...I'm not sure! I WANT to like this car but I couldn't help feeling a bit "meh" after the drive. The 3 biggest issues I had:

-Manual shifter is a bit clunky and felt like driving a school bus. Shifter boot looked like hell.
-Pretty noisy/boomy interior sound from engine noise.
-Steering was very light and numb feeling.

How much will a short throw shifter help the shifter feel?
Anyone dynamat this car?

 

the Short throw shifter makes it feel much tighter... very quicker on the shifts

as for dyna mat... not yet.. the noise doesn't bother me... can't expect it to sound like your driving a lexus

 

I didnt mind the shifter too much before, but I got the short one cause its inexpensive and easy to put in, and its pretty sweet. Shift boot doesnt bother me too much but Ill probably get a nicer one someday.

The road noise is very loud. Wait until its raining out, I can hardly hear on the cell phone its so loud. It doesnt bother me too much though because i think of how much it cost, how light it is, the the gas mileage it gets.

 

Nice to know about the short throw. I wasn't expecting it to be lexus like, I swear it was more noisy than the fit,versa,mazda3,corolla,sx4 I was comparing it too.

 

Ya I never drove any of those other ones haha. Does seem very noisy. I was comparing it to more expensive cars Ive been in and maybe thought that was the reson for more sound deadening, but maybe not.

 

Short shift kit is a must. I agree with you about the "toilet plunger" shift boot, too... that's why I got this:



and this

 

Yea the short shifter makes a huge difference, I hated the original shift throws, felt like driving a small truck.

The main thing I looked at was pep out of the car, what you got for the money, and some qualities.

I only compared with the Fit and Versa, to me the Versa lacked the ability to fold back seats flat (which i have to have since driving semi large packages is my job), which instantly killed that car for me. As for the fit, to get all of the same standard options, (cruise control, keyless entry, etc) you have to opt the sport model, which unfortunately i couldnt find around here for less than 17k.

But everybody expects something different out of their cars, i say find what you like the best, what best suits your needs and uses, and go for it. I dont think anybody can blame you for that.

 

I looked at the Fit, too.. but VSC is a deal breaker for me, and you have to get the sport option and the NAV option on the Fit to get VSC, which adds quite a bit to the cost.

The Versa doesn't even offer VSC (Nissan calls it VDC) at all. You even have to pay extra for ABS/EBD/BA on the Versa, when all that comes standard on the xD.

Having said that, it's not all that easy to find an xD with VSC... especially a manual... I had to wait a couple of weeks for mine.

 

while i agree that all three of those are issues with the xd, all are fixable. the after market shift boot, three diffrent short shift kits, and dynamat in the doors takes care of all three issues. "but that costs more money!" you may say, but as others suggested, to get some of the other car with the options the xd already has, you'll pay more anyway. oh, and the steering; its not a chevy pick up, its a econobox. a good looking econobox, but a really lite really cheap box. with a couple reasonably priced addons, it handles like a champ. i havn't managed to get it on two wheels like i used to with my jeep, but im working on it.

 

Well thanks to mcbrew after seeing the shiftboot for the D I just ordered my set, I've been wanting to get rid of the fugly shift boot for a long time, I got black suede with orange stitching to go with my rs1

Sorry to threadjack.

 

I changed my wheels/tires and I would say that got rid of about 50% of the road noise.

 

What is this shift boot you speak of?

 

I think they are using the custom boots from http://www.redlinegoods.com/

I actually have a MOMO boot and **** on order right now, cant wait to get it in.

 

short shifter is approx 30% shorter shifts, a stage 2 NST kit goes to 70%.
Road noise is almost null with aftermarket tires, my kumho spts actually annoy me cause im so used to the noise and now its silent lol. I like the shift boot, it reminds me of my old ae86's boot

 

Nice Im looking forward to when my stock tires wear out even more now.

 

Hmm. So what is it exactly that makes those "luxury" cars feel quieter and more sound-proof inside the cabin?

 

An extra thousand pounds of "stuff"! (Mostly metal, but also everything else - foam, fabric, plastic, glass, etc... all that mass absorbs a lot of sound and vibration! Some of it's intended for sound absorption, but all of it should help). But then, as mentioned above, you have to burn the gas to haul around that extra thousand pounds...

Within a given car, tires are probably the biggest single difference you can make without adding a bunch of foam "sound deadener" - I notice a big difference (much quieter) when I switch from snows to summer tires. I only had the factory tires on for a few days (good riddance!) - I don't remember how those compared to either my snows or my summer tires. You might check tire rack or consumer reports reviews for tire noise.

Andy

 

The problem with tires is that I can only find three tires in the OEM 16" size... the OEM Turanza (summer), Blizzak (snow) tires, and Dunlop SP Sport 5000 (all-season). Not many choices unless you go with another size or have different wheels.

 

The steering problem you speak of .. get use to it, it is a sign of things to come, because it is electronic. Therefore you no longer feel the resistance of the pump moving the suspension parts.

I actually like the way it feels. And compared to other vehicles I have previously owned, I do not find the xD any noiser than most cars in its class.

 

I'm new to short shifters, but I thought it makes the shifter shorter in length where you put your hand on it. Doesn't that make it hard to reach the shifter? As it is now I feel it's a little low, and going much lower would make it difficult to drive the car. Am I missing something?