Replaced stereo under warranty (when the car was cold, it would occasionally change stations by itself-a known problem in the first batch of stereos for the 2006 model year, which were redesigned and different than the 2005 ones)
This is one of the smallest cars on the market today, yet it has plenty of room inside, especially in the front seats. The rear cargo area is small with the rear seats up, but quite large if you fold the rear seats down.
Power is adequate, but not jaw-dropping, although that's not really the point of the car.
The seats are comfortable, and due to the design of the vehicle, you sit up fairly high for such a small car. The controls are simple and logically laid out.
For such an inexpensive car (starting at 13k-something), it comes loaded with air conditioning, power windows/locks/mirrors, an AM/FM/MP3/CD/XM compatible stereo with six speakers, steering wheel controls, and AUX-in (for an Ipod or the like), anti-lock brakes, and rear window defogger and wiper, all standard. Factory options are limited to automatic transmission and side air bags (both of which I got). I also got a few dealer/port installed options, including floor mats, a spoiler in the rear, a center arm rest, and an alarm/keyless entry. I would recommend getting most of these (the spoiler and transmission are personal tastes). There are a wide variety of dealer installed options available beyond these, including fancier stereos, bigger tires/rims, silly neon lights, etc.
The 2006 model has several improvements over the 2005, including turn signals in the side mirrors, a better stereo (this one has a volume number instead of just buttons), and aux-in between the seats and steering wheel controls for the stereo.
I choose this car over the xB because you can't get side air bags in the xB (my main reason), the xB is slightly more expensive, I didn't really want to drive a box (I like the styling of the xA), and the xA is even smaller than the xB, which I like, for ease of parking and maneuverability. However, if you are frequently going to have more than two people in the car, the xB is probably the better choice due to the larger back seat and larger cargo room with the rear seats up.
One should probably not let the difference in length of the xA
and xB play a role in determining which to buy as there is only about 1 inch difference between the two (Xa 154.1, xB 155.3). The xB simply looks much longer.
I was surprised to see that adults can sit in the back of an xA without feeling like they're sitting in the "penalty box." The upright design allows near-sedan comfort in a vehicle smaller than a Corolla.
Mileage is in the mid-30s no matter how or where I drive it.
The 5-speed manual is the one you want. It's easy and it's a blast to drive.
If you're one of those Pimp My Ride fans, the Scion line is supported by a dizzying array of both dealer and after-market accessories. I think Toyota designed these cars to be "pimped."
OK, enough of the car commercials. Power is adequate at best. Fine. If I wanted to go 0-60 in six seconds, I'd buy a sports car.
The "trunk," if you want to call it that, is just big enough for six bags of groceries. Also fine. That's about as much as I get at one time, and I don't want to be putting it back in the bags when I get home. If I need more cargo space (for example, when running to the Home Depot for mulch and shrubberies), I can fold the back seats.
Bottom line - it gets me there, and does it without taking a big bite out of my paycheck, even with $3 gas.
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