You're going to have lots of people telling you to get the manual...the auto is under powered etc.....I have the auto and i am very happy with it. I commute 120 miles a day...my bf has a stick and i hate driving it in stop and go. I was afraid the auto would be a drain on this little 108 hp engine....so I test drove both...and I found very little difference between the two. So I got the auto for practicality and i haven't regretted it since. I have all the power I need....I floor it on hwy on ramps and am at hwy speeds by the top of them...I can pass going uphill at 80....if I need a little extra oomph...I just hit OD off and boy does that little engine pull

 

obviously the manual feels quicker...
but again, scion is not a performance car....

 

After having a stick for over 25 years, I chose to get a Automatic being the traffic here in LA is awful. I love the fact that I don't have to shift in traffic anymore but I do miss the power when I need it. Being that there's many hills in my area I find myself shifting out of overdrive many times but have no trouble climbing hills. Overall, I'm happy that I got an Automatic.

 

Get the stick...I test drove both at low and high speeds, you get alot more control with the 5-Speed, especially with engine braking, plus if neccessary you can downshift and punch the pedal to get out of a sticky situation (not something that is easily done in an automatic, It is possible, just not smart), with the smaller horespower engine you will most likely want the extra control...just a thought...I love my stick tranny...but the key is to buy what you want and or need...

 

if you are planning on doing an aftermarket exhaust system... PLS get a manual.

 

For sure...

 

oohhhh god yes....spare the world the noise of an automatic fart can ... hehehehehe

 

there you go talking sh@t!!!!!!!!i got a f#cking exhaust on my automatic wanna talk sh@t!!!!!!!!stupid @ss people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!its not for performance on the scion its for looks you dumb @ss i know i cnat drag alot of cars but it beats having that little @ss pea shooter comin out the rear end!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!you wanna clown somemore fool then bring it!!!!!!!!!!

 

what in the world is your problem??? touchy?? or what......its a known fact that the exhaust systems, the mass mojority of them are extremely loud, and with an automatic they tend to be louder and a constant tone. But you can continue with your rampage if you would like. No one said anyting about making hte car faster with an exhaust, but i do have to agree with you on the pea shooter that comes with the xB.

by they way, do you have some sort of personal vendetta we should all know about?
no one was talking krap until you waltzed in on your high horsey.....

NOTICE THE SMILEY in the POST!....... i happen to know people with automatic xB's with exhaust systems but whatever tickles u pink.

 

what in the world is your problem??? touchy?? or what......its a known fact that the exhaust systems, the mass mojority of them are extremely loud, and with an automatic they tend to be louder and a constant tone. But you can continue with your rampage if you would like. No one said anyting about making hte car faster with an exhaust, but i do have to agree with you on the pea shooter that comes with the xB.

by they way, do you have some sort of personal vendetta we should all know about?
no one was talking krap until you waltzed in on your high horsey.....



nah its cool...............but there have been alot of haters........i thought you were one of those......aight playa......cool..........late

 

DAYAM calm down.

I personally prefer to listen to aftermarket exhaust only with 5 spds. they sound better IN MY OPINION. and that is my opinion

 

naw man, i dont come to forums to talk krap, but to discuss mods, etc..... if there is one thing i cant stand is when someone starts running their mouths on forums off of the original topic. Anyways its all based on personal opinions of who likes what and how, people only come to forums to hear everyone elses 2cents......nuff said.....late

 

only aftermarket exhaust i care to listen to is an old 5.0 mustang with some flow's on it...

 

I too have the auto tranny, and no real complaints here. From start to finish, i find that with the Injen, it works really well. I do notice though that sometimes its harder to get this box up to 75 cause it lacks power, but then i stand on it, and it does get there, then u just watch that fuel guage fall down .... down ....

 

If you're on the fence, I'd recommend the manual. No offense, but I cannot stand automatics. I don't even want to drive someone elses automatic. Not for 5 minutes. I get bored and restless. I used to commute on the DC capital beltway every day and I STILL never minded shifting in traffic.

As far as the xB not being a performance car, that's all the more reason to get a manual. Even a slow car is fun to drive with a stick and you get every last drop of performance out of the motor. Enough to make a 2 sec difference in 0-60 in the xB.

