PupSocket

I was searching for comments about the fuel gauge and found your thread. Still haven't seen an answer, but it's been interesting reading your diary.

Every other car I've ever owned, Japanese or domestic, has used the letters "E" and "F" at either end of the fuel gauge to represent empty and full. Our Scion has "1/1" for full, and "R" for empty. Definitely a quirk.

A few comments on your experiences:
If typical LA driving means 80mph on the freeway, you won't get good mileage unless you tuck way up behind a semi and stay there. Spend that extra fuel budget on paint though...

Our manual stated that "some models" received the two cabin air filters. Like you, I found the empty tray for the top one, but no provisions for the front mount. Genuine Toyota filter element runs about $22. It's simply a washboard-molded thin white piece, and I'll definitely be cutting my own when it needs replacing.

I also had a chance to drive an '06 Camry as a temp loaner while options were being installed, and I checked the filter there as well. First, the glove box is much easier to remove - bigger, thus more flexible. Secondly, still no front cartridge, even though the manual mentioned it. Also, the tray accepts a framed accordion-fold filter similar to what I've seen marked as "HEPA" on vacuum cleaners.

The '06 stock radio may have been upgraded. One thing that took some setting was the speed sensitive volume setting. On high, it seemed too quiet at idle. Medium works well. Also, FM, AM, CD, MP3, and AUX all store the base/treble settings independently, which makes tuning for different sources more consistent.

It's not a Lexus, but it's not bad at all for an entry level car.

adorable

Well, entry-level is definitely it!

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Tested the xA along with the brand-new 06 Civic, and it's still a world of difference. Yes, the suspension in the new Civic is now as foo-foo as one of those ol' school American cars - floaty, gentle, forget about feedback - but it's definitely quieter and rides far less bumpy than the xA, which still jumps about like a jitterbug on the 22 & 5 freeways here.

If you don't like jitters, noise, or other low-cost car woes, just skip right past the xA and pick out a nice Civic or Corolla. I still can't believe how jittery this xA is once you've tested out a new compact competitor - they've seriously have got to drop in some nicer suspension gear!

One big reason not to buy the xA again, if offered! Seriously! It made some of my passengers sick to their stomachs on the bumpy 5 freeway! (something a Toyota Camry would simply glide right over)

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Just over 1 year of ownership here, and it's held up decently well.

The rear bumper is a joke! You can squish it and almost pop it off just by gently backing it up into a wall - ol' school metal bumpers never had that problem at all! It's almost like a weak soda can, so don't expect to have any sort of bumper protection (or any bumper left at all) in a crash above 10mph. These are definitely <5mph bumpers. Also, on mine, they get pitted/marred by road debris far easier than any other bumper I've had on other cars. It's also a joke!

(Yes, I'm sure Toyota had something in mind when they went and used softer bumper/hood materials/design for 'crash' compatibility with pedestrials, but honestly, I'm not sure if it'll matter if you do hit a ped. at any speed >10mph.)

Much rather would prefer a nice, solid bumper instead of this joke =(

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Yes, it's a mid to moderately high noisy compact. A new Civic blows it away by far - you can talk at a normal level and hear low volume speakers in the Civic just fine, but in the xA, speak up and raise the radio volume.

As an example, at <40mph, you can hear the radio at a level of 6-7 easily on good roads. Once you're up past 65mph, gotta crank it up to 11-13 =( This car was definitely designed for the slower Japananese streets and speed limits (ie. <100km/h).

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Tires on the xA is a joke - RE92's squeeks like a mouse going around turns, and you've gotta be kidding if you're gonna feel safe in panic and wet weather stops (keep a long lead in front!)!

On the other hand, nothing like making a 180 degree turn in a parking lot and squeeling all the way around =P Makes everyone else think you're some tuner-boy going too fast, when you're actually just annoyed at the low-grip tires giving you no charms at all.

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Trunk is still too small. You can fill it up far too fast to be useful, and another foot to the design would have made the rear passenger entry doors more friendly, and the trunk more useful. They do have better super-mini compact car designs in Japan from other makers, esp. with more trunk space in the same length package. (Just goes to show that the xA design pushing 5+ years is getting long in the tooth....)

Simply buying a new dvd recorder deck for the tv and dropping it into the trunk means you'll have to squeeze the trunk lid closed just to get it to shut. Seriously needs more space.

