My xA notes - Buying, Comparing, Driving in Los Angeles
01-10-2005, 04:26 PM
#21
Member
SL Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 75
Huh?
Originally Posted by adorable
Too bad Rain-X needs a dry windshield to be applied - haven't had a dry day in days here...
01-10-2005, 04:30 PM
#22
Member
SL Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 75
Not sure about this one
Originally Posted by adorable
Parking brake holds well to a light accelerator push - the rear of the car bounces a small bit in complaint while holding still, and you get it right away - to release the parking brake.
01-12-2005, 07:22 AM
#23
Senior Member
SL Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 130
>obsessive compulsive...
That was when I was in high school and didn't let any of my friends bend the spine of my paperback books I loaned them so they'd be just like New! *O* Much better nowadays =P
But it's still a good thing regardless -- all of the rainy days picked up so much stuff on my shoes, you can just see the gunk on the plastic bag I used. Definitely wouldn't want all of that in my car in just one week (or smelling like that) -- so notes for those out there that keep clean cars.
(Or maybe it's that Irvine thing starting to rub off farther north? Start living around there too long and everything starts to get 'standardized-sanitized' to the point where you can't even paint your house the 'wrong' colors.)
---
> Rain-X in the rain?
The bottle label said clean windshield, so figure it wanted a dry one since it's a liquid and how would it stick if it's being washed away at the same time?
Anyways, no chance of trying that tommorrow given that it's going to be sunny again, but whatever -- one application can go a few weeks easily, so might as well get it on while the sun's out.
(and have to try out that AutoWash kit, too to see if it really doesn't leave any water spots on the car --- our water normally does)
---
>parking brake hop
Just posting whatever I notice. Everyone drives the xA, lots of people want to know more about it before they buy (even I wanted to know), but few post their comments on everything but the most obvious (we all know the xA ride can be bumpy - what else?).
Anyways, on some cars, you just tap the accell. pedal and the car goes w/o a hop or skip. This one does, so it's an extra reminder to release the often forgotten parking brake -- for those that are considering the xA and want to know. Most won't care, but some will (having driven miles w/o noticing perhaps).
---
Today, new arrrgh! That darn glove box is tough to get out to get to the air filter behind it -- I just had to look because it was in the manual. Definitely one part that won't accidentally come falling out w/o working it (or maybe it's just my box?) because the two side tabs holding it in are just $#&!#@ to push inwards to unlatch the box. Very sturdy, so a good sign they haven't gone too cheap inside.
---
Is it just me or do the front seat belts (esp. the metal part) always bump and scrape the side pillars, and tough to get to sometimes?!? Theres less gap here than on some cars, so they can take fingering about to grab hold of. Almost like they want you to lead them all the way back to their resting positions getting out so they won't be wrapped around and a hassle to get to on the way back in.
still, not as bad as the Civic Coupe 95 I have. that's a real REACH way back there to grab the darn seatbelt! (wish they had a clip to hold it closer forward) still, odd but true - still like the auto seatbelt on the Sentra 93 I had -- just hop it, close the door, and way you go!
But the seats are settling in nicely as well. Feeling more comfy after a few hundred miles, and I can imaging going hours in them w/o any problems. (no where to go recently - mountain roads snow/flooded closed)
They do take quite a bit of force to unlatch so you can move the forward/backwards, and unusually high vs. the other cars I've had. Here, you typically have to use one hand to pull the front latch, then another to muscle the seat back and forth (when you're not sitting in the seat as I might add to note). Other car seats usually can be moved with just one hand on the latch, and that's it. Definitely gets in the way when vacumming.
When you're in the seat, they also require a greater force to move them back and forth vs. other cars (at least the ones I've been in). And it's harder to move them up or back just one notch w/o having to concentrate, esp. so when you're moving the seats when you're not in them. Maybe they're trying to do that SUV design concept thing a tad too much?
---
Wonder if I noted it earlier?
Those grab handles feel cheap! On the outside, they look normal, but grab hold of the ones up front, and you get the empty space of a plastic ribbing with lots of empty space between them on the back side. Sort of takes the 'oooh, nice' feel out of everything suddenly and it's a bit out-of-character given how nicely the other dials and controls are made. They do flex a bit, so pulling on them hard.. who knows? maybe they'll just pop out? Probably won't happen, but they flex like they will. Maybe someone heavier will find out when they use it to pull themselves up?
---
New hubcaps for '05 models?
Catalog only shows the 5 spoke (square edges), 6 spoke (square edged), and 3/6 spoke (angled) hubcaps as options.
(Speaking of which Power Toyota Irvine, never did ask me if I wanted these or one of the free others I should have been able to pick from. They should have offered ala catalog statement.)
New six spoked thing with circular openings (see my pics), so wonder if that's a recent change for this year or something old and recycled?
don't even see it on the scion website on during a customize-your-xA build.....
---
Rear hatch area of the car has got to be the easist to catch dust. It's just filthy today, so figure may have to be cleaning this area more often than the rest of the car. The straight-down shape of hatch's means the airflow drops right off the top in the rear, turning into a vortex that just spins and lands dust all over the bumper, rear and more. On rainy days, that vortex just sucks up the spray from the rear tires and lands it right back on the rear window as well.
---
Noticed this car doesn't really have a proper trash tray, but at least one of the cupholder spaces acts nicely as one in a pinch.
---
Speakers are still settling in, and it's still kinda of off and on at times. Sometimes, the same setting seems Loud, other times, not as Loud. And placement of the vocals go from behind you to in front, so it's kind of touch and go what the custom Pioneer sound processor is doing when set with the xA preset.
At least Gwen still rocks on her new LAMB album. "Crash" seems oddly appropriate in the mornings waking up on the way to work.
---
blasted right past a gray xA on the way to work today, and almost missed it! the gray really makes the xA not stand out much at all, and it looked like any other ol' hatch. Good color for those that don't want anything that stands-out. Color also doesn't make the car look like it's too tall (sometimes the white xA I have does), or too small. Not my first or last pick for a xA color tho....the xA should grab eyeballs!
---
Hm, chrome tailpipe finish! Nice touch! Don't see it often on a $13k econobox, so it's a nice upgrade that helps the xA look better for free.
---
Defroster works well. Takes only a few seconds on the proper settings and the front windshield is clear as can be. Working a lot quicker than my ol' Sentra.
Here, comparing the 93 Sentra to the 05 xA shows the difference years of design development can add to a car. Although both are nice cars - Sentra is the go-kart that brings smiles, xA is the city commuter that's smooth - the added everything on the xA just makes it so much better -- nicer seats, smoother controls, more sensible this and that, and all for the same $13k list price they both sold for. (It's almost like inflation never existed!) Little differences on both - like lock on the glove box on the Sentra, none of the xA. But much rather take the air filter on the xA instead for that (helps a lot in smoggy Calif.)
---
Good use for the ash tray -- small LED light and retractable box opener blade knife. Never know if the xA might just flip with all these floods just like the other cars on the news and you'll need to cut the seatbelts to get free. (Of course, the third thing I'll need is something to break the glass underwater...) Here, the disposable ones that have a plastic body, a push to extend blade button on the side, a spring that auto-retracts the blade, and a razor-blade cheap looking blade are the best -- cheap, so you don't worry about losing them, auto-retracts so you don't have to worry about retracting them, and deadly sharp -- they'll cut right through any fabric just like that.
