With gas prices on the rise, I've been giving some serious thought to getting a more fuel efficiant car than what I drive. Now some may think I'm crazy for wanting to sell my 02 subaru wrx to get a scion... but my intentions are good. My suby is fun to drive and all, but it definately does come with a price to pay. At almost $5 per gallon of premuim and at best maybe 20mpg (without going into boost), my baby is taking a definate toll on my wallet.

With that aside, ever since the Xd came out I took an immediate likeing to it's unique chunky and agressive look. Just recently I've started doing research on them and so far I'm liking what I've read. There aren't as many reviews as I would like, so pretty much my questions are what are your impressions on driving an Xd? What are the goods about them? What are the bads? Would you recomend anyone getting one?

Also, sound systems are a big thing for me.. what ever car I drive will have one. How do their premium cd players sound? Is it worth the $380? Or would it be better to just swap out the basic model for an after market? Will my 6.5in focals fit in the doors? Also, think I'd have enough room to fit two 12" jls in the back?? These are the many questions I have unanswerd... soo any and all help would be awesome! Thanks much.

 

Ya, WRX are great but definately not DD material

Think its the third time saying this but xD is everything you would expect from a car in its class and then some, with decent power etc. Its fun to drive in manual only though in my opinion and could get boring int auto. The best thing about it is the stock options that are normally that, options to other cars (ABS, side airbags, etc). Bad things are that some people feel awkward in the seating since it doesnt have a height adjustment and people have been getting rattling in the dash after about 1K miles which are all small things. To me, the biggest problem is the lack of love from the aftermarket so far. The Fit had K series engine mounts at its debut, we've had to wait almost a year for a set of fog lights >:o I definately would recommend it, its just a really fun car. I've had my second doubts about it because the VW Rabbit had up'd its hp to 170 with their 5 cyclinder but its just not worth it due to the lower mpg and the repair costs are higher.
I'm fairly certain the 6.5s will fit. Worse case senario u could use the trunk cover in the back to hold the speakers. the back its a little tight, if u wanted to keep the trunk usuable for a lot of things i would look into a custom box as a bottle of nitrous can take up 1/4 of space. I think if your going to go with subs u might as well upgrade the receiver also and just order the stock one. The stock system isn't too bad on its own though in my opinion.

 

we just bought an xd for my wife..

she loves SUV and trucks.. but she realized its really not the time to buy a car that big.......... so... we went with the cd.. MY problems with the car:

1) seating position is too high ( SHE LOVES IT....)
2) i dont have short arms but compared to my tc the shift is way to far from me.
3) i cant see too much because of the rear view mirror!!! its really annoying. She has no problem with it but im 6'3"

trunk is not THAT big.

if i would you i would get a really nice single sub with a really good amp. it would take only the half of the trunk. ( instead of the double box which takes the whole trunk)

u can install any double din headunit.

and no.. i would pay 3-400 dollars for the premium hu.. i would spend 800 and go with the 2din kenwood or something else.

btw my wife loves the ar.. she told me she driving it with 1 finger because its so soft....

btw u can get springs, sway bar already. one of the biggest upgrade. plus nice tires!

if you can get used tc wheels you can fit them!!!!!! it looks MUCH better than the stockied and much cheaper than getting something fancy

 

HA i own a 2002 WRX and am getting rid of it too for a Scion. Still cant decide on teh xB or xD. Think i like the xB size, looks, safety better but the xD has price advantage, and efficiency.

Compared the the WRX there are a few things i really like abou the xD. The steering wheel shape, and its quick steering ratio make the xD feel more nimble than teh WRX. But if you drive it quickly you will find more body roll and very quickly overpower the tires. But some stickier tires and an antiroll bar and it feels like it would handle better than the WRX. I drove a manual and an auto. Both drive well but i will always purchase a manual. I can just get way better mileage out of it.

I like that the xD and xB are both 5star rated in side impact. The xD does not have much space behind the rear seats and that worries me. No one does sufficient rear impact testing. IIHS does but only with a car going 20mph that weighs the same. I woudl say you need to just drive an xD manual and an xB manual in the same day. If economy is more important to you then get the xD.

Personally i hated the upgraded head unit. Too hard to work with a bad interface. It is constantly animating crap on its display so it is distracting. For $380 i think there are far better options out there. Atleast more choice at the same price.

the xD feels cheaper than the xB almost enough so to make me get an xB. The guages on teh xD rock. Turn the car on and watch the needles dance at start up. ... coool..... The xD seems like if would have the most annoying cup holders being practically on the floor in front of the shifter. There is way more room in the back sear in the xD than the WRX even though the legroom specification is similar. Even more in the xD if you recline the rear seats.

over all i would be pleased to drive either scion over teh WRX.

BTW - i have changed my driving habits and i am getting good mpg in the wrx. I get just under 26mpg by driving like a grandma, staying off boost, turning off AC compressor when accelerating, coasting in neutral, and occasionally turning the engine off at long red lights. Last 300 or so miles have averaged 25.8mpg in mixed city and hwy. But that darn premium is still 30cents more per gallon.

