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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  Scion xA - Alot of bang for the buck. Mediocre performance. - 2004 Scion xA
  By rx1 - February 1 - 1:11 am

  I have driven and owned several cars in my driving experience. I have had mixed feeling about this car. Pros Comes relatively loaded for the sticker price. Good mpg, 32-ish. Good solid manual transmission. Impressive reliability. Surprisingly roomy. Cons Sluggish response from a buzzy, noisy engine. You have to be willing to rev it hard, and downshift to achieve passing speed. Narrow wheel base, tall stance results in sloppy handling. Light weight and engine position result in unstable handling in snowbelt. Soundproofing is minimal. Long highway rides are noisy and tedious. I bought new. I lasted 4 years and 36k miles before selling.

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  the best for the buck!!!!!! - 2004 Scion xA
  By tom win - January 25 - 2:00 am

  this is a fantastic car. smart and reliable. this is a great buy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  I Love It - 2005 Scion xA
  By SharpiesAreNifty - January 21 - 12:56 pm

  I recommend this car to anyone and everyone! Its wonderful! Its small, so it gets terrific gas mileage, but its spacious. I can sit three people in the backseat and none of them complain!

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  Great little car, but needs some help - 2006 Scion xA
  By Rick - January 21 - 11:43 am

  Seat comfort, storage capacity, fun factor, and economy of the xA are all outstanding. It has two major design faults though. 1. The "cold start" process keeps the vehicle in a lower gear for far too long when the engine is cold. This forces the revs to go far beyond what we have learned to be prudent. The automatic transmission will also not go into 4th speed (overdrive) until the engine has reached the "warm" status. The only practical alternative to prevent engine over-reving into the 2.5K range when it is cold is to let it run for 5 min in the driveway. This defeats the entire purpose! 2. The auto transmission needs a 5th gear. 70 mph needs 3,000 plus rpm on level ground. Still, this is a great little car...I love it!

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  Not the best car - 2005 Scion xA
  By Susan - January 20 - 10:23 am

  I have put 21,000 miles on this car in 6mos. The seats are horrible, it is extremely loud in the cabin, the ride is so stiff that you can feel the tar stripes through the rock hard seats... It would be a great car for anyone who drives in town, not on the freeway... Any speed over 45mph the car becomes very loud. I would not recommend this car to anyone who does interstate/long- distance driving... the gas mileage doesnt make up for the lack of comfort and quiteness of more fuel-ineffcient, more expensive vehicle.

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  Scion over Pontiac - 2006 Scion xA
  By Stacey - January 20 - 9:50 am

  I love my aA. The day we bought it is the last day I drove my husbands Pontiac. It is such a joy to drive, comfortable and yet it still has a bit of attitude. People are always asking if they can look inside. It is much roomier than you would think. My husband is 62" and has enought leg room. Even with the high price of gas we have taken more road trips this year in the xA because of the fact that we get 300 miles to a tank of gas.

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  Good Deal - 2005 Scion xA
  By XA Jake - January 15 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car for the gas milage but what I got was much more. I think this is the best car that I have ever driven to this point. The extra features that you can get with it is outstanding. I love sports cars so I got the lowering kit and 18 inch rims along with the Cold air induction and sport muffler. The gas milage is about 36 miles to the gallon and I get alot of responce on the gas pedal. I cant even get in it without someone asking me about it. I dont know how any other car companys are going to sell compacts when this car becomes more known. There are things that I would change in the manufacture but they would all drive up the base line price.

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  Get the R S 1.0 - 2005 Scion xA
  By happy lad - January 1 - 6:13 pm

  I have had my XA R S 1.0 for only a week, but so far I love it. The bright red color(only for the R S 1.0) gets looks every where I go.

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  Great Car at a Great Price - 2005 Scion xA
  By ryan759 - December 24 - 6:53 pm

  This car gets great gas mileage, is fun to drive and has all the bells and whistles you could ask for. It even has a fantastic stereo all for under $14,000!

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  Excelent Car - 2006 Scion xA
  By Martin - December 20 - 8:43 am

  Driving the car is very fun and very economical. I have not had any problems with it and people are usually impressed when they get inside, surprised with the space when compared with the size of the exterior.