Best when you get them free at various conventions as give-aways.
(same goes for a nice pen to go in the glove compartment - give-aways are the best - just got a nice cheery orange one from the huge product manufacturing convention at the Anaheim Convention Center yesterday along with free envelope openers and the usual lot of freebies)
Of course, why they shipped a car with a standard ash tray and cig lighter in 'ohh-meeee-gosh-nooooo' trying-hard-to-be-100%-smoke-free California is beyond me... I'd much rather have them put in one of the optional storage boxes they've listed on the Japanese site than something many people won't use over here. (smoking rate is much lower in the USA of males vs. Japan - and let me tell you, they puff like mad over there!)
Or a 120V AC plug would have been way cooler to have in the xA than the above -- way future for a futurisic xA, and great for the cell phones/laptops/etc.
---
Japanese page shows how the rear floor on the Ist is different than the USA model with a 1/2 fold where you can put items in the area where our spare is, while keeping the two areas seperated. Neat for the groceries, but wonder how to get that configuation on my xA - new floor? toss the spare? Hmmmmm, have to think about this one....maybe more room than I thought back there if I redid things...
---
Bought 24th Dec, all of the papers (monthly payment, extra warranty) from Toyota came yesterday. Not bad - about 2 1/2 weeks with breaks for Xmas and New Year's - so expect quick processing of the loan docs and stuff if you go with Toyota Finance.
For those that want to know, you've got 17 days or so every month from when they expect the bill to arrive until your monthly due date to pay. Should be more than enough time in case mail just gets clogged up where you are. Electronic payment is offered as well as autopay, so these options can help you out as needed.
still waiting for DMV to send the plates, so we'll see how long that takes.....
----
In case your insurance asks, the address of Toyota loan isn't the same as the Toyota Payment location, nor the location where the Toyota lienholder is located (and that important last bit isn't printed anywhere in the papers you get).
Make sure they call up the customer service number on your bill to verify the current Lienholder address to process the insurance papers properly.
----
That was when I was in high school and didn't let any of my friends bend the spine of my paperback books I loaned them so they'd be just like New! *O* Much better nowadays =P
But it's still a good thing regardless -- all of the rainy days picked up so much stuff on my shoes, you can just see the gunk on the plastic bag I used. Definitely wouldn't want all of that in my car in just one week (or smelling like that) -- so notes for those out there that keep clean cars.
(Or maybe it's that Irvine thing starting to rub off farther north? Start living around there too long and everything starts to get 'standardized-sanitized' to the point where you can't even paint your house the 'wrong' colors.)
---
> Rain-X in the rain?
The bottle label said clean windshield, so figure it wanted a dry one since it's a liquid and how would it stick if it's being washed away at the same time?
Anyways, no chance of trying that tommorrow given that it's going to be sunny again, but whatever -- one application can go a few weeks easily, so might as well get it on while the sun's out.
(and have to try out that AutoWash kit, too to see if it really doesn't leave any water spots on the car --- our water normally does)
---
>parking brake hop
Just posting whatever I notice. Everyone drives the xA, lots of people want to know more about it before they buy (even I wanted to know), but few post their comments on everything but the most obvious (we all know the xA ride can be bumpy - what else?).
Anyways, on some cars, you just tap the accell. pedal and the car goes w/o a hop or skip. This one does, so it's an extra reminder to release the often forgotten parking brake -- for those that are considering the xA and want to know. Most won't care, but some will (having driven miles w/o noticing perhaps).
---
Today, new arrrgh! That darn glove box is tough to get out to get to the air filter behind it -- I just had to look because it was in the manual. Definitely one part that won't accidentally come falling out w/o working it (or maybe it's just my box?) because the two side tabs holding it in are just $#&!#@ to push inwards to unlatch the box. Very sturdy, so a good sign they haven't gone too cheap inside.
---
Is it just me or do the front seat belts (esp. the metal part) always bump and scrape the side pillars, and tough to get to sometimes?!? Theres less gap here than on some cars, so they can take fingering about to grab hold of. Almost like they want you to lead them all the way back to their resting positions getting out so they won't be wrapped around and a hassle to get to on the way back in.
still, not as bad as the Civic Coupe 95 I have. that's a real REACH way back there to grab the darn seatbelt! (wish they had a clip to hold it closer forward) still, odd but true - still like the auto seatbelt on the Sentra 93 I had -- just hop it, close the door, and way you go!
But the seats are settling in nicely as well. Feeling more comfy after a few hundred miles, and I can imaging going hours in them w/o any problems. (no where to go recently - mountain roads snow/flooded closed)
They do take quite a bit of force to unlatch so you can move the forward/backwards, and unusually high vs. the other cars I've had. Here, you typically have to use one hand to pull the front latch, then another to muscle the seat back and forth (when you're not sitting in the seat as I might add to note). Other car seats usually can be moved with just one hand on the latch, and that's it. Definitely gets in the way when vacumming.
When you're in the seat, they also require a greater force to move them back and forth vs. other cars (at least the ones I've been in). And it's harder to move them up or back just one notch w/o having to concentrate, esp. so when you're moving the seats when you're not in them. Maybe they're trying to do that SUV design concept thing a tad too much?
---
Wonder if I noted it earlier?
Those grab handles feel cheap! On the outside, they look normal, but grab hold of the ones up front, and you get the empty space of a plastic ribbing with lots of empty space between them on the back side. Sort of takes the 'oooh, nice' feel out of everything suddenly and it's a bit out-of-character given how nicely the other dials and controls are made. They do flex a bit, so pulling on them hard.. who knows? maybe they'll just pop out? Probably won't happen, but they flex like they will. Maybe someone heavier will find out when they use it to pull themselves up?
---
New hubcaps for '05 models?
Catalog only shows the 5 spoke (square edges), 6 spoke (square edged), and 3/6 spoke (angled) hubcaps as options.
(Speaking of which Power Toyota Irvine, never did ask me if I wanted these or one of the free others I should have been able to pick from. They should have offered ala catalog statement.)
New six spoked thing with circular openings (see my pics), so wonder if that's a recent change for this year or something old and recycled?
don't even see it on the scion website on during a customize-your-xA build.....
---
Rear hatch area of the car has got to be the easist to catch dust. It's just filthy today, so figure may have to be cleaning this area more often than the rest of the car. The straight-down shape of hatch's means the airflow drops right off the top in the rear, turning into a vortex that just spins and lands dust all over the bumper, rear and more. On rainy days, that vortex just sucks up the spray from the rear tires and lands it right back on the rear window as well.
---
Noticed this car doesn't really have a proper trash tray, but at least one of the cupholder spaces acts nicely as one in a pinch.
---
Speakers are still settling in, and it's still kinda of off and on at times. Sometimes, the same setting seems Loud, other times, not as Loud. And placement of the vocals go from behind you to in front, so it's kind of touch and go what the custom Pioneer sound processor is doing when set with the xA preset.
At least Gwen still rocks on her new LAMB album. "Crash" seems oddly appropriate in the mornings waking up on the way to work.
---
blasted right past a gray xA on the way to work today, and almost missed it! the gray really makes the xA not stand out much at all, and it looked like any other ol' hatch. Good color for those that don't want anything that stands-out. Color also doesn't make the car look like it's too tall (sometimes the white xA I have does), or too small. Not my first or last pick for a xA color tho....the xA should grab eyeballs!
