Overview & Reviews

The Scion brand was created in 2003 by Toyota as a way of connecting to younger buyers with savvy tastes. One of its launch vehicles, the Scion xA, was an inexpensive hatchback marketed through hip promotions that emphasized its unique style. Owners could customize the xA with more than 30 accessories available at Scion dealers. Even with this strong pitch to trendsetting youngsters and auto enthusiasts, the Scion xA soon gained a reputation as a sensible subcompact with premium build quality and standard features.

Most recent Scion xA

Launched as a 2004 model, the Scion xA lasted just one generation, as Scion sought to keep its youthful portfolio fresh. A refresh occurred in its final year of 2006, so older xAs have some visual differences and some slight variations in the interior features, including the Pioneer sound system, steering wheel, speedometer and seat fabric.

The Scion xA came in one body style -- a four-door hatchback. For a subcompact, the xA had a noticeably upscale look and feel. The gauge pod resided in the center of the dash and glowed amber, while the dashboard had a contemporary appearance, with faux aluminum trim tastefully placed down the center console, door panels and steering wheel. The seating position was high, and headroom and legroom were decent in both the front and rear. But you couldn't haul too much cargo, with just 11.7 cubic feet of hatch space behind the rear seat.

The xA was also well-stocked with standard features, including air-conditioning; antilock brakes; power door locks, windows and mirrors; a rear wiper; and rear window defogger. Scion also provided the xA with a premium stereo -- a sound system with a CD/MP3 player and an auxiliary input jack. Among the optional equipment was an 8-inch subwoofer, an iPod adapter, satellite radio and an airbag package with front seat-mounted side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags.

Power for the Scion xA came from a 1.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine rated for 103 horsepower. A five-speed manual transmission was standard and a four-speed automatic was available as an option. With either transmission, the Scion was pretty frugal, with EPA city estimates of 31-32 mpg and highway ratings of 37-38. For those looking to improve the xA's performance, Toyota Racing Development, Toyota's in-house performance department, offered quite a few parts, including intake and exhaust, shocks and lowering springs, and a performance clutch.

Buyers could also customize their xA's appearance with dealer-installed accessories such as a rear spoiler, 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels and a variety of wheel covers, sport pedals and shift knobs.

In our review of the Scion xA, our editors found it to be quite a competent commuter. On highways, the ride was smooth. The small engine didn't provide much passing power, but around the city, the xA offered plenty of pep. It also maneuvered nicely on surface roads, with a surprisingly tight suspension for an econobox and precise steering. In more extreme cornering situations, the xA felt a bit wobbly, but TRD performance suspension components were available to remedy the condition.

User Reviews:

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  Glad to have it - 2005 Scion xA
  By Miles - March 9 - 11:23 pm

  I got my xA in june of 2005. I had to hang in there to get what I wanted but finally did. Its been a good car so far, have 34,000 miles on it now. The gas cap door cable busted and was replaced under warrantee and that engine check light going on turned out to be a bad timing gear sprocket and was covered also but I was surprised by that one actually.The gas mileage has been excellent and like some people I couldnt care less if other drivers get upset that Im not going fast enough for them. One of the stock tires has worn a lot quicker than the others.

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  Bad Gas Mileage - 2006 Scion xA
  By Russell Watters - March 9 - 12:16 am

  The window sticker showed 31 mpg city and 38 mpg highway. I have never even come close to that. The best I have gotten is is 23 city with the air off, 20 with it on and 27 on the highway. This car has been back to the dealer several times to check it and a Toyota rep came out last time. They say, "its only an estimate" too bad, you loose and we wont do anything about it. My other car, a 2001 Honda CR-V, get 27 mpg, need I say more. Dont buy this car for the gas mileage stated, it is 34% less than that.

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  Expecting improvement - 2006 Scion xA
  By Joseph - February 17 - 8:53 pm

  I bought this car three weeks ago and so far the car is responding okay. The only problem I see is the MPG performance, for the last 3 weeks I have filled my tank 4 times and driven only 600 miles. That is ~ $90 or 30 gallons which translates into 20 miles per gallon. So I took the car to Toyota service and was told that they cannot improve my cars mileage and they checked for leakage. I would like to know what I should do to bring my cars MPG up. I have also noted the need for extra horsepower and some shaking when driving over 80mph (more than what is expected). I feel the comfort when in front of the steering wheel and the fun of driving a small car.

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  Great value - 2004 Scion xA
  By JP - December 23 - 12:13 am

  It has been three and a half years since we got our xA and we have been very pleased. We have had no problems with the car; havent had anything fixed yet. We still get >30mpg, even with city driving. The car is great for the city: easy to zip around and park in tight spaces. It still looks great outside and inside, although the audio controls are not very good. It is a capable vehicle for the highway, but you will feel when tractor trailers pass you. While it looks small it has a lot of room inside and is very flexible. You wouldnt believe the amount of stuff you can fit in.

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  Great Car for the Money - 2005 Scion xA
  By Scion Shark - December 6 - 10:00 am

  I have had the car for a month and I am very happy. It has been reliable and good on fuel. Averaging 40mpg on mostly highway driving. Its cute gets lots of looks and still unique in my area.

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  Good Deal for an Inexpensive Car - 2006 Scion xA
  By Gerald McD. - November 4 - 7:26 am

  This car is solid for an economy car. It handles extremely well, and the gas mileage is good. I drive mostly interstate miles, and I am getting between 34-35 MPG with the 5-speed manual transmission. The front seating is comfortable, the back seat is adequate, but not for longer trips. The extras that come as standard equipment (stereo, ABS, AC, etc.) really make this an outstanding deal. The only negative - it is a bit loud at interstate speeds, the engine is pushing 3,500 RPM at 70 mph.

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  Havent put gas in it yet - 2004 Scion xA
  By BlueScion - October 29 - 2:00 am

  Loved the no pressure sale. This is the way all car purchases should be. At only 100hp I expected lousy performance, but with such low weight, it zips! 60-80mph on the freeway with no problems. Seudo Recarro seats sit nice front and back. It took about 30minutes to get used to those center guages. Now my other cars seem weird.

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  Good Economy Car, But Not Great - 2005 Scion xA
  By Ted Mer - October 16 - 11:43 am

  The Scion xA delivers good fuel economy, decent power, and has good features. Its road noise is a bit bothersome, as are a few rattling noises from the windows and dashboard. After 1.5 years of use, I have made no trips to the dealer except for maintenance. The turning radius is a bit large for so small a car, which is good for safety but bad for tight city driving. It handles wind, bad weather and city speeds well. It delivers okay performance on the freeway if youre not used to driving muscle cars.

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  Scion xA - 2006 Scion xA
  By Marbot - September 14 - 6:26 am

  The Scion xA is reliable, but has some disappointments. For instance, the pick-up is not that good, even for a small car, and the fuel efficiency isnt anywhere near what it is supposed to be. It only gets about 31 mpg highway and 28 mpg city (supposed to get 37 highway and 32 city) and this is without using the heat or air conditioning. Other than that it is cute, fun, and easy to drive. Its great for parallel parking and has great standard features for a low price.

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  Does the job - 2005 Scion xA
  By bblhed - September 14 - 3:03 am

  I bought this car to be a commuter car, driving 60 miles round trip is never fun! The mileage is great, and the car handles a bit better than expected for an econo-car. They probably could have put a little more paint on the car than they did but overall, it has held up well with the abuse of commuting. All options are "a la cart" so if you decide later that you want to add something, the dealer or you can do it, no problem. I got mine with some dealer goodies, then added some personal touches myself. I was even able to add a tow plate so I can tow the car with an RV and it only took 2 hours.