Nuts & Bolts
2008 Toyota Scion xD
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Complaints: The clutch is too soft in the five-speed manual version.
Ride, acceleration and handling: The xD gets good marks in all three categories in city driving. But it's an iffy proposition on the open highway.
Head-turning quotient: Ugly with attitude. People either love it or hate it. No one will mistake it for any other car on the road.
Body style/layout: The Scion xD, made by Toyota, is a front-engine, front-wheel-drive subcompact sedan with a rear hatch. It is primarily designed for city running.
Engine/transmission: The car comes with a 1.8-liter, 16-valve, inline, four-cylinder engine that develops 128 horsepower at 6,000 revolutions per minute and 125 foot-pounds of torque at 4,400 rpm. A five-speed manual transmission is standard. A four-speed automatic is optional.
Capacities: There are seats for five people. Maximum cargo capacity with rear seats down is 36 cubic feet. Luggage capacity with rear seats up is 10.5 cubic feet. Keep in mind that small cars such as the xD are meant for fuel-efficient urban scooting, which is to say that they are in no way designed to be beasts of burden. They neither haul nor tow heavy loads. The fuel tank holds 11.1 gallons of gasoline.
Mileage: The xD helped bring down our weekly fuel bill, delivering 25 miles per gallon in the city and 33 mpg on the highway.
Safety: Avoid Hummers. Standard equipment includes antilock brakes, and side and head air bags. Electronic stability and traction control are optional. This column recommends their purchase.
Price: The base price on the 2008 Scion xD with five-speed manual transmission is $14,550. Dealer's invoice price is $13,822. Price as tested is $15,870, including $650 for optional stability and traction control.
Sign of the times: The destination charge for this car is $670, $20 more than the cost of important safety equipment. You are correct to assume that high fuel prices have resulted in that higher destination charge. Dealer's price as tested is $15,051. Prices are sourced from Toyota, Edmunds.com, and Cars.com, an affiliate of The Washington Post.
Purse-strings note: The Scion xD is a good small car in a sea of rivals, including the Honda Fit, Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris, Chevrolet Aveo and Hyundai Accent.