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Rear Splash guards to help the rear window on wet days, so recommended. Then again, a nice coating of RainX on all of the windows does wonders, esp. for the side windows & mirrors, so highly recommended here. (Otherwise, the side windows are very hard to clear, even rolling them up and down, on wet days.)

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Paint on the front chips easily, still =( Bad Toyota, bad. All that talk about using a more crash compatible front design along with Eco-saving paints = paint job that sucks!

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Forget about the silly Toyota air filter - might as well make your own cabin filter from better filter materials. It's just so thin and pointless....

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Still don't know why they don't carry the Sharp PlasmaCluster Ion cabin filter for the xA here in the USA; they've got it for the Japanese ist model, and the latest Toyota/Lexus models have them. Scientifically tested and proven to kill germs and viruses, so why not? (given how much junk is in LA air...)

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Ignition on the stalk is funky at times. I can turn the key to OFF, pull it out, and the electrical system will still be active - ie. Radio is still on, vents going, etc. Don't know if it'll fail soon or what, but it happens once in a blue moon for no better reason.

I have to fix it by putting the key back in, turn it to ON position, then back to OFF and pulling it out.

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Forget about >28mpg gas mileage. I'm getting typically 25mpg all the time in mixed city & hwy driving here in Los Angeles =( Definitely needs EPA to update their road test figures.....

Anyways, one big reason why is that for a similar Toyota car, a Japanese car magazine article found that slight increases in speed resulted in huge decreases in mpg due to the design of the car & air drag. Boxy, tall shapes like the xA simply don't do well past 60mph, so once you're past the 100km/h design speed of this car (since it was targeted to the Japanese market initially), mpg is terrible!

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And, yes, you'll have to juice the gas getting on LA freeways here or get crushed by that semi just behind you, so no real choice in tough traffic here in LA =(

Forget about trying to outrun anything as well - gas to the floor, this baby is a joke next to anything bigger like a Civic, which can easily outrun the xA w/o even trying hard.

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Suspension and steering is still not as communicative as my 95 Civic Coupe, which rides lower, on better double-wishbones. Sigh.... why car makers insist on putting in anything lesser is beyond me.... The Civic is still a dream carving corners (for a cheap compact car, that is) vs. the xA, which is a bit more floating, and non-communicative.

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"The Glosser" towelet sold at PepBoys and other shops is a good and simple way to touch up a just washed car that needs a light touch up before a night out. Easy to use, gives it a good shiny wax, and does the job nicely. Recommended if you're too lazy to always wax & shine.

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Still the worst placement of front vent nozzles I've ever encountered in a car - the right one on the driver's side is just too close to the face and always blows air into the eyes and face unless you point it away - and that means either the passenger will feel too cold, or the head will.

This is one stickler where even side-to-side and front-to-driver distance needs to be identical for both air vents for that person, or else, you'll get uneven heating/cooling, and air in the face.

Total pain! One big reason not to buy the xA again if offered.

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Other than that, it's been a good car in the other points. So besides the above negatives, it's all positives otherwise. So, better buy the xA because you can live with the negatives, and the positives of being able to park this baby just about anywhere is a plus along with the style.

xaPierre

Adorable, do you still own your white '05 Scion xA?

Did you get better tires, if you still have your xA?

adorable

I still have the xA.

Here's my updates:

1) Scion == Scr*w the Customer!!!

Since the beginning, I've noted the AC just isn't up to par at times. This summer, after 95+F weather this week, I looked online again as to the solution - tinted windows? Recharging? etc.
Well, turns out ..... TSB AC006-04 says it all.
Toyota's own Screw-up Bulletin says that for some 2004-2005 xA's in the VIN range, the AC just isn't up to par. Their fix? COMPLETELY REPLACE the underpowered COMPRESSOR AND RECEIVER/CONDENSOR! =O
Yep, and it's screwed up because nobody at Toyota's dealerships ever bothered to inform me of this before their free 3yr/36k coverage fix ended!

Scion immediately gets my egg-in-the-face thumbs down for not bothering to notify their customers of such a big messup, and I'm stuck running the AC on Recirc on MAX for 20+ minutes.....and I'm still sweating in the heat inside my xA in shorts and a T-Shirt =[ this week.

To add insult upon insult, the Toyota dealer priced it out around $2100 (parts & labor) to fix this mess out-of-warranty should I choose to have this screwup fixed >.< >.< >.< >.< Until then, I'm sweating in my car with the AC on MAX, Recirc on....

