Hello everyone, first time poster and maybe a soon to be owner of a xA.

I am looking to buy one as a commuter car. My 120 mile round trip drive to work everyday eats up a lot of gas in my Acura TL.

So I decided to start looking for a good car with good gas mileage. I stumbled upon the xA as I was looking through a used car lot. So went straight to Scion dealer to check them out. It’s a pretty nice car for the money.

Also my wife’s mother works for Toyota and she is looking into if she gets any type of discount on them for me.

So, now for the question…... How does this car drive on the highways/freeways? Is it smooth? How loud is it at around 80 mph?

My drive consists of about 10 miles of city driving and 110 miles on the freeways. So the car must ride decent on the freeways.

Also, how is the engine in this car? Does it have enough get up and go to pass easily on freeway. Or is it something you need plan out before you execute a pass.

How much extra power will a CAI, headers and exhaust give this car? Does the after market exhaust sound funky like a bee bussing down the road? Or is it a nice sound.

Will the factory lowering springs help the cars ride much? Do you recommend them?

Sorry about all the questions. Just need a lot of info before buying a second car.

Here is a link to my current ride.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/742888

 

you're in San Diego?!? If so I would like to invite you out to our weekly meets, I'll bump the thread up in the Pacific South forums usually on Thursday or Friday. As for your questions:

This is an ecomony car and is mainly intended for speeds below 80. There is not much sound deadening material in the thing and can get a little noisy in higher RPMs. If you plan on getting good at passing on the freeway I suggest doing to I/H/E to get the most power out of the tiny engine. Exhausts all sound different, there are the high end quiet ones or the median ones that can drone when pushing the engine or on hills. Some springs help out the ride but you'll get to most out of replacing the shocks with Koni or Monroe. The best thing I can say to do is to ignore all advice until you have actually test driven the car and then use the statements here to collaborate or reject your feelings of what you experienced. And hey if you can come out to the meet one weekend I'll take you out for a spin so you can feel what all the mods can do.

 

/\/\ What he said.... at 80, this little car gets thirsty.. my mileage drops to around 28-30mpg if I see a lot of 80. But drive one before you let your opinion get colored by what others think.
We will all be here when you get back.

 

Just had to jump in here. I do 100 per day. Half @65, half @55. Only done the test drives and no objectionable noise. I rarely do over 65. (Got that over with in my BMW 325IS).

I'm taking delivery next week and:

1) do 65/55
2) install Rostra Cruise (with RF perhaps)
3) add rear swar bar to stabilize against turns and semi's turbulance.

I think she'll do fine for the commute.

Besides, at $400/month in gas now, I'll cut my gas cost in half and then she'll pay for herself.

Let us know what you decide...

 

Thanks for the help. So where do you guys meet and at what time?

I think I am going to go to the dealer today to test drive but all they have is the auto's. I want a stick.

 

The stick runs at a lot higher rpm's at cruising speed.....

 

Here's the thread, we're doing bowling at Kearny Mesa bowl and leaving from Fusion at 6:30 at the latest. Most other nights we're hanging out in the lot till 9pm.

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...177&highlight=

 

If that is the case how does it get better MPG?

 

So which one is you in that pic?

 

far left... holding a trophy of course :D

 

I think the manual gets only about 1 mpg better than the auto, at least regarding whats posted. In real life, I think they get about the same. Be forewarned though, the auto is not quick and at speeds of only 60-65, the rpm difference and mileage may not mean all that much to you.

 

The official number for the Manual is 32/37 and the Auto gets 31/38.
http://www.scion.com/assets/media/pdfs/xa_specs.pdf

 

I got 40 mpg on a 300+ mile road trip going 70-80 mph the entire way. The key is to drive smooth and not floor the pedal to accelerate, that will eat up your gas mileage.

 

For AT numbers, I get 2250 RPM @ 55 mph and 2750 @ 65. This gives me 35 mpg in a mixed commute. On longer trips with warm weather (50+) I see near 40 mpg.

 

Ok guys, I went and test drove one. They are pretty cool cars. I have to get used to the power or the lack there of. I am used to my Acura TL or my Yamaha R1.

Other than that you get a lot for your money. I couldn’t believe how cool they are. I was really stoked on the car after driving it. I have to call the sale man tomorrow to work out the numbers. He also has to find a manual for me.

He did a quick search and could only find one. So might have to wait on the next batch that come through which is fine. I am no real rush.

So next question, I noticed that Scion offers a lot of after market stuff. I am going to get the wing and quick shifter for sure. How good is their other stuff? Like their exhaust, springs and shocks.

I noticed everyone says to get shocks. Should I get the ones from Scion or get after market one?

 

if at all possible avoid getting things from the dealer, there is an after market part for just about everything they offer which is much cheaper and sometimes better and you can save labor and put it on yourself! As for shocks, Koni are the best but a little expensive, Monroes are cheap and only help out a little bit, as for the TRDs... no idea.

If you are going to get dealer parts I highly suggest going to www.trdsparks.com to get them for cheaper. I bought my floormats there and shipping was relatively fast for being east coast.

And most importantly do research! Use the features-parts to read user reviews on products.

 

I would strongly recommend a performance intake. After adding one, I can drive my xA with much more confidence in 60 - 80 mph traffic.

A shock upgrade is also a must for long commutes unless you have pristine roadways.

Any other mod's will just make the drive more enjoyable. I've had my xA for almost a year and I still look forward to the daily commute because my xA is so !@#$ fun to drive!

 

I have the TRD suspension setup, It's not too expensive if u do it yourself. I got them from www.trdsparks.com They're pretty stiff and handles nicely on my 225/35/18's.