TalkingHead

Test drove an xA... love it, but I have some concerns... so if you guys could please answer some of my questions, that would be awesome.

1. Will the shifter get smoother with time? It's kinda clunky... nowhere as smooth as the Honda Fit's. Fit was my first choice, but they're sold out of manuals until September... Oh, and fourth gear is difficult to find! Ground the gears on the test drive.

2. Average fuel economy here?

3. I love the xA, but the dash material feels ridiculously flimsy and cheap. Feels kinda of like an egg carton... How are your dashes holding up? What do you use to treat and protect it?

4. Lockable fuel cap? The guys at the FIT forum are throwing fits about it not being locakable. Fear of gas syphoning.

5. Anyone buy/have pics of the rear chrome garnish (the bear above the license plate)? Where can I buy one? Searched eBay... nothing.

6. Best website for aftermarket Japanese OEM parts?

7. Anyone have beef with the seating position? I think it's too high. Feel like I'll Superman or Neo through the windshield in hardbraking...
Thanks guys and I'm hoping to become a part of the Scion family!

Psyco565

hmmm you've got some good questions there.

1. The shifter will more or less stay clunky, there are some brushings that someone is selling in the sponsored section but I dont know if they actually do anything. There's also supposed to be a guy on echo fans that makes bearings that could help, but I have not researched it. Fourth gear is the easyst to find! it's just straight down from 3rd and there's next to no way to slip into reverse while searching. I personally like the shifter being a little clunky, it makes the drive more gritty and fun!

3. I've not heard of anyone being unsatisfied with the dash before...

4. Not too sure about there being a lockable cap but just having the door popable from the inside only makes things ok unless someone really wants to take a crowbar to your fuel door.

5. and 6. Search through www.myautofashion.com and www.newscionparts.com for the chrome parts you want. They're also the best ones to find the JDM parts.

7. Racing seats usually have their mounting brackets lower to the floor of the car maybe just the brackets can work if you're too terribly annoyed. I like the way it seats because I sit higher than most of the cars on the road, giving a little more visibility.

Anyhow I'm sure we'll get some more to chime in soon. Hope this helps a bit.

TalkingHead

Thanks for your response, man! Chrysler just announced Employee Discounting, so I might actually go with a P.T. Cruiser (LOVE the looks of it), but it gets suck ___ mileage, so I dunno. And while I love small hatchbacks (drive a 97 Golf- a nightmare), the xA is scary small...

Psyco565

well it comes down to your personal prefference then, PT Cruiser.... there's millions of em out there. The xA... quite rare. If you decide to fix up your car and go to shows Scion Corp takes very good care of owners with free shwag and sometimes VIP tickets to events. The xB is somewhat larger but they're kinda popular as well. If you can wait Scion will be releasing new models soon, I believe we'll get pictures in Sept.

george_da_2nd

ok the shifter for me was clunky but its now realyl really smoth just notchy enough to tell you your in gear but slick in every other way.

it has a huge aftermarket list of parts it makes my head spin

its relaly reliable i love it i tryed out my friends fit felt like his moms odysee

if u want a biger "egg" get the fit

if u want something a lil cheeper with better gass millage get the xa

ill get low 30's with AC on in the city if i drive like an old man and about 26 with the AC off driving like an ___.

scionofPCFL

As an aside:

It's a big crock of poop. What this really means to you:
-Their notoriously horrible resale value just got worse

oldmanatee

1) Can't help you, got an auto.

2) I can average 33-36 mpg unless I hot dog it.

3) Other than it seems to catch dust, no problems with the dash...in fact, it really cuts down on the reflection in the windshield....

4) No need for a locking cap on any new car....there is a plug in the filler neck that keeps anyone from sticking a hose in the tank. The Fit folks just like to complain....

5&6) those are the best folks to see...try them.

7) No problem with the seating for me...I'm 5'11 and don't feel like I am sitting too high. The wife has an Intrepid and now when I sit in it, I feel like I'm sitting on a beach ball.

Come on, get the egg... you'll never regret it!

stealthealien

I have a question as well since I am going to get a Scion xA next month.

I was wondering how stiff or loose is the steering wheel? I've drove a variety of cars and most Asian cars have a very loose steering wheel. But with BMWs or other European cars, their steering is a lot stiffer since their alignment is a lot better.

I was wondering if the xA's steering is loose or how is it? Any cars to compare it with?

Zillon

iTrader: (1)

1. Will the shifter get smoother with time?

a. Mine's gotten a bit smoother, but I kinda like it. Doesn't bother me one bit.

2. Average fuel economy here?

a. I get between 30 and 34 on average, I do ALOT of around town driving.

