side air bags suck! from personal experience tearing my xA apart several times, the air bags get in the way and IMO are more of a hazard than a help in accidents. For Example: you have a small child of about 8yrs in the back seat, the aig bag will simply not deploy far enough down to help and will most likely shove the poor child's head into a bad angle.

 

the only thing i could think would be better would be something with more room in the same footprint. standard sunroof would be nice, but theres always "webasto".

as for the side bags? id have taken my 06 xA either with or without. the one on the lot at the time didnt have em, so i didnt get em.

 

i'll keep my xa until i'm burried in it..lol

 

I got an xA because it was the smallest car Toyota made. I like small cars. I hope the next xA (and xB, for that matter) does not grow in size.

 

so youll be trading it for a yaris hatch? by the time you get all the stuff the xA has standard, it should cost the same

 

The new Scion xD is essentially a derivative of the Toyota Ractis "tall wagon" sold in Japan.

If you've seen THIS article from The Car Connection's web page, compare the picture of the disguised test car against a picture of the Ractis; from the B-pillar forward it looks almost EXACTLY the same. With Toyota offering a more powerful 1.8-liter 128 bhp (SAE 08/04 net) engine on the Yaris TS sports hatchback sold in Europe, and since the Ractis is closely related to the Yaris in mechanical components, the new Scion xD is essentially a US version of the Ractis with the 128 bhp engine and somewhat different rear body design.

 

Any chance for a picture of the Ractis?
Howard in Gilroy Ca.

 

I'm afraid your personal experience is misguided.

The Insurance institute for Highway Safety has NEVER given any vehicle above a marginal without side/curtains, apart from one: the Toyota Sienna. And even that was only an average.

With side/curtain airbags, most vehicles score the maximum score of "excellent" . The Prius, for example, is a "poor" rating without s/cs (as are most non-SUVs), and "excellent" with them.

There is definitely a case for saying sidebags can be a problem for young children. The general consensus is you shouldn't put a child in a seat equipped with a side airbag if they are under 12. This is why passenger weight sensors are being equipped into all vehicles now by federal mandate - the airbags don't arm if the passenger isn't of sufficient weight to justify them.

But make no mistake: side/curtain airbags make a huge safety difference. Don't try and tell yourself any differently, since they could easily save someone's life.

 

Or blow your head off.

 

Actualy. never say never. Back in the 80s, the fiero got a 5 star safty rating, only to be outperformed by volvo. The Fiero is the ONLY car with out airbags of any kind that recieved a 5 star safty rating. Im not saying airbags are bad, but a car without air bags can be just as safe as a car with them if designed properly.\

When I do get my Scion, I will not be getting side air bags, I believe them to be a wate of money IMHO.

 

Let's not turn this into another airbag windbag thread, PLEASE!

 

But... A coupe?

-THE DON

 

Yeah, no need in letting differing opinions in here.

 

All Im gonna say is I told you so...

Just wait til you see this car. It will be worth the wait. This car and its cousin are amazing!!!

 

its cousins?

 

Just spill the beans already!

-THE DON

 

Its cousin. Not its cousins. Cousin as in singular meaning one and not more than one.

 

http://blogs.automotive.com/1000964/...-xb/index.html

here's what it says in case the link doesn't work:

"The xA and xB will always be very special models for us and have contributed greatly to Scion's success, but we're ready to move into our next product phase," said Mark Templin, vice president, Scion. "Scion is a laboratory for change and we will continue to experiment and evolve to meet the needs of our customers."

xA and xB launched in California in June 2003 and completed their nationwide rollout in June 2004. Since their launch 72,011 xA's and 139,091 xB's have been sold nationwide through July 2006.

Production of the 2006 xA and xB will conclude in December of this year. The two all-new vehicles will be designated as 2008 models when they arrive at Scion dealerships next year.

Via Scion

 

No beans...

 

haha give him some jeugar and a microphone and you may get a peep or two