Background

No one was quite sure what would become of Toyota’s U.S.-only, semi-experimental Scion brand when it was launched in 2004. Toyota, for its part, expected the jellybean-like xA to be the volume seller of the line, envisioning the box-shaped xB as more of a quirky publicity piece. Within a year, though—and to everyone’s surprise—it was the xB that had outsold its sibling two-to-one. Some began to wonder why the xA had been imported at all.

Today, though, the case for Scion’s entry-level model is clearer. While the original xA and xB were similar in size, today’s second-generation xB is bigger, thirstier, and a quarter-ton heavier than its forebear. That leaves the bite-sized bottom end of the compact segment wide open for the xA’s replacement: the new-for-2008 Scion xD. To find out how it competes, I test-drove two xDs at a ride-and-drive event in Rosamond, California.


Under the Hood

The xD uses a 1.8-liter Four from the Toyota parts bin—it’s the base engine in the Corolla and Matrix, and previously saw duty in the sporty Celica and MR2 Spyder. As those latter applications suggest, it’s a pleasant and peppy little powerplant, representing quite an upgrade from the xA’s 1.5.

The 1.8 feels relatively torquey at low rpm, allowing the xD to step lively off the line and, with a heavy foot, squirt ahead of city traffic. Throttle response feels crisp and quick, and the Four revs reasonably freely. In the process, it emits a clean, pleasant thrum, overlaid with a bit of snarl.

In fact, if there is such a thing, the xD is the “muscle car” of the subcompact class. Honda’s nimble Fit (arguably the “sports car” of the class) is notably slower, as are competitors from Hyundai, Kia, and Nissan. In truth, the xD is quite good fun to scoot around town in. As a bonus, it’s also among the thriftiest cars in its class: the EPA projects 27/33 MPG with the standard five-speed manual transmission.


Changing Gears

While the aforementioned five-speed manual transmission offers more fun and better mileage, most xDs are sold with the optional—and somewhat disappointing—four-speed automatic. Why disappointing? These days, most all-new designs have five or more speeds in their slushboxes. You won’t notice the difference around town, where the xD’s four-speed furnishes crisp, seamless shifts. But with its power spread over fewer ratios, the xD is more likely to get caught between gears in hilly terrain, hunting back and forth in an attempt to keep the engine in its powerband.

Unlike the xB, the xD does not offer a “manumatic” shift gate. But since there’s little utility to be gained from clicking back and forth between four widely-spaced speeds, xD drivers aren’t missing out on much.

For those who enjoy shifting for themselves, the standard five-speed is any easy choice. Although the manual shifter has no particular feel to it—except, perhaps, for a dollop of molasses in the mechanism—it slots easily through its gates, the wristy, low-effort throws making up for the slightly lumpy action. If not for the engine’s tendency to hang onto revs during shifts, it would be one of the more enjoyable cars in its class in which to “row your own.”


Twists and Turns

The xD shares its platform and suspension with the Toyota Yaris, which doesn’t bode well for its handling—the latter is a limp, fluffy thing, among the least enjoyable drives in its class. But while the xD is hardly a sports car, it’s much more pleasant to drive than its Toyota-badged stablemate. The feel is similar, but sportier: think Yaris Sport Package.

The feel of the xD’s steering will certainly be familiar to Yaris drivers. It’s an electric-assist system, and it’s tuned more for ease of parking than for feel and feedback. As a result, it has a light, remote feel to its weighting, as if the rack was made of Cool Whip. Yet, unlike the Yaris, its action feels crisp, and guidance is quite accurate. So the xD becomes a fun, precision tool in traffic, slaloming around city corners and slow-moving vehicles with fingertip effort.

Credit there also goes to the xD’s light weight: just over 2,500 lbs. That’s much lighter than most cars on the road today, and as a result, the xD changes direction with a breezy agility that’s all too rare in modern vehicles. The suspension is tuned medium-firm, just a bit on the taut side, so there’s only a mild sense of lean as the xD pours through turns. It’s satisfactorily stable on straights, too, reacting little to crosswinds or truck wakes.

The xD’s brakes also feel far better than the Yaris’. The pedal action is easy and natural, and not too soft; the floaty, stepping-on-pillows sensations of the Yaris are happily absent. ABS and EBD are standard equipment.


Easy Rider?

The xD’s ride reflects its fairly light weight and firmish springing: it’s constantly, subtly fidgeting, taut and bobbly in that uniquely small-car way. But it’s not uncomfortable, and its stride feels noticeably more even and stable than the xA’s. It doesn’t chop as much over segmented concrete, nor does it buck over patched pavement. And on the freeway, it has a nicely settled feel that escapes the billowy Aveo and Accent.

