katchkillah

everyday i see this, i don't know why people don't buy xa's.

katchkillah

Ashe_WCM

It's not that xA's are any less popular than xB's it's that anyone can buy an xB.
xA owners have to go through a thorough application process on several different factors including Coolness, attractiveness, and driving ability. Which is another reason they don't feel the need to saddle us with all that electronic driving assist crap.

DJRemiasz

True that man. Altough I agree that xB's do stand out. But you dont see many xA's around.... in my opinion people are buying the xB's because other people are driving them.

PandaIst

I heart my xA. ..haha

I think it's a great little car.

ScionxR

its because its a trend. The dealers know Scions will have the demand while their new and as long as xB is the trend their rilloing with it. Sell as much as they can while its still a fad. As for me i went with an xA and put some money in it to be as unique as possible and i think when im done ill have the best Scion money can buy( granted im 10G's deep already with just a body and exhaust, still need turbo and aesthetic )

bB2NER

I too, like the xA but not as much as the BOX. If it weren't for the Matrix and Vibe I feel the popularity of the xA would be much stronger. Facts are facts, there are too many cars that look similar to the xA already on the road. People want to look different hence the reason for more xB's and tC's. SORRY
PS I still have a 60 mile radius of being the ONLY Scion at all no xA's or tC's

Satmax

I'll have to say I love the hell out of my xA. People around Dover ask me about it all the time. There's only two RS1s in this town that I know of (including mine) and these stick out like a sore thumb.

The IST is very unnoticeable in Japan, it took me a bit to recognize the car when I returned to the US. The bB however is VERY popular there. I've seen all sorts of bBs, lots of creativity to be spent on those. One of the things I like on the bB is the rear quarter windows. Pioneer's Carozerria line makes these clear plexi-glass type boxes with a speaker set-up that was made to fit in those windows, looks awesome.

I wanted a bB when I got here, but when I saw the xA RS1, I was sold.

TheScionicMan

HAHA, you need to roll with us on a cruise sometime. When you see people faces and jaws dropping, etc, it's not cuz people are thinking "there goes another car" X 20...

It's not like ANY of the Scions are "a dime a dozen". Scion themselves had actually geared up to sell more xAs and were quite taken by surprise that the xBs were twice as popular. Had the not been a Scion brand, the xA would've made a good replacement for the Echo in the Toyota lineup. I think the Matrix is the main vehicle that makes the xA seem not quite as unique as it actually is. The xA has that quirky factor that would've sold well, but it's spotlight was stolen by the even more quirky xB. The xB was a drastic step away from what we were used to in the US and that's why it held more appeal, especially to take that quirkiness and crank it up a notch with some modding and tuning.

The xAs are less common which can be good and bad. Good in that you're unique, bad in that smaller market means less parts, less cheaper parts etc.

Of course different things appeal to different people, that's why they ask

What Moves YOU?

Blue_Estel

I wasn't implying that the xB's look like anything else at all, they are 100% unique... for now... Nissan will ruin that soon enough but that's for the xB forum...

what I meant is best illustrated in the picture below... not the best example but it's all I've got right now...



You look at the pic and you think... "Wow, those cars are filthy... Winter in Michigan sucks!"

Then you look a little closer and think, "Hmm... xB, xB... OOOH! look at the xA in the middle there!, xB, xB, another xB...."

TheScionicMan

I know what you mean. We have one OG xA . I call him our token xA. He keeps us being Nor-Cal Scion and not NCxBs. This was before the tCs release. We've got more of each now but the xB is just the perfect lump of clay to mold, IMO.

When I bought, I was turning in a leased Echo, so I thought the xA was too close to make a change. I would've just kept the Echo. Of course that was before I got the modding bug...

I think this is the pic you're looking for...

xA_RS_0240

When my father-in-law heard I bought a Scion, he was very afraid I bought "that boxy looking piece of crap"... He said it would've been difficult for him to say "Nice car" if I pulled up in an xB. He really digs my xA as does everyone else I show it to. Many co-workers said almost the same thing as.... worried I bought the box.

So... while I personally have no problems with the xB, my family and friends totally love my ride and were relieved to see it.

Plus... having an RS 1.0 guarantees that it's unique. Only one other in the state right now....

As for standing out, I must admit that some have confused other little hatchbacks (Kia, Aveo, Mazda) as being a Scion. Someone told me they saw an xA that was yellow... and I couldn't convince him that wasn't possible without being a custom paint job.... so yes... they don't stand out as much as the box.... but I can't imagine an xB being as fun to drive as my 5-speed xA. Takes me back over 20 years ago when my first new car was a Pontiac Fiero... Funnest ride I've had since then and I'm glad I have it.

bB2NER

You just had to go and remind me of how trashed my BCP Box got on that trip up there!

Blue_Estel

Come on Jeff... You miss it up here... washing your car every day cause they pave the roads in salt... The water freezing before you can dry it off... and you gotta love our pothole covered expressways...

I wanted to post the pictures I took of my rear window and your rear window with the WHAT MOVES YOU decals but they were on another PC and I couldn't get to them... They would have reiterated what Scionicman was saying...

xA "WHAT MOVES YOU"
xB "WHAT MOVES YOU"

~chris

dthree36

When I first saw the XB i thought it was an interesting different looking car. Unlike anything I had seen before. I saw the XA shortly after and did not like it at all. As time passed, i still thought the XB was the better of the two until i saw the XA RS1.0 and then my opinion changed.

Not to ruffle any feathers of non RS owners but for me, I loved the sporty look of the RS. To be honest, I wouldn't have bought a stock XA and probably would have gone XB or TC with out a second guess. But that is the beauty of cars, you can keep them stock or customize them to suite your tastes.

If all XA's looked like the RS series, I think the XA popularity would be different.


D

bB2NER

AMEN BROTHER

kirkjerk

Obviously different strokes for different folks...but if you don't dig the box, the xA has many things going for it...there's virtually no hood or trunk, so all its space is in the interior (not that it's as spacious as the xB) and it's easy to park.

It's not as distinctive/weird as the xB, but it does have a cool chunky look with its snub nose and swells around the wheels.

I've heard in Canada the Ist/xA is the Echo Wagon, which makes sense, there are a lot of similarities. I think the Echo is pretty cute actually.

bB2NER

Actually Canada is getting the Vitz as a replacement for the outgoing Echo. Looks like the Aveo.

Blue_Estel

I've seen 2 echo hatch backs in Windsor and they look SMALLER than an xA. If I remember correctly, the rear 1/4 window is not there.

purpled_out_tC

it is all a metter of preference. i thought the xA and the xB were ugly. they not too bad anymore, especially when an xB has the two tone paint. but the xB does look different and catches the eye quicker. the xA reminds me of a football (don't ask). and your not the only one that thought the xA would be more popular. toyota thought the xA would be the best seller. maybe it's cause of that one lady on this site (c-g-), she owns one.

all in all who cares, rock your car. you think people in honda elements are asking this question.