Hi, all. I'm looking at getting a new car. I've been looking at the Yaris Hatchback, seems perfect for my needs, great gas milage... Only problem is no one has them (at least not here in northern VA). I was talking to a dealership, (they are working on getting a Yaris for me). They suggested a Scion xA, and they may have one in my price range. Before when I looked at them, they were around $19K, now they seem to be down to $14K.

So my question is: how are the Scion xA's??? Has anyone done a head-to-head comparision??? What is your fuel economy??? According to reports the Scion is 31-38, where the Yaris is 34-39.

Thanks in advance,
Scott "dazed and confused"

 

Was this a limited edition with gold plating and lambo doors?

The cars come fully loaded for around 15k. That's with p/w/l, ABS, 6 speaker CD w/mp3, and ac. If you equip a Yaris to the same level, it'd be about 800 more, plus the materials aren't as nice. The only reason to go Yaris is if you like a 2-dr better. The economics and functionality point to the xA.

Now, if I wanted a plaything, and had dough to blough, i'd get a yaris stripped out, put in my own p/w/l and what not, and about 10k worth of stereo and mods. but I'm not rich enough to have a hobby that expensive...yet. the yaris does look mighty sweet with wheels, spoiler, and a drop-kit.

 

we considered yaris as a second car until we saw it in person and it couldnt hold candle to our xA.

 

get a yaris hatch back if you could find one i have seen one in blue in chantilly it looks great

ourisman chantilly havent gotten any 3 doors hatch my friend was looking for one there

but they said they are pure pricing it to match what scion is doing

we were like wtf ? haha

 

We were just at one of our friendly, neighborhood Scion/Toyota dealers, and they had the little Yaris and the xA side by side (even the same color).

The person I was with bought the xA...

She liked the xA better, and for the price there was really no comparison.

The xA (and its Japanese domestic cousin, the 'ist') have been good solid little cars.

 

My mistake. I was thinking of the Matrix for $19K (this years price), and the Scion xA for $16K (last years price). I believe. I still have questions about this car:

1) Is cruise control possible on this car??? On alot of reviews, this was a sore point. I checked the official Scion page, it looks like cruise control isn't an option, but on some of the message boards, it seems to be??? (does an aftermarket cruise control exist)
2) Can this car handle mountains??? When I go over the one mountain to get to my moms, I don't want the car to peter out.
3) What other options (after-market or not) should I think about???

Thanks in advance,
Scott

 

(1) *ALL* xA and xB Cruise Controls are aftermarket, most are made by Rostra...

Rostra Cruise Controls are available for both the manual and automatic transmission xAs and xBs.

They are available at most Southeastern dealerships because the importer in that area supports them, and at some other dealerships across the country.

Otherwise they can be purchased on-line from several providers, and installed by local shops or the owner.

Here are the installation instructions to offer an idea if how easy/difficult a job it might be:

http://tijil.org/Manuals/Installatio...004-06%20xAxB/

(2) You may not be the fastest up the mountain, but the little beast should do just fine - you shouldn't be doing 80 up the side of a mountain, anyway.

(3) Keep in mind that all the options except side air bags and which transmission can be done after vehicle purchase. Personally, I don't like putting the options on the contract because I don't like to pay interest on them for five years - I'd buy the vehicle then get the options later as you can afford them.

Drive an xA - you'll like it. :D

 

I was looking at the Yaris too. The Yaris cup holder looks like my coffee mug would spill. Yaris has a higher final drive ratio giving better MPGs, but the minus side is slower acceleration/preformance.

If you compare the interior the Xa has more room.

 

I too was looking at both the xA and Yaris Liftback. In the end, I went with the xA for 3 reasons.

1. The xA came in 4-doors which was important to me.....gotta a kid.
2. The xA comes standard with most of the power equipment and ABS. I was having trouble finding a loaded Yaris LB, at least in my area.
3. Availabilty at the time I was ready to buy. Finding an xA with the options and the color I wanted was as easy as walking into ANY Toyota dealership. The Yaris LB? Nope, found one stripper in a 300 mile radius, and it was an ugly color at that.

End result? I bought a new '06 Polar White 5spd xA with front side air bags and front/rear air curtains with floormats. MSRP was $13,970.

However, I must say that strictly on looks, the Yaris LB is much higher on the cool factor than the xA is....though that's just my opinion.

 

because its still an Echo.

 

The xA was never 16k. Ever. The price went up by about $300 for 2006 because of some added features but it was never 16k.

 

if ur still lookin for a hatchback yaris i saw 2 at ourisman fairfax, i think one was black and the other some type of greenish color

 

i wouldnt get a hatch over the xA, the xA has more room, more standard fetures, and the seats are way more comfortable. im gettin the 4dr yaris just to make my xA my weekend/show car and do all my carzy stuff to that and have the yaris as my work/daily driver

 

Scott, I have had my auto xA in the mountains in your back yard....The Smokies, and it was never in a bind. It was the best driving car I have ever been in. Plenty of pep, gobs of grip, tons of traction......you get the picture, I am out of illiterations here....

But, the car was never flatfooted, so trips to mom's will be something to look forward to.....

 

i drove past a yaris today on my way to school...

the darn thing only had 2 seats. are they all 2-seaters? i saw some pics on a different thread over here that showed it with only 2 seats. what's up with that?

<---xA all the way

 

They fold down, same as an XA.

 

my choice boiled down to either an xA or the Yaris sedan...given all the std features on the xA, it seemed the easy choice...but the Yaris does have more trunk room, and having 2 kids (1 in a carseat still) l felt we needed another car to go w/ the SUV that'd still be able to carry both kids and all their stuff in a pinch

after demo'ing the Yaris though, a few nits to pick...wth is up w/ those cupholders?!! haha l use a commuter mug for coffee in the AM & the Toyota's are on the driver's left between the door/window and the wheel....lousy placement...not only that but visibility is just awful, unlike the xA which is wide open all around

in the final analysis, we went w/ the xA...more std stuff, better rid, more aftermkt schwag, more FUN...plus my 6 yr old said it was cooler...nuff said