---
Hm, chrome tailpipe finish! Nice touch! Don't see it often on a $13k econobox, so it's a nice upgrade that helps the xA look better for free.
---
Defroster works well. Takes only a few seconds on the proper settings and the front windshield is clear as can be. Working a lot quicker than my ol' Sentra.
Here, comparing the 93 Sentra to the 05 xA shows the difference years of design development can add to a car. Although both are nice cars - Sentra is the go-kart that brings smiles, xA is the city commuter that's smooth - the added everything on the xA just makes it so much better -- nicer seats, smoother controls, more sensible this and that, and all for the same $13k list price they both sold for. (It's almost like inflation never existed!) Little differences on both - like lock on the glove box on the Sentra, none of the xA. But much rather take the air filter on the xA instead for that (helps a lot in smoggy Calif.)
---
Good use for the ash tray -- small LED light and retractable box opener blade knife. Never know if the xA might just flip with all these floods just like the other cars on the news and you'll need to cut the seatbelts to get free. (Of course, the third thing I'll need is something to break the glass underwater...) Here, the disposable ones that have a plastic body, a push to extend blade button on the side, a spring that auto-retracts the blade, and a razor-blade cheap looking blade are the best -- cheap, so you don't worry about losing them, auto-retracts so you don't have to worry about retracting them, and deadly sharp -- they'll cut right through any fabric just like that.
Best when you get them free at various conventions as give-aways.
(same goes for a nice pen to go in the glove compartment - give-aways are the best - just got a nice cheery orange one from the huge product manufacturing convention at the Anaheim Convention Center yesterday along with free envelope openers and the usual lot of freebies)
Of course, why they shipped a car with a standard ash tray and cig lighter in 'ohh-meeee-gosh-nooooo' trying-hard-to-be-100%-smoke-free California is beyond me... I'd much rather have them put in one of the optional storage boxes they've listed on the Japanese site than something many people won't use over here. (smoking rate is much lower in the USA of males vs. Japan - and let me tell you, they puff like mad over there!)
Or a 120V AC plug would have been way cooler to have in the xA than the above -- way future for a futurisic xA, and great for the cell phones/laptops/etc.
---
Japanese page shows how the rear floor on the Ist is different than the USA model with a 1/2 fold where you can put items in the area where our spare is, while keeping the two areas seperated. Neat for the groceries, but wonder how to get that configuation on my xA - new floor? toss the spare? Hmmmmm, have to think about this one....maybe more room than I thought back there if I redid things...
---
Bought 24th Dec, all of the papers (monthly payment, extra warranty) from Toyota came yesterday. Not bad - about 2 1/2 weeks with breaks for Xmas and New Year's - so expect quick processing of the loan docs and stuff if you go with Toyota Finance.
For those that want to know, you've got 17 days or so every month from when they expect the bill to arrive until your monthly due date to pay. Should be more than enough time in case mail just gets clogged up where you are. Electronic payment is offered as well as autopay, so these options can help you out as needed.
still waiting for DMV to send the plates, so we'll see how long that takes.....
----
In case your insurance asks, the address of Toyota loan isn't the same as the Toyota Payment location, nor the location where the Toyota lienholder is located (and that important last bit isn't printed anywhere in the papers you get).
Make sure they call up the customer service number on your bill to verify the current Lienholder address to process the insurance papers properly.
----
01-12-2005, 02:00 PM
#24
Member
SL Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Brighton, TN
Posts: 67
I just wanted to thank you for the info on the rear view mirror. I'm 6'3''. It really helped my view to the passenger side of the car by raising the mirror up. I've never seen a rear view mirror that could be adjusted up and down.
01-13-2005, 12:10 AM
#25
Senior Member
SL Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 130
I think I've noticed height adjustable rearview mirrors in mid 20th century American cars, but don't remember which ones.
---
Updated my picture gallery with three new photos - xA vs. the Nissan Murano!
You can see that the xA is almost the same size as the Murano from the side view and it doesn't look that small from this angle. But from the front or rear.... well, it still is a compact car, and looks like it.
The hight of the xA is really noticable, and you can see why I say it's like driving a small truck sometimes -- you're almost at the same eye level with other trucks and SUVs vs. sitting low in other compact cars.
---
---
Updated my picture gallery with three new photos - xA vs. the Nissan Murano!
You can see that the xA is almost the same size as the Murano from the side view and it doesn't look that small from this angle. But from the front or rear.... well, it still is a compact car, and looks like it.
The hight of the xA is really noticable, and you can see why I say it's like driving a small truck sometimes -- you're almost at the same eye level with other trucks and SUVs vs. sitting low in other compact cars.
---
01-15-2005, 12:59 AM
#27
Senior Member
SL Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 130
just saw a black xA on the way into to work - nice color! and definitely a good pick vs. the 'uglier' (IMO) gray. Polish it up and it'll look nice in black! Doesn't look that small in traffic vs. the white xA, and can slip in and out of traffic w/o too much notice.
---
Hey!?!
Since when do car headlights blink in response to the door window motors?!?
On my xA, everytime I flick the door window control to lower or raise them, the headlights go dim just a little bit (hardly noticable).
Maybe a secret way for xA owners to wink, wink at each other?
(just pull up on the controls to raise the already raised windows and you can wink & keep the windows closed at the same time while blinking the headlights)
---
http://conics.net/shop/frames/notebo...50-70-spec.htm
Hmm, tiny 1lbs touchscreen laptop... Wonder if it'll fit a double-DIN slot and how it'll look under broad daylight in the xA?
Might be something to consider as an alternative to the usual stereo systems made for cars -- here, you can load up the HD with thousands of MP3, movies, and more!
And if some wireless internet card is hooked up, live internet feed in the xA?
----
Definitely NOT getting 31-38MPG as the sticker said. Going to run it down to empty, refill, and try again, but it's getting 25-28mpg here right now assuming each marker on the dial is about 1gal (with ~2 in reserve given the almost 12gal tank).
What is the exact marker to gal. value?
---
Hm, just noticed the dash near the knee is not parallel to you. The side closer to each door is farther away from that knee. Maybe that's why the xA's crash test
http://safercar.gov/NCAP/Cars/3177.html
has an asymetrical femur load?
---
---
Hey!?!
Since when do car headlights blink in response to the door window motors?!?
On my xA, everytime I flick the door window control to lower or raise them, the headlights go dim just a little bit (hardly noticable).
Maybe a secret way for xA owners to wink, wink at each other?
(just pull up on the controls to raise the already raised windows and you can wink & keep the windows closed at the same time while blinking the headlights)
---
http://conics.net/shop/frames/notebo...50-70-spec.htm
Hmm, tiny 1lbs touchscreen laptop... Wonder if it'll fit a double-DIN slot and how it'll look under broad daylight in the xA?
Might be something to consider as an alternative to the usual stereo systems made for cars -- here, you can load up the HD with thousands of MP3, movies, and more!
And if some wireless internet card is hooked up, live internet feed in the xA?
----
Definitely NOT getting 31-38MPG as the sticker said. Going to run it down to empty, refill, and try again, but it's getting 25-28mpg here right now assuming each marker on the dial is about 1gal (with ~2 in reserve given the almost 12gal tank).
What is the exact marker to gal. value?
