Scion really stirred up the sport compact pot when they shipped the offbeat xB and xA to showrooms across the country. Promoted extensively throughout the underground car scene, the eclectic masses seemed to get "it" and, in some strange and unexpected fashion, both cars blew up in ways that few expected. The ultra-affordable boxes were suddenly everywhere with the xA spotted here and there, as well as a third addition to the line later with the sporty tC coupe. It seemed Scion finally ceased being the butt of automotive jokes, instead enjoying its popular role as one heck of a g-ride.
Perhaps Scion's greatest achievement in its short existence has been its huge support for the aftermarket. From the beginning, the message was loud and clear: personalize, personalize and personalize some more. Scion is genius in how it starts out with a no-frills platform, but soon provides tons of options during the checkout stage. This freedom of choice allowed buyers everywhere the power to truly individualize their rides, spawning local car clubs in many states. Now, with the launch of the second generation xB and debut of the xD, Scion offers you more of a reason to reach deep for your inner-emo self. What's even better is they've thrown in bigger and more powerful engines to get you going. Who loves ya, baby?
Xdeeeez
The biggest compliment we can give to the xD is: we're glad it's here to put the xA out of its misery. No it's not another xA, though Scion says it's much closer to the xB. It's a vast improvement by far, but still lacks the qualities that make the xB so cool. Much bigger and yoked-up than the xA, the xD is a four-door hatchback teetering on the edge of downright fugly. We're glad Scion decided to load it up with several features to raise its cool factor.
Scion equips the xD with a completely new 1.8L twin cam 2ZR-FE, a quirky 128hp engine best related to the single cam engines found in a Civic Coupe. However, it is also equipped with dual Variable Valve Timing (VVT-i) for optimum power and super gas savings. Again, there's a choice of either a manual or 4-ECT auto transmission.
The inside is where the xD really shines. Clearly, it receives a much sweeter center console than the xB. The air conditioning controls are positioned in a pod-like fashion underneath the Pioneer head unit. Although the gauges aren't separated like the xB's, they have been moved over to the top of the steering column and kept within a single unit. The rear seats split 60/40 and fold down flat for bigger storage capacity.
While the VSC with traction control is the only factory option available for the xD, it does have a wide number of factory standards, albeit not as plentiful as the xB (but close!) such as: power goods (see xB); air conditioning; ABS; airbags; and steering wheel audio controls.
Without trying to compare the xD and xB too much, there seems to be only minimal differences when it comes to driveability. The xD is slightly slower, but it makes up for the drop in power with efficiency. To maintain any sort of power in the rpm band, it's necessary to keep the car in a lower gear, especially for street driving (highway is fine). Since the xD is a little bit lighter on its feet, you can maneuver it much easier than the xB. But without any serious performance parts available yet, simple features like air intake and sport exhaust are all you can count on for increased performance. If the aftermarket catches on to the xD as well as it did with the xA, xB and tC, then we foresee the xD becoming a formidable competitor in the B-spec segment in no time.
'08 Scion XD
The Sticker TBA
Under The Hood 1.8L 4-cylinder 2ZR-FE with dual VVT-I
The Power 128hp at 6,000rpm; 125lb-ft at 4,400rpm
Scale Tipping 2,625 (manual); 2,665 (4-ECT)
Layout front engine, front-wheel drive
Gearbox 5-speed manual or 4-speed ECT automatic
Stiff Stuff Independent MacPherson strut with rear torsion beam
Rollers 16x6 steel wheels with 195/60R15 all-season tires
Stoppers 10.8-inch ventilated front disc brakes; 9-inch rear drum brakes
At The Pump 27/33 mpg (manual); 26/32 mpg (4-ECT)
The Pack Mazda 3; VW Golf; Honda Fit
Deep Thoughts The xD is a much improved, welcome replacement to the xA. But only by a small margin. It really needed a stronger engine, so Scion came through with the goods.