I said "claiming" (note the quotations) because Toyota has denied the EPA claim.

 

Well, the EPA released a comparison of the new EPA tests and wanted to see what the MPG difference would be on the 2006 xA.

xA auto:
2006 - 31/38
2008 - 27/35

Would this match the 30/34 the folks saw at Chicago? We will have to wait to see.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calcu...umn=1&id=21777

 

All cars classified by the manufacturer as a 2008 model will adhere to the 2008 EPA ratings, regardless of when they are released.

Scion could conceivably release the xB and the first xD models as a 2007.5 model, but they'd need to change the printouts to 2008 for any car built after September (when 99% of the 08s will be released anyway) so there's no real point.

There seems to be a lot of emphasis on combined mileage averages with the new test method. So, if the 08 xD gets 30/34 compared to the 27/35 of the xA, it will have a higher combined average which will make it look awfully good.

For comparison sake, the Matrix, with the same engine, gets 31/25 with the 2008 method. The Corolla gets 35/26. So, they've apparently geared the trans to get better city economy somehow. very nice.

 

No, you read it wrong. You reversed the numbers.

 

oops, yeah, I did reverse them. At any rate, what I meant (and very poorly wrote) was that if under the 2008 methods the xD gets 30 in the city compared to the Corolla's 26, then it must be geared toward city driving somehow.

This is, of course, assuming that the info that Toyota released in the info packet contained EPA numbers by the 2008 method and not the old way. If not, then once the xA reaches the showroom, the actual stickers will read about 10% less.

I'm hoping for the former.

 

Well, the GZ is more efficient than the ZZ at any rate and the xD is bound to be lighter than the Corolla, so it could be all factors combined: lighter car, more efficient engine, and city-biased gearing.

 

Smaller gas tank and worse gas milage.

Ummm, no thanks

 

xA MPG (from fueleconomy.gov)

Auto: 27/35
Man: 27/34

xD MPG (from Scion brochure)
Auto: 30/34
Man: 32/37

... looks to me that the xD gets better gas mileage. Also, the tank is only 0.8 gallons smaller, which shouldn't be a huge difference.

 

Just find ways to bump up a couple of horses in your XA and make up for the 20HP you got in the XD. IMO I really dislike the XD. They took out the rear window, redesigned the gauges, gave it but ugly seats, ran a body kit, and added the corolla drivetrain. Some may disagree with me...but I think my XA looks a lot more stylish and unique then the XD does. It looks like something Dodge would make.

 

Styling is a personal preference, obviously. I have nothing against xA styling, actually quite enjoy it, but the build quality was way below the level of tC, and I really hope xD will be more along the lines of the tC that I drove for 3 years than the xA. If it's not I just lost a $200 deposit.

 

Ok, just so everybody fully understands the difference between the 2007 and 2008 EPA figures, here is some evidence that it is going to shock loads of people when the 08's start rolling out:

2007 EPA figures for Corolla Auto: 30 city 38 hwy.

2008 EPA figures for Corolla Auto: 26 city 35 hwy.

The new figures are no joke. I think you're going to see 08 full size p/u's and SUV's delayed as long as possible. I'm extremely interested in what the Titan and Hemi's get under the new standards