---
Hm, just noticed the dash near the knee is not parallel to you. The side closer to each door is farther away from that knee. Maybe that's why the xA's crash test
http://safercar.gov/NCAP/Cars/3177.html
has an asymetrical femur load?
---
01-16-2005, 06:00 AM
#28
Senior Member
SL Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 130
Seeing more Scions zip right past everyday now -- today, it was a gorgeous 'orange'ish bb (xB) and a silver tC on the 405. bb was yummy and stood out right away! tC still has the gorgeous coupe styling I like -- a 95' era Civic updated in my eyes.
---
anyways, dropped 50+ miles on freeway driving today, and the xA is as jumpy as ever. You don't notice it that much on smooth streets, but on the often bumpy 405, the xA can get jittery as a jumping jack, and the tummy feels the kicks of the suspension quite a bit.
Definitely avoid buying the xA if you had Camry smooth ride in mind!!!!!!!!
Still don't know if I need to put more miles in to wear it in, but the xA might just need a suspension upgrade soon at this rate if I do more freeway miles (luckily, not - work is close by).
---
I was looking through the glass today to clean it and wondering why the interior wasn't that hot despite the summer-like day today. Green-ish glass? Looking at my other cars, the glass looks greener than the others, so I'm suspecting that even though it doesn't say on the sticker, the xA has some sort of heat-blocking glass similar to the Camry's? Or maybe just thicker glass? They might not be as effective as what's on Toyota's higher-end cars, but it does work well enough to keep it a touch cooler out in the sun. I wonder....
---
4 weeks out in the open and the xA is definitely looking for a bath & wash! White picks up a lot of dust and dirt fast, and hopefully tomorrow will be a good time to test the mr. Clean AutoDry car wash kit.
---
The gas low indicator is next to the odometer reading, and it's not that noticable since it's only a black on gray LCD icon flashing away (unlike a real LED light blinking away, which I'd prefer).
Goes off about a needle width from Empty, and fill up from there is about 9.5 gallons. Didn't mark the exact start of the last fill up, which got me about 260 miles, so we're still doing under 31mpg (city rating of the xA).
We'll see what's the mpg the next fillup, but I have a feeling the xA is nowhere as gas efficient as the sticker says. =(
(class action ala that other car which reported high, but got low mpg....?)
This time, the pump didn't auto shutoff, but rather just click-click-click...'d on, so apparently, the xA gas interface may not be as amiable to auto-shutoff gas fillups....or maybe it was just a broken pump nozzle? Will have to see how that goes in the future as well (will the xA go up in flames one day...?).
---
Odometer has two trip meters which is nice, but no way to pause either one of them =( I would have prefered that to keep track of the distance to one place while tracking the current distance to another. And resetting them is definitely a bend-over-the-dash reach (vs. my other compacts), so putting everything in that center console has it's drawbacks.
---
Visor is high enough that you can clip a speakerphone cell phone to it and make calls ala a built-in hands-free system. It's nice that the xA doesn't get very loud in city driving, so you can easily hear the other party.
Thing with the visor still is that it takes a lot higher amount of force to pop it out of the latched position to swing it around than other cars I've had, so it's definitely a 'low-price-car' feel thing. Wonder if they changed visors from the Japan to USA model...?
---
Fatwallet.com/forums/ -> free stuff has been nice recently. Just jumped in on one of the free CD case offers usually posted there, and got it yesterday. Very handy for keeping the CDs in the flip open in the center console, and lets me keep more CDs in there (vs. Jewel cases). The soft neoprene (on my freebie) is nice - doesn't scratch the flip open cover when it bumps against it during driving.
---
---
anyways, dropped 50+ miles on freeway driving today, and the xA is as jumpy as ever. You don't notice it that much on smooth streets, but on the often bumpy 405, the xA can get jittery as a jumping jack, and the tummy feels the kicks of the suspension quite a bit.
Definitely avoid buying the xA if you had Camry smooth ride in mind!!!!!!!!
Still don't know if I need to put more miles in to wear it in, but the xA might just need a suspension upgrade soon at this rate if I do more freeway miles (luckily, not - work is close by).
---
I was looking through the glass today to clean it and wondering why the interior wasn't that hot despite the summer-like day today. Green-ish glass? Looking at my other cars, the glass looks greener than the others, so I'm suspecting that even though it doesn't say on the sticker, the xA has some sort of heat-blocking glass similar to the Camry's? Or maybe just thicker glass? They might not be as effective as what's on Toyota's higher-end cars, but it does work well enough to keep it a touch cooler out in the sun. I wonder....
---
4 weeks out in the open and the xA is definitely looking for a bath & wash! White picks up a lot of dust and dirt fast, and hopefully tomorrow will be a good time to test the mr. Clean AutoDry car wash kit.
---
The gas low indicator is next to the odometer reading, and it's not that noticable since it's only a black on gray LCD icon flashing away (unlike a real LED light blinking away, which I'd prefer).
Goes off about a needle width from Empty, and fill up from there is about 9.5 gallons. Didn't mark the exact start of the last fill up, which got me about 260 miles, so we're still doing under 31mpg (city rating of the xA).
We'll see what's the mpg the next fillup, but I have a feeling the xA is nowhere as gas efficient as the sticker says. =(
(class action ala that other car which reported high, but got low mpg....?)
This time, the pump didn't auto shutoff, but rather just click-click-click...'d on, so apparently, the xA gas interface may not be as amiable to auto-shutoff gas fillups....or maybe it was just a broken pump nozzle? Will have to see how that goes in the future as well (will the xA go up in flames one day...?).
---
Odometer has two trip meters which is nice, but no way to pause either one of them =( I would have prefered that to keep track of the distance to one place while tracking the current distance to another. And resetting them is definitely a bend-over-the-dash reach (vs. my other compacts), so putting everything in that center console has it's drawbacks.
---
Visor is high enough that you can clip a speakerphone cell phone to it and make calls ala a built-in hands-free system. It's nice that the xA doesn't get very loud in city driving, so you can easily hear the other party.
Thing with the visor still is that it takes a lot higher amount of force to pop it out of the latched position to swing it around than other cars I've had, so it's definitely a 'low-price-car' feel thing. Wonder if they changed visors from the Japan to USA model...?
---
Fatwallet.com/forums/ -> free stuff has been nice recently. Just jumped in on one of the free CD case offers usually posted there, and got it yesterday. Very handy for keeping the CDs in the flip open in the center console, and lets me keep more CDs in there (vs. Jewel cases). The soft neoprene (on my freebie) is nice - doesn't scratch the flip open cover when it bumps against it during driving.
---
01-18-2005, 03:30 AM
#29
Senior Member
SL Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 130
The Mr.Clean AutoDry car wash kit got its workout yesterday. It's actually got four steps - rinse, suds, rinse, final rinse - so you're gonna be out there spraying a bit. The wash part was the most fun - the suds smell good, like some Japanese-made soap, and with the mitt (optional), it sure got all of the dirt off the xA in no time flat. It was nice because you simply squirted more suds on with one hand, mitt'd with the other -- no more bucket duty! But, you do take longer because you have to go through 4 cycles of putting water/suds on the car in all. The final step, well anyone would be skeptical, but it did do the job of having the water dry w/o spotting on most of the car. The few areas? My fault for doing it in bright So. Cal sunshine despite the rules against that on the box - but the usual - windows, and toosh - the water just seemed to streak a bit down it's butt. But otherwise, the rest of the car dried w/o having to touch it with a cloth, and that made me happy! No more ugly swirl marks; no more arm work to get the car dry before the water spotted all over.
