Hi,
My wife and I picked up our new silver xD last night, and we love it already. I've gleaned a good bit of wisdom from this forum while making buying decisions, and now that I actually have the car, I wanted to join, keep learning, and hopefully even contribute something!
First, some background about the car itself: 5spd, no options except VSC (decided that as soon as I saw that most of the accessories were significantly cheaper aftermarket). I've already ordered a TRD sway bar, TRD air filter, and cargo tote (thanks scionpartspeople.com). Already have Michellin X-ice snows to go on the factory steel rims, and will be ordering some 17" tC factory alloys with Nexen N3000 tires for the non-snowy parts of the year. Unfortunately, my dealer couldn't find an xD anywhere with the Dunlop 5000s, even though I requested those specifically - anyone want some Turanza EL400s?
This car will be replacing a 98 Camry, and pushes an 03 Vibe from our garage to outdoor parking. So far my only gripes are the lack of a center armrest and the limited interior storage, especially in the trunk/hatch area. But I guess that comes with the territory, moving from a big squishy family sedan to a small fun car! Overall we're very happy with the car and enjoying it thoroughly. Can't wait to get some good rubber and the sway bar installed and have some fun!

Thanks for your help so far, and I count it a privilege to join you,
Andy

 

The center armrest thing bothers me too, but there will eventually be an aftermarket one somewhere..

the xAs and xBs have aftermarket support for an armrest that fits On the drivers seat and fills up the entire area - much more comfortable than the stock one. IDK if these would interfere with the low-positioned shifter, though.

 

Well Scion still lists that center armrest for the xD on the site but I guess its not out yet. That bothers me too, the lack of an armrest because the other two Scions have one.

[edit] Wow never mind! Scion doesn't have the armrest listed at all anymore. Booooo

 

Yeah, the armrest is definitely a priority for sometime in the near future, but I'm really not too worried about it. I'll bet there will be some available soon for the xD, both factory and aftermarket. I'm thinking pretty seriously about getting this one - I don't mind doing a little bit of work if it will come out looking nice and working well. Anyone heard anything about jjproducts.net?

I do have one other question - is there any conceivable way to keep a real tire under the floor of the hatch? Not a full size spare of course, but just something that can be driven over 50mph. I noticed tirerack has a 145-65TR-15 tire, and as far as I understand it, that shouldn't be much wider than the 135....16 temp donut. I wonder if that could be mounted on a skinnier 15" steel rim, or a 15" donut rim, and stored in the same compartment with only minor modifications? Mostly just thinking "out loud" here, but also wondering if anyone has worked out something similar. Thanks for any thoughts or constructive criticism on this.

Andy

 

I wouldn't bother with it, honestly.. even if you did get a fullsize spare with a tall enough wheel to counterbalance the size, tread wear and handling will still be harshly affected. Might as well stick with the OEM spare since you would need to replace the tire no matter what.

You could drive over 50mph with a fullsize, but if you have 3 16" and 1 15", again, the handling will be off even with the taller wheel, so it won't really be much safer.

 

congrats on the new xD andyman. Enjoy!

 

i was going to get the armrest until my friend ordered one. it's really ugly and awkward. it's basically a little box that hooks halfway up the side of the chair. my arm barely fits on it and i have small arms. i really can't imagine a guy (or big girl for that matter) leaning on it. it's just too small.

maybe they'll come out with a new design.

 

welcome to the Scion family and the forums. Glad to hear bout ur new purchase.

There is an xD specific forum called www.cafexd.com that is REALLY awesome. I definitely recommend checking it out.

 

jatkins - thanks very much for the advice! I'll look elsewhere for armrests - I've seen a sort of console-type boxes with a padded top that's supposed to sit between the front seats, and it'd be nice to have the extra storage anyway.
I appreciate your shared experience!
Andy

 

Hey andy and welcome. If you get a chance, give me a update on your HWAY mpg after you have made a good trip with it.

 

no problem. i'm sure someone will come up with a good design for the armrest. when they do, i'll be buying it too.

 

My wife and I just bought an xD on 11/27/07. She wanted in it white, so that's what I got. I wanted the 5 speed, but in the long run, we r better with an auto.

I'm enjoying it very much so far. The computer is telling we r avg 30 - 31 mpg.

Like someone said, your better off buying aftermarket. The dealers rape with their addons. They wanted 2500 for their dvd nav installed.

Enjoy
Jason