TEST DRIVE TOYOTA SCION XD

As a young brand designed for young buyers, Scion is Toyota??™s experiment in marketing to Generation Y, sometimes known as ???The Millennials??? and the ???Internet Generation.???

For this rather large and challenging demographic, products don??™t age. They appear and disappear with a frequency determined by instant feedback a la the Internet. They dot-com or dot-bomb upon arrival. For Scion to still exist after three years, Toyota must be doing something right.

One thing Scion does right is keep its marketing pitch simple. There are no trim levels on Scions, and the price you see is the price you pay. Unfortunately, you DO have to pay taxes. But if you find yourself haggling over floor mats, call the home office. Isn??™t it nice that Japan??™s premier automotive brand found something about an American rival ??” Saturn ??” that was worth copying?

And the Scion is a Japanese car. While Toyota assembly lines are rapidly rising on the American landscape, the Scion still sails from the home islands.

In fact, the xD is actually a hatchback version of the recently introduced, entry-level Yaris.

While you can get a Yaris three-door for as little as $11,050, the 2008 xD will set you back a minimum of $14,550. That covers a surprising array of standard equipment and a 128-horsepower, 4-cylinder engine with a five-speed stick. Add $800 for automatic transmission.

Scionists describe the new xD as ???urban??? in personality. Hence, it is not ???rural.??? It looks nothing like a tractor or harvesting machine. It is also not ???suburban,??? though troublemakers might see a faint resemblance to a downsized minivan.

With a wide stance, thick body, short overhangs, tailored wheel flares and large tires, the xD is supposed to look somewhat hefty, even though it weighs only 625 pounds over a ton. Embellishments include horizontal headlamps, rectangular lower and upper grille, and turn signals built into the side mirrors. It??™s often surprising how peppy a car this light can be with 128 horses and 125 foot-pounds of torque turning the front tires. The basic 5-speed stick adds to the fun of driving. The xD travels 27 miles per gallon in the city and 33 on the highway with the stick and 26/32 mpg with the automatic.

The xD interior features dark charcoal fabric, while the exterior color choices include Super White, Silver Streak Mica, Black Sand Pearl, Magnetic Gray Metallic, Barcelona Red Metallic and Nautical Blue Metallic.

All Scions come with a 36-month/36,000-mile basic limited warranty that covers everything beyond normal wear and maintenance.

Source: [url=http://columbiatribune.com/2007/Aug/20070803Busi011.asp]Columbia Daily Tribune[/url]