So, I figure it's a 90% there kit, and worth it in my book. I'd do the widows seperately anyways - Rain-X treatment after using Stoner's Glass Cleaner - so no problems if the widows get a bit spotted anyways. (not only that, I've found that smog residue just simply doesn't come off even with a suds and wash - you really do have to use something like Stoner's or Windex)
Fun was the plus, so I zipped right out and bought more soap and filter for the next year.
---
Maybe a Scion car wash meet ?
---
Stoner's Glass Cleaner is one product I'd recommend over Windex. Whatever they did - it sure cleans glass a whole lot easier w/o dripping or running vs. windex, and it always gets my glass crystal clear. Good product in a spray can - find it at auto stores.
---
Rain-X. Definitely works on glass, and you can even drive on rainy days w/o the wipers (depends on rain & car). The xA has windows that just don't want to clear themselves of rain drops easily, and those drops just sit there - on the mirrors, the side windows, the front and back windows no matter how fast you seem to drive. Well, RainX these and rain drops just slide right off them like butter.
Definitely recommended given how bad the side windows clear -- ie. they don't - and it's really hard to see out the side (don't forget to do the mirrors, too!) on rainy days.
---
My friend, who owns a BMW 5 series, just sat in the xA today and loved it. strange, but true. The xA definitely feels higher-class to some people than the $13k price would suggest. The dash texture was one point that stood out from the usual econobox; same with the cushy seats.
---
Very odd -- I'm finding lots of places in the xA where they're using foam?!? as spacers/gap fillers/etc. I'll post pictures later, but one example is in the engine compartment right where the hood hinges on both sides -- they've got black foam there for whatever reason, and I'm already pulling my hair knowing that'll be the first things to go in this car.
What is Toyota thinking?!? Foam like that just doesn't stand up to weathering or sun, and maybe all of us xA owners will have pieces of ugly foam bits flaking off in a few years.
One place where they use the foam is between the front glass and the dash. Right there at the lower edge, you can see the foam. On my xA, it's not even, with some parts sticking out more than other parts along that edge -- very un-Toyota like and it almost seems like something a Hyundai would do - fast, cheap, and imprecise.
Makes me wonder.... maybe it is true what they say about the recent trend of younger Japanese getting lazier... (unless it's the robots if they've got these car windshields autoassembled...., but when do robots get lazy like this? and where's quality control after it's assembled to double-check?)
---
Dash and side door material is that crazy material that picks up white-ish marks whenever a person rubs them wrong. For whatever reason, it just is. The only thing I've found that takes them away easily? Grab-it static cling dry wipes. Brings the interior back to brand new just like that.
Thinking about it -- I don't recall another black interior car that picks up marks so easily. maybe it's whatever 'new' material Toyota put into the xA?
---
The glass is definitely heat blocking to some degree - in today's 80 degree+ weather, it was not very hot at all getting into the xA parked outdoors, and the glass is definitely darker green than regular auto-glass.
anyways, it doesn't mean the car won't get hot! -- days like this still demand the AC to be on, but the combo of four windows rolled down for a few seconds + the fast acting AC means you won't be sweating long. Nice thing is that the windows do open all the way down, so you get a nice cross breeze that literally swaps the old interior air out for new in seconds flat on the road.
The fabric seats are nice, too! It may get hot outside, but they're never too hot to sit on on a hot day.
---
Rear wiper doesn't flip and stay out, so you'll have to hold it with one hand when applying RainX, or cleaning the rear window.
---
Three notches down, about three gallons since the last fillup, and still about 30mpg. Sigh... guess it'll never hit 38mpg....
So, I figure it's a 90% there kit, and worth it in my book. I'd do the widows seperately anyways - Rain-X treatment after using Stoner's Glass Cleaner - so no problems if the widows get a bit spotted anyways. (not only that, I've found that smog residue just simply doesn't come off even with a suds and wash - you really do have to use something like Stoner's or Windex)
Fun was the plus, so I zipped right out and bought more soap and filter for the next year.
---
Maybe a Scion car wash meet ?
---
Stoner's Glass Cleaner is one product I'd recommend over Windex. Whatever they did - it sure cleans glass a whole lot easier w/o dripping or running vs. windex, and it always gets my glass crystal clear. Good product in a spray can - find it at auto stores.
---
Rain-X. Definitely works on glass, and you can even drive on rainy days w/o the wipers (depends on rain & car). The xA has windows that just don't want to clear themselves of rain drops easily, and those drops just sit there - on the mirrors, the side windows, the front and back windows no matter how fast you seem to drive. Well, RainX these and rain drops just slide right off them like butter.
Definitely recommended given how bad the side windows clear -- ie. they don't - and it's really hard to see out the side (don't forget to do the mirrors, too!) on rainy days.
---
My friend, who owns a BMW 5 series, just sat in the xA today and loved it. strange, but true. The xA definitely feels higher-class to some people than the $13k price would suggest. The dash texture was one point that stood out from the usual econobox; same with the cushy seats.
---
Very odd -- I'm finding lots of places in the xA where they're using foam?!? as spacers/gap fillers/etc. I'll post pictures later, but one example is in the engine compartment right where the hood hinges on both sides -- they've got black foam there for whatever reason, and I'm already pulling my hair knowing that'll be the first things to go in this car.
What is Toyota thinking?!? Foam like that just doesn't stand up to weathering or sun, and maybe all of us xA owners will have pieces of ugly foam bits flaking off in a few years.
One place where they use the foam is between the front glass and the dash. Right there at the lower edge, you can see the foam. On my xA, it's not even, with some parts sticking out more than other parts along that edge -- very un-Toyota like and it almost seems like something a Hyundai would do - fast, cheap, and imprecise.
Makes me wonder.... maybe it is true what they say about the recent trend of younger Japanese getting lazier... (unless it's the robots if they've got these car windshields autoassembled...., but when do robots get lazy like this? and where's quality control after it's assembled to double-check?)
---
Dash and side door material is that crazy material that picks up white-ish marks whenever a person rubs them wrong. For whatever reason, it just is. The only thing I've found that takes them away easily? Grab-it static cling dry wipes. Brings the interior back to brand new just like that.
Thinking about it -- I don't recall another black interior car that picks up marks so easily. maybe it's whatever 'new' material Toyota put into the xA?
---
The glass is definitely heat blocking to some degree - in today's 80 degree+ weather, it was not very hot at all getting into the xA parked outdoors, and the glass is definitely darker green than regular auto-glass.
anyways, it doesn't mean the car won't get hot! -- days like this still demand the AC to be on, but the combo of four windows rolled down for a few seconds + the fast acting AC means you won't be sweating long. Nice thing is that the windows do open all the way down, so you get a nice cross breeze that literally swaps the old interior air out for new in seconds flat on the road.
The fabric seats are nice, too! It may get hot outside, but they're never too hot to sit on on a hot day.
---
Rear wiper doesn't flip and stay out, so you'll have to hold it with one hand when applying RainX, or cleaning the rear window.
---
Three notches down, about three gallons since the last fillup, and still about 30mpg. Sigh... guess it'll never hit 38mpg....