Personally I find a slower car with good handling and a 5-speed 10 times more fun to drive than any automatic. I don't care if it's got 1000 hp. 50% of what I love about the experience of driving has been amputated. A slower car that handles well and has a stick is fun because you can take it close to its limit and push it pretty easily without getting over your head. A lot of pro drivers will tell you the same thing. If you can't go fast with 108 hp then you won't be a better driver with 801 hp

I do understand the appeal of an automatic though. It's nice to be able to have your hands free. Nice in traffic. Nice smooth steady pace and stuff. I'm just really involved in my driving and I want to be an active participant.

Manuals send torque from to wheels with no interference. Gears and steel. Automatics have a fluid barrier/torque converter and computers second guessing everything 1000 times a second in between the twist and forward momentum. Manuals are more reliable and economical to drive and own in every way. Autos are simple to drive, but complex as hell in their operation and maintanance/repair.

I mean... just look all at this crazniess simply to transmit torque from point A to point B. WTF?





...and thats the Cliff's Notes version, it would take 4-5 more images to show it all to you.

Now compare that to two discs pressed together with a shaft on the end attached to 5 gears.

That said, Toyota's automatics are excellent and with scheduled maintance and no abuse they will last you 100,000 miles before you need a rebuild or major work done.

The automatic is a miracle of modern engineering to be sure, but to what end? They're good for luxury cars and giant, heavy vehicles like buses or anything that needs to be driven with the least amount of attention possible, which explains why they are more popular in America than anywhere else by far.
All I can say is I love clipping an apex and downshifting halfway through a turn just to listen to the engine note and have exacting control on my speed without ever touching the brake.

Some of you know where I'm coming from

But you gotta get what suits you most, nobodys got any business telling you if it's right or wrong. YOU are the world's #1 expert on what right for YOU.

 

That's what I got!

 

As weird as it may seem, I'm actually the exact opposite of this guy. I'd like to throw on a performance exhaust, but only if there are proven gains and ONLY if I can get it without the gigantic coffee can sized tip polished to a mirror-like sheen.

I'm sorry, but I can't stand that ____. It just makes me think of poseurs in 15 year old Accords with lots of stickers and a big wing that think their buzzing fart exhaust pipe big enough to swallow a grapefruit gives them 200 horsepower.

It's overkill IMO. Just my opinion, I prefer more discrete, tasteful stuff that delivers genuine performance gains. Otherwise it's a waste of money.

Does anyone even make a real performance exhaust system that you can get without a giant bling-bling chrome small ***** compensator anymore?

Seriously, I can't seem to find one. If anyone knows of a good tuned exhaust for the xB that I can have with somewhat normal looking tip please tell me. a little bigger for practical purposes is fine. I'm not interested in a hearing a continuous wet fart everytime I step on the gas either.

I'll stick with the pea shooter until then. probably not worth spending $800 for 6 more horsepower at 5000 rpm anyway, eh? and at least with the ol' pea shooter all the girls will know I don't have any shortcomings to make up for :D

 

I find the auto Xb better geared and faster off the go than the manual.

We have had this conversations since inception of the forum, but my opinion is your 1.5 liter Scion is not gonna break any speed records.

Further, I think that people "think" a manual is "better" -- more control, more speed, more sportyness.

The problem with this is that the computer controlled automatic transmissions have come so far in technology that fuel economy is no longer an issure. OPtimization of speed is no longer an issue. I found the the manual Xb pedestrian and laughable off the gun.

I am by no means a critic of manuals. My CRX is a peppy pocket-rocket of a manual. The problem I think, is that automatic transmissions so far outsell manuals, that more time might be spent optimizing, designing and tweaking automatic.

I hope all you enjoy your manuals. I am loving my Xb Hot Lava auto. I am customizing it more as a cruiser, which I think an Xb does alot better than a pocket-rocket. Of course a super charger might change this.......

 

On my AT (AEM CAI and TRD MUFFLER) I get 0-60 in just under 10 seconds. That's fine by me. It feels much faster than that though. The 0-40 feels REEEAAAL fast though...much better than my previous CIVIC EX coupe, probably becuase the car is lighter. I raced a PT Cruiser and won handily with my AT FOOT TO THE FLOOR NO SHIFTING TECHNIQUE! :twisted: Although i was blown away by a SAAB 9-3 at a stoplight race.

I have always found that there is usually at least a 1 second difference (MT, being faster) between AUTO and MT (economy cars). But, it also depends on the driver. Some people don't know how to drive a stick properly and you can beat them with an AT when they shift lag. I always laugh at that becuase I should never be able to beat them.

 

it's a matter of preference. as for me i stuck with the stick, just in case i have to drive up a big ___ hill. also more control of my car. just my .02 cents. thanks for listening.