3. I love the xA, but the dash material feels ridiculously flimsy and cheap. Feels kinda of like an egg carton... How are your dashes holding up? What do you use to treat and protect it?

a. Had no problems with my dash thus far, and the egg-carton surface actually reduces sun-glare onto the windshield, which is nice.

4. Lockable fuel cap? The guys at the FIT forum are throwing fits about it not being locakable. Fear of gas syphoning.

a. The release is on the inside of the car. No real worries here.

5. Anyone buy/have pics of the rear chrome garnish (the bear above the license plate)? Where can I buy one? Searched eBay... nothing.

a. JDM! A few people on here know where to find these...

6. Best website for aftermarket Japanese OEM parts?

a. Haven't looked into it.

7. Anyone have beef with the seating position? I think it's too high. Feel like I'll Superman or Neo through the windshield in hardbraking...

a. I like it. I came from a truck before my xA, and I figured I was going to miss my high seating advantage. I don't really feel like I've lost much in the xA because I'm sitting higher than alot of cars on the road, and I like it.

kms2112

If you can get a xA I would buy it. I love mine and just hit 900 mile's and look for reason's to drive it. Im gonna get my first oil change 1000 miles to ____ the dealer off. They put a sticker on my windshield to change at 5000 mile's. Buying my xA was the best car buying experience of my life, and i would do it again. I say go for it =) no regrets here.

scionofPCFL

Alignment and steering stiffness/loosness are as related as Abe Lincoln, and Osama Bin Laden. European cars have heaveier steering because their customers prefer it that way. It is dialed in to provide a sportier feel. Drive a tC and you'll see what I mean. It doesn't have to come accross the Atlantic to have a firm steering.

Now, steering feel, that is much more art than science, and BMW has Picasso and Monet on very long contracts.

oldmanatee

A lot of the feel is going to come from the wheel/tire set up.....My 17's will be a ton different than stock 15's....

GrantR

1. I liked the shifter in my xA from day 1. I've never had trouble shifting in it to date - except for the one time on the highway when I was daydreaming enough that I confused my xA for my Z06 and went for 6th. That made some exciting noises But feel of shifter is very much a personal preference type of thing.

2. I see 30-32 mpg mixed. 70mph on the highway, and usually a fair bit of throttle when accelerating anywhere.

3. It has never occurred to me in my life to poke at dashes to see how flimsy they are. in other words - that doesn't concern me in the slightest. But on the other hand, dashes regularly ____ me off if they are very shiny and glare a lot in the sun. The xA is the best dash I've seen for not reflecting sun glare.

7. I'm not a huge fan of the seating position. It's not so much the height, but that the pedals are too close to the steering wheel. In order to get a comfortable angle from my feet to the pedals, I need to slide the seat back a fair bit. But then in order to actually reach the wheel comfortably, I have to lean the seat up a LOT. I feel almost too upright in the seat. But at least there's more headroom than you'll ever need.

By "stiff" or "loose" do you mean steering response? feel? play in the steering?

My xA feels like it has very little play - so it responds to my steering very directly (but I do have upgraded springs/shocks/wheels/etc to help the car feel more responsive). The steering ratio is a bit slow so you need a fair bit of steering input, but it's nothing like driving a bus or anything. There's a lot of power assist, so the steering feel is very light. You can feel the road back through the wheel however, so it's not totally numb or anything. The steering overall is decent. Not spectacular, not horrible.

good luck on your car shopping quests

stealthealien

I heard from a friend that the tC's steering is quite solid. I just want to get a similar feel with my xA since I prefer a much more firm driving experience.

I'll give this a thought once I get some more money when I can upgrade my xA.

The feel and response in all. I know different cars have different feel to it. Some cars have an extremely loose and jerky steering wheel and others are alot solid and firm.

For example, when I drive my sister's BMW, I have to put more strength when I want to make a turn. But when I drive my mom's Toyota, I hardly have to use a lot of muscle power to turn the steering wheel. The only problem is that, I have a hard time trying to keep the car in a straight line since the steering wheel is so loose and sensitive. With the BMW, I don't have to worry so much about it. But with the BMW, I feel more in control with the way how I control my car.

Thanks for all your response guys. Very helpful.

Psyco565

dont forget to go out and test drive the car, that's the best guage of what it's like. And hey I noticed you're in the SD area, if you can drive stick and seem like a trustworthy enough individual, I could meet up with you in an empty parking lot and you could get the feel of a fully modified xA.

stealthealien

Thanks, but I'm still a new driver so I haven't gotten the hang of stick yet.