01-22-2005, 04:35 AM
#30
Senior Member
SL Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 130
Rain-X does its usual wonders - water just rolls right off the front and side windows just like that, and helps with the usual condensation that collects on the car due to the early morning mist/fog/moisture.
Happy I got it on -- here, used the Rain-X wipes rather than the bottle and found that you really go through about 5-6 wipes for all of the glass on the xA instead of just one. Here, RainX is lightly saturated on the wipes, and so the sheet will evaporate quickly, well before you've had a chance to do more than a front window, or two sides.
Still getting <30mpg on the ~9.5 gal fillup (down to two notches before empty), so we'll see if this baby will ever do better!
---
Looked under the front seat for some lost quarters, and found an under seat vent?!?
Hmmm, looks like the rear passengers get some vents (although hidden), too, so that's a nice touch for a $13k car!
---
Hmmm, was the flip-up center console compartment ever lit during the night in normal driving? I thought it was, but it only lights up when I open the door.
Anyone check their xA? Headlights on, at night driving, center console lit or not lit on the stock xA?
Hate to have a broken something on a new xA, but it seems odd -- shouldn't it be lit so I can find my CDs at night?
---
Tires and xA are settling in nice -- it's not a race car setup, but for a town car, it's nice on dry days -- enough grip for most regular stuff, decently quiet, handles well, and no real problems here.
So even though the people at tirerack.com say it's terrible, it's really okay for most regular town driving on the xA.
Just don't go zipping around corners too fast -- the xA was tested to have 0.74g in that one car magazine review (2004 model).
---
The setup is interesting -- when I'm driving city, the xA sounds like some fancy metro or electric rail car. The light whirl of the engine and tires as it speeds up, the same as it comes to a soft stop in light driving. Soothing in fact....
---
The front seats - still can't adjust them to be totally comfy ala my 95 Civic coupe seats. The latter fits me just perfect, and I don't squirm or move about like the xA after long drives. The xA seats here don't have enough lumbar support, so you can hunch a bit if sitting straight. Lean back more and the seats just don't cradle every part of the back as well as the Civic seats, so something's always feeling a touch left out.
Nothing too distracting, but I do notice on longer drives.
---
Forget the little Sony U50 for a dash computer! One look at the super-tiny fonts on the super-tiny screen and you know those Japanese designers went nuts -- you have to hold it up to your face just to make out fonts that look still too small.
What were they thinking?!?
---
Otherwise, nice car and still crusing along in the first month of ownership...
---
Saw another gray-ish xA today - definitely not my color! Looks dirty and way too small! Back to white and red for me!
---
Happy I got it on -- here, used the Rain-X wipes rather than the bottle and found that you really go through about 5-6 wipes for all of the glass on the xA instead of just one. Here, RainX is lightly saturated on the wipes, and so the sheet will evaporate quickly, well before you've had a chance to do more than a front window, or two sides.
Still getting <30mpg on the ~9.5 gal fillup (down to two notches before empty), so we'll see if this baby will ever do better!
---
Looked under the front seat for some lost quarters, and found an under seat vent?!?
Hmmm, looks like the rear passengers get some vents (although hidden), too, so that's a nice touch for a $13k car!
---
Hmmm, was the flip-up center console compartment ever lit during the night in normal driving? I thought it was, but it only lights up when I open the door.
Anyone check their xA? Headlights on, at night driving, center console lit or not lit on the stock xA?
Hate to have a broken something on a new xA, but it seems odd -- shouldn't it be lit so I can find my CDs at night?
---
Tires and xA are settling in nice -- it's not a race car setup, but for a town car, it's nice on dry days -- enough grip for most regular stuff, decently quiet, handles well, and no real problems here.
So even though the people at tirerack.com say it's terrible, it's really okay for most regular town driving on the xA.
Just don't go zipping around corners too fast -- the xA was tested to have 0.74g in that one car magazine review (2004 model).
---
The setup is interesting -- when I'm driving city, the xA sounds like some fancy metro or electric rail car. The light whirl of the engine and tires as it speeds up, the same as it comes to a soft stop in light driving. Soothing in fact....
---
The front seats - still can't adjust them to be totally comfy ala my 95 Civic coupe seats. The latter fits me just perfect, and I don't squirm or move about like the xA after long drives. The xA seats here don't have enough lumbar support, so you can hunch a bit if sitting straight. Lean back more and the seats just don't cradle every part of the back as well as the Civic seats, so something's always feeling a touch left out.
Nothing too distracting, but I do notice on longer drives.
---
Forget the little Sony U50 for a dash computer! One look at the super-tiny fonts on the super-tiny screen and you know those Japanese designers went nuts -- you have to hold it up to your face just to make out fonts that look still too small.
What were they thinking?!?
---
Otherwise, nice car and still crusing along in the first month of ownership...
---
Saw another gray-ish xA today - definitely not my color! Looks dirty and way too small! Back to white and red for me!
---
01-22-2005, 06:40 PM
#31
Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Posts: 40
Dash cubbyhole light
The center `oven` in the console lights up only when the doors are open in a stock xA. I wish it were otherwise. It would be nice to have the ability to turn it on without having to rewire.
01-23-2005, 07:57 PM
#32
Senior Member
SL Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 130
Driving the ups & downs in Laguna Beach streets and finding the automatic transmission to be as smart as Toyota says on their Japanese website.
They say they've put in an intelligent hill climb/descent transmission that keeps the car in gear and at set speed when going up/down hills, and that it doesn't shift continuously through gears on hills due to small changes in speed.
Well - it works!
I'm suprised in a car this cheap! But pretty much hit a hill at whatever mph, and you don't have to push the pedal down any more to get it to stick at that speed all the way up.
Then, on the way down, simply pick whatever speed you like (use brakes and accel.), then simply let off the accel. pedal and the car will stick to that speed all the way down. The baby simply doesn't need any traditional downshifting/brake tapping on the way down, and it's pretty dead on -- never changes more than 2-3 mph max from what it's locked onto.
Very nice - like those hill ascent/descent systems in more expensive SUVs - and it takes a lot of worry out of hills. (and a big difference for me coming from older cars w/auto that don't have this feature)
---
Of course, on peek under the rear of the xA on a sunny day reveals a box stuck to the underside, lots of exposed piping, and so forth -- don't go thinking this baby will do hills and rocky terrain w/o breaking something! There's quite a lot of exposed parts that'll fall off it they get hit on the underside (wish they'd done something to make the xA more like a true SUV).
---
1 week - that's how long a xA sitting outdoors in sunny weather will last before the rear gets grimy from the kickback and the usual dust in the sky. Rest of the car doesn't need a wash, but the rear looks bad. Unlike normal cars, this baby's gonna need some parts cleaned far more frequently.
They say they've put in an intelligent hill climb/descent transmission that keeps the car in gear and at set speed when going up/down hills, and that it doesn't shift continuously through gears on hills due to small changes in speed.
Well - it works!
I'm suprised in a car this cheap! But pretty much hit a hill at whatever mph, and you don't have to push the pedal down any more to get it to stick at that speed all the way up.
Then, on the way down, simply pick whatever speed you like (use brakes and accel.), then simply let off the accel. pedal and the car will stick to that speed all the way down. The baby simply doesn't need any traditional downshifting/brake tapping on the way down, and it's pretty dead on -- never changes more than 2-3 mph max from what it's locked onto.
