though not that bad. What I have noticed is that getting out the car after using a full tank of gas (330 miles) I don't feel as tired as in the Integra. Not falling asleep on the road is a big plus for me. Just installed XM radio acc. and now have plenty to listen to!

I agree with the others, any really really long drives (6+), then I'd recommend getting the center arm, but personally, the ones I've seen, looked "cheap". That's just me though. Lots of people like them/theirs.

Seats are plenty comfortable. Side hip support is worthless in my opinion, especially for spirited driving, autoxing, and track duty for the level of cornering performance of an RS 1.0. Daily driving, they're fine.

All honesty, my 300ZX's seats were more comfortable than the xA's, but the xA's really isn't all that bad. I used to own a 91 Accord, and the xA's seats are MUCH better than those.

My only personal grip is the hard plastic on the door, near the window. I always lay my outside the window when driving and the hard plastic doesn't make it as comfortable, as say the softer lined doors of my Z, or perhaps other luxury cars. I've lived with it so far..

About the armrest, I know there are several companies out there making armrest for the xA such as Zeta Products, but I don't seem to hear anyone talk about Toyota Japan xA Armrest. Don't know if it's OEM or not, but anyone have any comments or thoughts about it? Here's the link: http://www.newscionparts.com/product/?id=1061

damn jeremy didnt know u were gettin header and intake and exhaust and such. hit me up for that installs. i want one of those progress rear sways soo bad.

damn jeremy didnt know u were gettin header and intake and exhaust and such. hit me up for that installs. i want one of those progress rear sways soo bad.

:) Yea, I met this guy in my res who is completely into tuning (Ford Focus) and got me lookin into all these parts. I'm on the verge of ordering my intake and header. Most likely tomorrow. I'll let you know if I need install. My friend has jack stands and all the tools, so I wouldn't mind taking a learning curve to install it myself. Thanks for the offer though.

Everyone else, go to Darren for installs :)

hey consider the el prototypes header or megan racing header. same performance gains as the dc just not so "cool"

Thanks for the suggestion. I however don't like Megan Racing Headers mainly because they aren't ceramic coated. I was considering EL Prototypes, if only their website wasn't down. But lets not turn this "xA on long trips" thread into me and my future mods :)