 

I have to disagree with you about the xD feeling "cheaper" than the xB. I've been in both and driven both. They both feel the same to me. The xB doesn't feel more luxurious or even "less cheap"--not in the least.

 

The xD seemed like it had less attention to details. Like how the seats fold in back, where the cup holders are placed, the shifter with a rubber boot, the hallow feeling doors. Not low quality by any means but it just seemed like there was less attention to deatail. The xB on the other hand felt more solid when driving, more isolated but still handled as well. Doors felt more solid. Felt like there was more attention to detail. When driving the xB and the xD it felt like there should be more than $1000 difference between the two models.

neither feel cheap really which is surprising. But the xD felt like they made some strange ergonimic decisions to cut costs. But that is nit picking and they are both excellent cars for the money.

 

Well, I have alot to say abou tthe Xd, but since pictures speak a thousand words:

This is what I used to drive.





I now drive an Xd. I enjoy this car, I got it for the same reason you are considering it. Fuel economy. I now have 704 showing on the odo and I am just barely into my third tank of gas. My average MPG has been 32 with 80%city stop and go, and 20% good freeway speeds. If you babied it and did alot of highway/freeway driving I see being able to get 40mpg with no problem.

For this car to be fun you HAVE to get the manual. This will definately get the better gass mileage.

I went with the upgraded stereo system. Not terribly inpressed with it, the head unit is great!, but the speakers leave something to be desired, but having the in steering wheel audio controls is a must! I think a box with two 12's is a bit much, two 8's or one 12' would be better, and while your at it I would replace all the other speakers. They might be better if I was using an amp though...

I chose the Xd over the others I was looking at, Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, and the Chevy aveo ( Bleagh!) Because of its unique aggressive styling (compared to its competition) and the way it felt on the road. I am impressed with this car and would completely reccomend it.

 

TX_WRX


dont worry about the body roll.. xb and xd has sway bars, strut bars and lowering springs too.. you can turn your car into a beast if you want too..

btw drive the xd and the xb


i dont really like to drive the xd because of the seating position and cant see ____ because of the middle rear view mirror...

but for my wife its perfect!

i would go with the xb. i drove that too..

 

you dont really like to drive the xB or xD? You said you didnt like to drive xB but to go with the xB

 

o... you are right.. read it again... fixed it

 

This sounds like the place to hang for us AWD'ers. I get, at best, 23.5mpg in my WRX with tires inflated to 38psi, 70% highway at 65mph and 30% city from 25-45mph. I initially was sold on the Fit, but have seen a few Xd's in person and like them also. I do have to say that the fit & finish on the interior of the Fit seemed a few notches up from the xD's though the xD's is not bad by any means. (Many Fit owners complain of their carpet wearing out for example.) The trunk space seems tiny, almost like a Mini Cooper would have as much trunk space though. On the other hand, check out the thread on on Fit Freaks where a guy fits an entire live gig PA systems with a full monitoring board & effects rack etc. into the back of the Fit. To be honest I have to say it seems like the cargo room in the Fit seems twice as much as the xD. All in all, for the money though the xD seems really good for a DD-type ride.

I'm not surprised you like the xD styling, coming from a Subaru. :D Our taste in styling has been ruined forever I fear. :p

 

Before the gas spike, I had plans to buy an 07 WRX wagon or a SAAB 92-X Aero.

Things aren't going back to the way they were - it has really changed my whole outlook on the cars I drive (and want). To buy a car that requires 92 octane and get 20 something MPG isn't just irresponsible, it's financially foolish.

 

yep before the gas spike i was looking to get a legacy GT wagon (love the sunroof) or a Mazdaspeed 3... not any more.
still torn on the xB and xD though. Like the Fit as well but crash test safety is not so good on it.

@speculative -
I drive an 02 WRX and recently got 26mpg on the last 400miles. This was on my work commute where i prob do about 60% at 65 (with some lights) and the rest from 10-30mph.

I have inflated tired to 40psi (max on tire says 52psi). I dont get on boost - by that i mean the boost guage is never over the 0 bar and usually arounr -0.5 bar. I dont use the AC compressor and accel at the same time. I coast a lot in neutral (std trans). I also go over teh speed limit going down hills and under the limit going up. Those changes have seem my mpg raise from 20-21 to 26. And we just had teh hottest June on record so i am constantly using the AC.

 

I just sold my problem-free 05 Legacy GT for an xD (the xD is actually for the wife) cuz I've always been close to 300 miles to the tank with about 14 gallon fill-up with mixed local and highway driving...looking forward to better mileage with the xD

 

The xD is a nice little car, and when fixed up it looks hot. It's also feel efficient and I don't see many xD drivers around.

I'm really thinking about getting an xD as a second car. I hate seeing tC's everywhere, especially those that have the same color/style as yours, loL

 

If I'm not mistaken, and others can confirm, 6.5" speakers will fit in the door with minor modification. I know in my FJ, I took the stock weenees out and with the nylon adapters that you can get through through Crutchfield, or MDF through e-bay, the upgraded speaker fit right in. Here is an example:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/6-5-S...spagenameZWDVW