Fundamentally, America’s suddenly bountiful crop of small hatchbacks tends to fall into one of three aesthetic camps: 1) Traditional: Straightforward and frequently conservative, exhibiting a somewhat predictable approach to exterior design. Think Kia Rio5, Honda Fit. 2) Cheeky: Occasionally retro-inspired, these wide-eyed city cars appear playfully whimsical. Think Mini Cooper and Toyota Yaris. 3) Brash: Incorporating the sort of visual aggression that’s normally the preserve of larger vehicles, these butch little street toughs attempt to visually box above their weight. Under this umbrella lurk offerings like the Dodge Caliber and Scion’s new xD.
And while there’s far from anything wrong with either of the first two approaches, it is arguably the third that’s the most interesting, if only because its practitioners tend to be the most controversial-looking. Slapping big car cues on a small frame can be viewed by turns as comedy, genius, madness, and occasionally all three at once.
Check out Scion’s new xD for the full Brash design brief. With its snubbed nose, vesicated headlamps, thick pillars, high waistline, and slightly exaggerated wheel wells, the xD fits the genre. Its tall wagon roofline and upright proportions essentially confine it to this genus of urban runabout, as these qualities tend to meld awkwardly with both Traditional and Cheeky designs. Handsome it isn’t, but nobody will accuse this five-door of timidity. We think the polarizing xD looks like some sort of cartoon bulldog, and that can’t be all bad. In fact, one piercing- and ink-happy pedestrian referred to our tester as “cute,” perhaps signaling that Scion has once again hit its notoriously fickle demographic bogey.
But enough about looks. For 2008, the xD stands in for Scion’s slow-selling xA, a hatchback that played both second and third fiddle to its bolder xB and tC siblings. Packing a 128-horsepower 1.8-liter four, the performance afforded by this new model won’t set one’s nerve endings afire, but as our five-speed example proved, the xD is capable of going about its urban chores rather tidily.
While this Scion’s short-stroke clutch and long-throw gearbox take some getting used to, the xD is actually a rather entertaining drive at city speeds, with sensibly geared steering, positive gearbox engagement, and good traction from our example’s sixteen-inch Bridgestone Turanzas. Admittedly it doesn’t exhibit the same sort of in-town nippiness as some of its competitors (take a bow, Honda Fit), but its suspension tuning and overall design make for a more refined highway experience, with reasonable noise levels and surprising resistance to crosswinds.
Part of the credit for the xD’s relative refinement goes to Toyota’s improved variable valve-timing system, dubbed “Dual VVT-i,” as it affords the four a thicker torque curve in the heart of its powerband, meaning that drivers will find fewer reasons to seek out the din that invariably accompanies the engine’s efforts at higher revs. For xA owners looking to trade up, don’t expect major increases in urgency, despite the additional 20 ponies found underhood. That’s because the xD offers more equipment and safety features, which translate to a heftier curb weight.
Although a disproportionately high percentage of Sciontologists spend big money on aftermarket parts for their cars, we’re guessing most brand loyalists will be untroubled by the xD’s lack of thrust. It develops adequate power for everyday driving and yields some decent fuel economy figures to boot. Toyota quotes the xD’s miles-per-gallon figures as 27 city/33 highway with the self-shifter, and 26/32 for the four-speed automatic. That may sound disappointing in light of the outgoing xA’s 32/37 and 31/38 figures, but the disparity has as much to do with the EPA’s new test procedures as it does with anything else.
Happily, the fun and funky quotient promised outside carries over to the xD’s interior, with our tester’s raised, gloss-black center console housing an impressive-looking—if gimmicky—Pioneer stereo (replete with an animated electroluminescent display and different “mood” sound fields) and an intuitive three-knob HVAC setup that appears lifted from a SEMA show car. There’s a good selection of equipment levels, and while plastic choices and panel fits won’t result in any wakeful nights at the homes of Mini designers, they are solidly in line with the xD’s $15,170 starting price.
Mercifully, Scion has seen fit to move the car’s instrument cluster back where it belongs—in front of the driver. An unusual monogauge houses both the speedometer and tachometer, and while it saves space and looks unique, we’d prefer a pair of conventional dials in the interest of clarity. Fortunately, thanks to its tall-roof construction, there’s plenty of room and oddment storage inside for four full-size hipsters and their iPods, though the xD’s cargo area won’t be able to swallow as many black T-shirts as some of its classmates.
All-in, the brash little xD should continue the brand’s enviable track record of providing solid basic transportation in a readily customizable wrapper. And as with the original Scion xB, there’s enough intrinsic goodness baked in that the affordable xD probably won’t go unnoticed by elderly motorists who have long since traded in their tragically hip outfits for sensible shoes. That reality may not please the emo dress and turntable set, but it ought to give Toyota’s bean counters yet another reason to smile.
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