Very nice - like those hill ascent/descent systems in more expensive SUVs - and it takes a lot of worry out of hills. (and a big difference for me coming from older cars w/auto that don't have this feature)
---
Of course, on peek under the rear of the xA on a sunny day reveals a box stuck to the underside, lots of exposed piping, and so forth -- don't go thinking this baby will do hills and rocky terrain w/o breaking something! There's quite a lot of exposed parts that'll fall off it they get hit on the underside (wish they'd done something to make the xA more like a true SUV).
---
1 week - that's how long a xA sitting outdoors in sunny weather will last before the rear gets grimy from the kickback and the usual dust in the sky. Rest of the car doesn't need a wash, but the rear looks bad. Unlike normal cars, this baby's gonna need some parts cleaned far more frequently.
01-25-2005, 12:40 AM
#33
Senior Member
SL Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 130
Latest gas refuel:
269 miles, 9.2224 gallons = 29.168mpg =(
and it wasn't even with hard driving at all, just mixed city and freeway commutes.
Maybe they stuck the mpk sticker on and forgot to take it off for the USA model? ;P
---
Okay, tires are definitely scary. Moderate (70%) braking stop today and the tires were already chirping/skidding a touch (just at the borderline, ABS didn't kick in yet) - and this was for a typical stop you'd encounter days in city driving.
They remind me of the skinny stock tires on many compact sedans - the ones where you brake to stop, but only skid and crash.
Tire change is a =must= for any parents and anyone wanting to stop in time in a quick stop. Figure at 70% braking the tires were already chirping, 100%, you'd slide right into another car and crash hard.
sigh... makes me wish for my Kumho/Bridgestone's on the Sentra... Figure if you buy a xA, get the upgraded tire package or drop in $1k to the bottom line for a new set of =safe= tires.
those tirerack.com reports were right about the scary part on this tire (bridgestone re92)...
269 miles, 9.2224 gallons = 29.168mpg =(
and it wasn't even with hard driving at all, just mixed city and freeway commutes.
Maybe they stuck the mpk sticker on and forgot to take it off for the USA model? ;P
---
Okay, tires are definitely scary. Moderate (70%) braking stop today and the tires were already chirping/skidding a touch (just at the borderline, ABS didn't kick in yet) - and this was for a typical stop you'd encounter days in city driving.
They remind me of the skinny stock tires on many compact sedans - the ones where you brake to stop, but only skid and crash.
Tire change is a =must= for any parents and anyone wanting to stop in time in a quick stop. Figure at 70% braking the tires were already chirping, 100%, you'd slide right into another car and crash hard.
sigh... makes me wish for my Kumho/Bridgestone's on the Sentra... Figure if you buy a xA, get the upgraded tire package or drop in $1k to the bottom line for a new set of =safe= tires.
those tirerack.com reports were right about the scary part on this tire (bridgestone re92)...
01-25-2005, 10:32 AM
#34
Senior Member
SL Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Southern Illinois
Posts: 159
2005 xA. Mostly rural highway. Rural towns. Some rural roads and a little interstate. Total 1373 miles. 39.002 gallon total fuel pumped. Lowest grade unleaded (no alcohol). Average overall 35.20 MPG. Highest per fill was 37.3 MPG. However the problem with filling the tank of this car makes determination of tank to tank average suspect. Only longer mileage computations have validity.
01-25-2005, 10:56 AM
#35
Senior Member
SL Member
Team N.V.S.
people should be damn pleased with anything over 25mpg. end of story lol. if u want a gas sipper try on an old aircooled bug , you race it hard and still get 30mpg. cheaper insurance and purchase price too.
02-01-2005, 04:00 AM
#36
Senior Member
SL Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 130
On track once again to go below 30mpg on this fill up. Not gunning the baby or anything, just regular LA traffic driving, and the xA just doesn't like life in the high MPG crowd. Oh, well, at least 29mpg or so is better than my old Sentra (at 25mpg or so).
---
This neighboorhood is quickly become Scion-city - a new dark blue xA popped up down one side street, a xB on another, and I'm wondering where they keep coming from? =P It's like you buy the first unique looking car on the block, then everyone else has to buy one <grin>.
---
My white xA looks nice now that it has new, red Moshi Maro seat covers (will take pics tommorrow when it's sunny and post). The usual crazy-Asian-anime expensive at $70 from one of those Irvine, CA shops, but whatever! gotta love the stand-out red! Of course, anyone with some time could always sew a few pieces together themselves, or get a local shop to sew them to spec.
Maybe what we need are xA-logo seat covers?
---
Just realized not only are the front vents different distances from your hands (thus one is always hotter/colder than the other), they're also spaced differently horizontally.
This is yet another vent-design-flaw because I realized that you can never really get the air coming out of the center vents off your face entirely while pointed in generally your direction to heat/cool you. (The other vents nar the windows are just fine.)
Best I've gotten is to have the closest center vent pointed slightly down and towards the middle to get it off my face, but then there's less cooling/heating than I'd prefer.
Wish Toyota really thought the design a bit better -- they could have easily taken care of this problem in R&D.
---
Cheap & quick interior map lighting - bookstore, get a small LED book light, clip to one of the vents, and off you go. Was at Waldenbooks and they had a bunch for $10 for a tiny little thing that's just a clip and the light on a gooseneck that can fit into the palm of your hand.
Still have to figure if I want to spend all of the trouble to rewire and put in some BMW ceiling mounted soft-accent LED lighting to shine down on the front area....
---
Okay, it's not quiet. Friend's Lexus ES330 is far quieter at speed and the suspension is way better at soaking up ruts, but the xA still isn't 'bad' like older generation compacts. Definitely not as good as even the latest Mazda3 hatch my other friend has for ride, but oh, well. Can't beg for the world in a $13k runabout.
Honestly, the Mazda3 is a great hatch to compare and buy for about the same price if you're looking at a xA - same thing, bigger, smoother ride (and if you've got $, more features to thrown into it). But at the same price range, the Mazda3 can be a better commuter if you hate bumpy rides ala xA. The rear area of the Mazda3 also has a more useful space as well vs. the xA, which really doesn't hold much at all.
(eg. you can toss a big dog into the back of the Mazda3 easy; forget anything but Paris's toy dog for the xA with the rear seats up)
---
Rear seat fold down is fine - but you have to make sure the front seats are forward enough to let the rear headrests clear the back of the seats -- otherwise, they'll get caught on the way down.
That said, you can adjust the seats so their comfy for most drivers w/o having to re-adjust for the fold down - here, 5'8" and no problems with front leg room and enough clearance in back for the fold down.
---
This neighboorhood is quickly become Scion-city - a new dark blue xA popped up down one side street, a xB on another, and I'm wondering where they keep coming from? =P It's like you buy the first unique looking car on the block, then everyone else has to buy one <grin>.
---
My white xA looks nice now that it has new, red Moshi Maro seat covers (will take pics tommorrow when it's sunny and post). The usual crazy-Asian-anime expensive at $70 from one of those Irvine, CA shops, but whatever! gotta love the stand-out red! Of course, anyone with some time could always sew a few pieces together themselves, or get a local shop to sew them to spec.
Maybe what we need are xA-logo seat covers?
---
Just realized not only are the front vents different distances from your hands (thus one is always hotter/colder than the other), they're also spaced differently horizontally.