2) Paint has got to be the weakest point of the xA, if not any car on this planet that I've owned. Heck, even my first 93' Sentra's paint lasted better! The baby chips like crazy over the hood, and it's just horrible how they went with an 'eco' paint (according to their Japanese brochure). Look, cars destroy planets! It's a fact! 'eco' paint that chips easier than an ol mans' tooth isn't going to make buyers happy, and I'd much rather they simply tossed on some solid, toxic paint that lasts forever instead.
Interior - ditto. Silverish paint around the radio is going, and I can see the black plastic already.

Look, solid paint that lasts isn't tough, and building an interior that lasts isn't tough either. My 93 Sentra's interior never once chipped/worn away like this because they smartly designed it without such silliness. Basically, if you can't powder coat it or do something equally tough, don't bother putting in or on a car!

Heck, even my mom's 95 Tercel's paint is nearly flawless vs. the xA's.

Paint on the bumper is equally weak - having picked up all sorts of road debris and just spotty. Weak, weak paint.

speaking of which, haven't they learned anything from Saturn's plastic doors yet? If you can mold a piece of plastic one solid color, can't they bother to do so with the bumpers?!? Instead of seeing black under it all, can't they simply mold them in white to match the paint and take care of this silly problem once and for all?!?

If you had to go on with the interior, GoDddd! What is wrong with Toyota putting in such an incredibly hard to clean dash pattern? All those dimple thingys just don't clean up well after marks and bumps. (At least, thank the Gods, it's not the horrible ugly looking plastic dash material they've put into the latest Lexus ES300's...) It's the type of dash material that just doesn't wipe down well at all... Next time, how about matte, flat at the minimum?

3) Suspension still sucks, esp. at speed on the freeways.
Can't believe how bumpy it is vs a 95 Tercel, which rides far, far smoother. NO idea at all why the xA is so bumpy, but it's annoying now for long daily commutes in LA. It's not the tires since I've moved on to Yokohamas with 80000 mile ratings on the xA, so it's the usual poor Toyota tuning going on here.

4) Tires. Dealer sucks here. For the longest time, the xA was scary to drive and wrap around corners. Even the mildest 30mph cornering would make the tires squeal. Replaced them with Yokohama Avid's and that totally took care of that problem - no more squeeking until you're easily far, far faster than you should be going, and otherwise, solid, squeel free, dependable performance. Old ones were a mess wearing out in about 30k miles.
Thank the gods for Discount Tire Directs 50% off sale late last year for these new tires!!
And totally research and get good tires for the xA! Even these 'cheapies' from Yokohama gets a very good rating from me for its superior 'basic road tire' design.

5) ABS still tries to kick in if you've got the brake just slightly depressed going over speed bumps fast enough with the accelerator down. Stupid, stupid design and I've got to avoid Scions in the future. None of the other ABS cars I've had or driven have had this problem - cheap sensor? Poorly designed? Whatever, it's just a mess.

6) Underpowered for LA traffic.
PLEASE, just avoid the hassle and avoid the xA at all costs! Even this week leaving Laguna Woods on the 5 fwy northbound up the slight incline of the traffic had me flooring the pedal and praying I'd get up to speeed before the bigrigs had me for lunch. You know you're in trouble engine-power wise when this happens, and they could have dropped in something with a bit more power? Heck, even the stock Civic 96 EX 2-dr doesn't have this issue on it's tiny engine. Neither did my 93 Sentra.
The gearing on the automatic xA is just messed up enough to drive you nuts! Gun it at any reasonable highway entrance or highway speed and it's sometimes not enough to get you where you need to be fast enough. Even worse! - the throttle response is computer delayed! None of my other cars have ever had this problem - shift, gas, and the response is instant. YOU control when and how much on the other cars, but on the xA, even if you've got the pedal to the floor, the lazy shifter/throttle may wait long enough to scare you to death as the bigrig roars over your butt. I know it's trying to protect the engine, but what's it worth when you're dead? (sigh.... memories of the good ol' days reving the Sentra or Civic all day long....)
The delay is long enough that it makes you wonder what in the world?!? happened to the engine/shifter on this car.

