bikramsimpson

there's a post in the "news" section that says the consumer reports august'04 issue has extensive write-ups on the xA and xB. the post also says that the xA is not recommended.

has anyone seen the article? if so, what are the reasons that CR does not recommend the xA?

the CR website has not put online yet august's contents, so the write-up can so far only be seen in the printed magazine, i would guess.

studentper

The Scion xA has many of the shortcomings of its cousin, the Scion xB, and doesn't compensate with a roomy interior. Nor does the xA come with standard electronic stability control (ESC), as does the xB. Acceleration is unexceptional with both the manual and automatic transmissions and the engine is buzzy. The stiff, choppy ride is very uncomfortable and slightly worse than that of the xB. The versatility of the rear hatchback and fold-down seats offsets a very small cargo compartment.


if you search for scion on consumer reports you can get the whole article.

mill0048

You have to be a subsciber to access it online. I don't know exactly know why they rated it bad. It got 4 stars all around on the NHSTA crash testings (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/NCAP/Search.cfm). CR must be biased towards the bB

haihengh

it seems like CR is very heavy on riding quality, that's where xA lose points. since xA's does feel a little bit hard on the road(i like it, but CR doesn't like that), and noise is a little bit high, high rpm makes the engine noise above average. I think that's where the problems come from. back seat space and trunk space is also very heavy for CR's. those are the reasons CR not recommand xA and even kia is rank better than xA.
xA does have its disadventage. and CR follow a rating system through out all their car review process, i won't say CR is bias, it's just the testing method put xA in disadvantage. and, i think CR don't care about the target buyers for scion are teens and low 20s. for people who happy riding a corolla and camry, i don't think they will be very happy about xA.

MSCOFF

Edmunds did a review on the Echo. They didn't like it. But the consumer reviews on the web site are all very positive. Who knows. For $13K eack for my daughter's Echo and wife's aX, I'm satisfied and they love them. Especially the Echo at 46-48 mpg highway.

fr130

Suprise that they didnt fail the xB in their flip-over test like the Isuzu they tested that increased their subscriptions. :D Compare their review with Car and Driver's review. The CD review beat out the Kia Cinco and anti-"American Revolution" Chevy/Daewoo Aveo. Who would you believe more, a company that reviews cars year round or a company that reviews cars and toasters and blenders and electric shavers at the same time.

Cybergypsy

I love that Xa and most of all love the milage and the most of all hate the AC....

mikochu

I heard that Toyota is looking into the xB/xA AC issue... They are either going to recall them or just make a revision (which would be lame). If they did do a recall, it'd look bad on them, though...

c_rowe

Yeah, that's where Hyundai got into all that trouble during its introduction. But the Scion a/c DOES work, it just needs a little lovin' to get going . A revision is more likely since Toyota would not want to risk Scion's reputation. They like to do things quietly.

Casey

breunor

What annoyed me the most about the review is that the $18-19k Mazda3 wins out over the 12-14k Scions. Well duh, at almost 50% pricier of course it will do better. I bet the BMW Z3 beats the Mazda 3 too, big surprise.

There should be an extra layer to the review, bang for the buck. Take the overall rating of the car and divide it by the price in thousands to get a final number. Obviously a lot of the ratings are subjective comfort levels, so this final number is still biased by that. But the Mazda got a 10% higher rating at the cost of a 40-50% higher price. The Scion is the better value, caveat that the "ride quality" is a little lower than the Mazda3.

fr130

Recall...nah, it's not really a safety issue more likely another TSB stating to replace the A/C system. Let us have the Lexus GS430 A/C system (R12 or something). I guess the Japanese dont complain too much about heat. :D

chewd0g

Either way I never use my A/C.

Every new car series has problems, it wouldn't look that bad on Toyota's part even when people are still buying these things as soon as a dealership gets them. I have already suggested these cars to 10 or so people!

SCI_FIRE

I look to reviews to tell me about reliability and mechanical difficulties, rather than comfort or space issues, or things that have to do with personal preference.

Personally, I like being able to hear the engine. My old Buick is so quiet that you can't tell if the engine is even running. I have to turn off the air vent and the radio to hear if it started. To me, that's annoying, but a car reviewer might say it's a positive thing.

As for cushy ride, I prefer the stiffness of my TRD springs rather than the feel of a Cadillac. My XA corners like it's on rails, and the body doesn't sway or bounce all over the place over the smallest bump. Grandma is sure to hate it, however.

Reviews have their place, but you have to look for the information you need, and drive the car for yourself.

I guess I was lucky with the AC on my XA... it gets so biting cold that I have to turn it off or face the vents away from me.

maggotdecay

Why not just look at the tach to see if it started. Ya know, the tach will be at idle level after the engine starts and you are not moving. I don't like a loud engine, I'd rather not hear it, hearing the engine to me means that there is something wrong with my car, it's supposed to be quiet and smooth.

beioski

I just got my 2005 xa and the AC is great. maybe they did improve it, because i don't see what everyone is complaining about.

So if you don't like your ac, maybe you should think about a trade in.

chewd0g

Simply put not all cars have tach's on them

jeak

I just bought the current issue of CR. I totally agree with the post from breunor (above). It’s not a fair comparison between the Mazda3 and the xA. Maybe a 3 and a Matrix would have been closer. Breunor’s point about adding a bang-for-buck category is right on. I think there should also be a section of each review called The Buying Experience. One reason I have never bought a brand-new car is that I hate to haggle. I love the Scion sales model: What you see is what you get. On that score, Scion must beat out all the rest in the CR test. It’s a big reason I plan to buy a Scion this summer. And I'm not even part of the "youth" generation that Scion is targeting.