This is yet another vent-design-flaw because I realized that you can never really get the air coming out of the center vents off your face entirely while pointed in generally your direction to heat/cool you. (The other vents nar the windows are just fine.)
Best I've gotten is to have the closest center vent pointed slightly down and towards the middle to get it off my face, but then there's less cooling/heating than I'd prefer.
Wish Toyota really thought the design a bit better -- they could have easily taken care of this problem in R&D.
---
Cheap & quick interior map lighting - bookstore, get a small LED book light, clip to one of the vents, and off you go. Was at Waldenbooks and they had a bunch for $10 for a tiny little thing that's just a clip and the light on a gooseneck that can fit into the palm of your hand.
Still have to figure if I want to spend all of the trouble to rewire and put in some BMW ceiling mounted soft-accent LED lighting to shine down on the front area....
---
Okay, it's not quiet. Friend's Lexus ES330 is far quieter at speed and the suspension is way better at soaking up ruts, but the xA still isn't 'bad' like older generation compacts. Definitely not as good as even the latest Mazda3 hatch my other friend has for ride, but oh, well. Can't beg for the world in a $13k runabout.
Honestly, the Mazda3 is a great hatch to compare and buy for about the same price if you're looking at a xA - same thing, bigger, smoother ride (and if you've got $, more features to thrown into it). But at the same price range, the Mazda3 can be a better commuter if you hate bumpy rides ala xA. The rear area of the Mazda3 also has a more useful space as well vs. the xA, which really doesn't hold much at all.
(eg. you can toss a big dog into the back of the Mazda3 easy; forget anything but Paris's toy dog for the xA with the rear seats up)
---
Rear seat fold down is fine - but you have to make sure the front seats are forward enough to let the rear headrests clear the back of the seats -- otherwise, they'll get caught on the way down.
That said, you can adjust the seats so their comfy for most drivers w/o having to re-adjust for the fold down - here, 5'8" and no problems with front leg room and enough clearance in back for the fold down.
02-02-2005, 09:19 PM
#37
Senior Member
SL Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 130
as an example of how the xA fares insurance-wise, state farm quoted me:
multi-car discount, $500 deduct, comp, colli, etc. - above avg. $ for everything (forget, not the standard minimum)
sentra 93 - 322 (paid off, but totalled in an accident - my xA replaces this
scion xa - 400.25
civic - 445.10
corrola - 445.10
mazda 3 - 422.08
camry - 433.56
prius - 471.92
G35 - 492.96
C320 - 516.34
multi-car discount, $500 deduct, comp, colli, etc. - above avg. $ for everything (forget, not the standard minimum)
sentra 93 - 322 (paid off, but totalled in an accident - my xA replaces this
scion xa - 400.25
civic - 445.10
corrola - 445.10
mazda 3 - 422.08
camry - 433.56
prius - 471.92
G35 - 492.96
C320 - 516.34
02-03-2005, 01:12 PM
#38
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Montrose, Houston, TX
Posts: 22
Er, for how many months at that price? Is that quarterly?
I live in Houston, Texas (which is in Harris county) which "boasts" the highest insurance rates in the nation. I haven't gotten a quote for my xA yet.
My Camry is about $127 a month and my record is absolutely spotless (and I'm a 32 year old male).
I live in Houston, Texas (which is in Harris county) which "boasts" the highest insurance rates in the nation. I haven't gotten a quote for my xA yet.
My Camry is about $127 a month and my record is absolutely spotless (and I'm a 32 year old male).
02-05-2005, 03:56 AM
#39
Senior Member
SL Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 130
Oh, that's for 6 months (1/2 year) quotes.
---
Anyways, out with the flu, so no picture updates today.
Did have my worst nightmare a few days ago - saw 5 xBs and 1 xA in the course of a few hours driving here in Los Angeles. Scions are definitely not unique here anymore, and they're popping up like Civics. <grin>
---
At least I had time to scan all of my new Japanese Ist brochure & magazine articles into my computer today -- the full Japanese catalog is sweet! and it confirms that they've put in standard UV blocking glass (extra green looking) into the xAs. That's a nice touch on a $13k car, so less sunspots for us all!
Naturally, they had to taunt us with pictures of their DVD navi system, automatic climate control system, and rear view backup camera monitor - all the usual goodies they love to strip out of cars coming to the USA. Sigh.....
Also gone, the adjustable seat height, the HID system, 4WD, etc.
Suprisingly, for a multi-year old design, the Ist still ranks in the top 12 of best selling cars in multiple car sales rankings in Japan.
Anyways, now that I've got over a 700MB of scans done, time to burn them to disc!
You can definitely get a lot more information on the Ist/xA from these Japanese magainzes and sources -- they've even got the usual comparative reviews of xA vs. other cars in quite some detail. Whew! At least the flu has its benefits - I got a lot of scanning-Ist-work done today!
---
One suprise was the sneak preview in the Jan issue of one of my Japanese car magazines -- had Toyota's latest Vitz model completely detailed and explained.
WoWa!!!!
I'd vote this baby for the next xA replacement right away! It's got a ton of improvements over the xA, and nice features like the Sharp Plasmacluster Ion generating air-cleaning air vents! (kills bacteria and removes odors)
---
Yeah, wish the USA didn't go cheap on brochures -- we really haven't got a nice xA brochure that really explains everything it has. (Like the Hill Ascent/Descent smart auto tranny.) At least the 34 page Japanese brochure has whetted my appetite quite nicely!
---
---
Anyways, out with the flu, so no picture updates today.
Did have my worst nightmare a few days ago - saw 5 xBs and 1 xA in the course of a few hours driving here in Los Angeles. Scions are definitely not unique here anymore, and they're popping up like Civics. <grin>
---
At least I had time to scan all of my new Japanese Ist brochure & magazine articles into my computer today -- the full Japanese catalog is sweet! and it confirms that they've put in standard UV blocking glass (extra green looking) into the xAs. That's a nice touch on a $13k car, so less sunspots for us all!
Naturally, they had to taunt us with pictures of their DVD navi system, automatic climate control system, and rear view backup camera monitor - all the usual goodies they love to strip out of cars coming to the USA. Sigh.....
Also gone, the adjustable seat height, the HID system, 4WD, etc.
Suprisingly, for a multi-year old design, the Ist still ranks in the top 12 of best selling cars in multiple car sales rankings in Japan.
Anyways, now that I've got over a 700MB of scans done, time to burn them to disc!
You can definitely get a lot more information on the Ist/xA from these Japanese magainzes and sources -- they've even got the usual comparative reviews of xA vs. other cars in quite some detail. Whew! At least the flu has its benefits - I got a lot of scanning-Ist-work done today!
---
One suprise was the sneak preview in the Jan issue of one of my Japanese car magazines -- had Toyota's latest Vitz model completely detailed and explained.
WoWa!!!!
I'd vote this baby for the next xA replacement right away! It's got a ton of improvements over the xA, and nice features like the Sharp Plasmacluster Ion generating air-cleaning air vents! (kills bacteria and removes odors)
---
Yeah, wish the USA didn't go cheap on brochures -- we really haven't got a nice xA brochure that really explains everything it has. (Like the Hill Ascent/Descent smart auto tranny.) At least the 34 page Japanese brochure has whetted my appetite quite nicely!
---