7) Bad mirror coverage.
It's not like I'm driving a F450 and need huge mirrors. But vs. even my 95' Civic's side mirrors (nice broad view), come on now Toyota! Get some mirrors in there that let me see a nice, wide, broad view of what's behind me. Those on the xA have such narrow tunnel view that I'm always annoyed I can't just twitch into the side lanes w/o looking all over to make sure no cars there. Lower the magnification on all of the mirros, and let us see more of what's behind us! (Clearly, Toyota designers on the xA were clueless to LA traffic driving... When there's a big mess suddenly in front, you've got to be able to go 1-2 lanes left or right Fast w/o having to crane that head around or else you'll die!)

Poor center console flip open storage area latch.
Bad enough already that it can get stuck and not open at all if a CD somehow gets into the wrong position (which I've had happen), but after a minor bump from behind in an accident, what happens? The lid pops open and everything goes flying about! Damn latch! Fix it like the glove compartment and stop trying to kill us Toyota! Come on now - anything latched closed should not open unless it's one of those car mangling crashes -- not a minor 10-20mph bump from behind.

9) Gas tank cap strap.
Already, due to poor design, it's popped out of the hole it was in, and even after popping it back in, the wrong tug will pop it right out. Again, poor design because a slightly bigger hook to the metal door would have eliminated this problem from every happening. But nope, Toyota design fails once again.

(I'd whine about the gas nozzle popping out too soon now and then, but it's supposidly fixed already based on TSB's. But the gas nozzle definitely pops out far less frequently on fill ups on my 95 Civic and mom's 96 Tercel....)

10) Bad glare on poorly placed radio.
Sunset on the 405, and the sun is right on the LCD panel of the radio and right into my eyes. GRRRRRR!!!!
There is a reason the radio is lower on almost all cars - no eyesight blinding glare!

11) Which leads right into the center display.
I still think it's the dumbest place for anyone to put the speedo. You've got to be psycho to think it's better to crane your neck sideways to see how much gas you've got left or speed/tach/etc. Not to mention that they don't use a circularly polarized LCD display only makes it a horrible mess trying to see anything during the day with polarized sunglasses. (Most sunglasses are linearly polarized, so they filter light along one axis. Circularly polarized LCD displays allow those with linear polarized glasses to see the display, but the xA's linearly polarized LCD display can be canceled out - ie. look 100% black - if both are turned the same direction.)

12) Can't fit anything back there and not 100% flat.
Too short to fit in a bike. Too narrow to fit in a big LCD TV. Too tiny to fit in much for groceries. Makes going to Costco or any supermarket a trunk + rear + rear floor + front passenger seat + front passenger seat floor trip.
It's bad enough it's small, but fold the rears down and you get the most annoying thing ever - the floor isn't 100% flat. You've got the bumps for the plastic bag hangers, the rear seats don't lie 100% horizontal, etc.

13) No interior door latch lights or contrasty colors.
You don't need lights, just chrome or something you can see in dark conditions, but you simply can't see where the door latches are on the xA at night. Terrible since it's a mess in an accident trying to feel about for the latches, but such a simple thing to have fixed in design - white/chrome color, glow in the dark, illuminated. everyone I've had in the car has had to feel about for the latch aimlessly and pointlessly.

14) Lies about the MPG.
Pray to the Gods for a miracle if this baby is ever going to get >32mpg consistantly. We're talking about 26mpg usually for city driving, barely 30mpg or so in LA freeways. Nothing at all like the 34MPG+ of the sticker.

15) No Super Big Gulp cup holders, or for that matter, 24oz of anything.
It's America Toyota. 64oz+ Super Big Gulps should sit in the cup holders, not in between my legs. How many decades have they been in the USA and still haven't learned?!? Dumb Japanese car designers..... Drives me nuts I can't even drop a 24oz bottle of water in any of the cup holders on the way to work >.<

16) That said, I will not recommend any Scion or perhaps even future Toyota's to anyone from now on. Instead, I will simply point out the mess and point people to better cars out there that don't mess up with a) screwed up ACs b) screwed up paint jobs c) screwed up design.

sigh..... saving up for an Infiniti to get back to something sensible....

PupSocket

I was going to point out that this is rather more of a driving technique issue than a vehicle issue, but then I read the rest as it devolved into incoherent and exaggerated drivel and realized that you're just an uncommon, sophisticated-appearing troll.

How can you even type on a keyboard that was deliberately designed to keep fast typists from jamming up old mechanical typewriters!?

INFINI

iTrader: (1)

adorable, I think it's time you get another car Ford maybe??