The xD also feels more substantial than most of its rivals. Though big bumps can boom and echo through its structure, reminding of its low price and lightweight construction, the xD generally feels tight and solid. Its structure mutes big impacts commendably, and its floorpan and steering column feel as tranquil and shiver-free as a Corolla’s, even over bumpy roads.

Noise levels are similarly reasonable for a very small car. A mild thrum of wind and road noise keeps you in touch with the pavement, but neither is too bothersome. And the engine is well-mannered—quiet enough at low rpm, and pleasant-sounding in the vocal midrange and high end.


Inside Story

While the xD’s road manners represent a decisive step forward over the xA, its interior does not. The most palpable improvement is in volume. The cabin still feels quite narrow, but shoulder- and legroom are now acceptable. In other words, the xD feels more like a “real car.”

But decadent the xD is not. The windshield looms close to your face, a result of the short dash top. The driving position recalls a bar stool: you sit high off the xD’s floor, and the pedals nudge close to the driver, mandating an upright, legs-tucked posture. The seats (shared with the Yaris) are not adjustable for height, and their smallish cushions feel somewhat hard on the backside.

Contributing to the xD’s Spartan feel is the mandatory black-gray color scheme inside. You’d expect a small car to feel open and airy, but the xD’s dour palette, in combination with its high cowl and beltline, makes the cabin fairly cavelike. Some may enjoy the resulting feeling of substance, but I personally wished for better visibility. The thick C-pillar obscures trailing vehicles, and the view directly aft is pinched to a slit by the upper brake-light and the wiper housing beneath.

The xD’s interior furnishings are about what you’d expect of a $14,550 compact. Hard, hose-it-down black plastic covers most surfaces; it’s textured, but not very pleasantly. A few trim plates wear a glossy piano-black finish, attempting to dress things up, but these pick up fingerprints with astonishing ease, and they don’t really contrast with the gray-black surroundings—neither a mix nor a match. The shallow dash wears a few pointy concave shapes, including a thin center-stack plate that juts up, monolith-like, about an inch above the dash’s surface. That’s about it for visual interest.

Although some ergonomic progress has been made versus the xA—the small, triple-hooded gauge cluster, for example, is now directly in front of the driver, rather than in the center of the dash—sacrifices to Scion’s trendy charge remain. One myopic double-dial contains the speedo and tach needles; the rest of the gauge cluster is largely empty, occupied by a coarse six-step digital fuel meter and some idiot lights. The fiddly audio controls, one assumes, are designed to appeal to that subset of young drivers to which “complicated” equals “expensive.”


Fill ‘Er Up

Leave the xD’s driver seat and open the rear doors, and the appeal of this car increases. The Scion’s tall, square shape allows for a chair-height rear bench, upon which two six-footers can sit with sufficient leg- and headroom. Split reclining backrests and fore-and-aft adjustment add to the novelty, though the latter feature is unlikely to get much use—while legroom is good for the class, it’s hard to imagine wanting less.

Although there’s no center armrest between the Scion’s front seats—and, thus, no cubby underneath—stash space is adequate. There are two stacked glove boxes, four wide door pockets, a pop-out cupholder in the dash, and two more ahead of the shifter (where, incidentally, they don’t interfere with shifting). There’s also an iPod-sized tray near the MP3 jack.

With its rear seats upright, the xD’s cargo “bay” is really only a shelf, fit for a single row of grocery bags. Drop the rear seatbacks, though, and you’ll open up 35.7 cubic feet of usable space, enough to surprise yourself (and SUV owners) on shopping trips to IKEA.


In Sum

As you’d expect from a division conceived exclusively to attract youth, Scion tries hard to paint its entry-level xD as a funky, nonconformist set of wheels. Under the surface, though, the xD—like its xA predecessor—is as practical-minded an econobox as you’ll find. Like its Yaris cousin, Scion’s entry-level hatch is affordable, efficient, well-packaged, and competent if not exciting to drive. A smallish interior and a cheap, somewhat tinny feel are the costs of its thrift.

Within its class, the xD’s strongest competitors are the deceptively spacious Nissan Versa and the spunky, almost sport-compact-like Honda Fit. To this handling-biased reviewer, the Scion is less desirable than the latter. But if you’re less turned on by steering feedback and spring rates than upscale features like wheel-mounted iPod controls, side-mirror turn signals, a 160-watt stereo, and cruise control (all of which are standard on the xD), the Scion should likely be inked at the top of your subcompact shopping list.


Amount Paid (US$): Test-drove