Toyota started the Scion brand in 2004 and offered two quirky but quite practical small cars, the odd-looking xB and the racier xA. These were great little cars, offered good fuel consumption but lacked a few essentials.

For 2008, Scion offers two new replacement designs, the xB, replacing the old xB and the xD, replacing the xA. The xD was tested for this article.

This is a larger vehicle than either the 2006 xA or xB. The interior is enormous. With folding down back seats and hatchback access, it is capable of transporting a lot of stuff.

Toyota Scion xD

The xD is powered by a 128 hp, 1.8 liter, 4-cylinder DOHC engine with a choice of a five-speed manual transmission (standard equipment) or a four-speed automatic transmission, an $800 option. The fuel consumption is a little disappointing with EPA estimates at 26 city/32 highway for the automatic and 27 city/ 33 highway for the manual transmission. Of course, a “boxy” shape like the xD has high aerodynamic “drag” at higher speeds, which will keep a lid on highway driving fuel economy.

The interior is not what one would expect from an inexpensive car. It is well finished, and except for the instrument panel, which can only be described as weird, everything is nicely laid out and easy to use. The only instrument in the panel is a combined speed and RPM meter with about one third of the gauge blocked out. The electronic fuel gauge display at the left looks out of place.

The AM/FM stereo CD sound system has inputs for an iPod and a laptop computer, with 12-volt power available. The system sounds good for being standard in a car at this price.

On the road the xD is a little jiggly over bumps, but otherwise has a firm ride. The driver's seat is a little stiff but very supportive. The xD does not corner quite as sharply as the old xA but it is still a good handling car. Interior noise is fairly well muted except over roughly surfaced or worn roads. Tall drivers or passengers will easily fit in this car.

The little engine puffs hard to get this box on to the freeway, but overall it has adequate power for most conditions. Perhaps a steep mountain road might give it pause, but it would get you up it eventually. The brakes feel good for a front disk, rear drum layout.

The base price for the car is $14,550 and there are only two options, a vehicle stability system for $650 and a four-speed automatic transmission for $800. The warranty is the standard Toyota 36 months or 36,000 miles, with a power train warranty of 60,000 miles or 60 months.

Small cars owners are always concerned about safety. Two agencies conduct safety testing of all new cars, the NHTSA (National Highway Transportation Safety Agency) and the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety). Being new, the NHTSA has not tested the xD as yet. However, the IIHS has and out of seven possible areas of injury from a 40 mph frontal offset crash, the xD scored “Good” in four of these and “Acceptable” in the remaining three.

This car is built entirely in Japan so if you are concerned about American workers or the balance of trade, this is not the car for you. If these things don't bother you, this is one of the best bargains in the small car field that you will find. This is really good value for those seeking lots of interior space.

This car is targeted to the youth market, although Scion admits to having many older retired people on a fixed income as buyers. Nevertheless, they do not advertise in that marketplace, only the youth market.

If you are in the small car market for financial or fuel consumption reasons, you should not make your decision until you have examined and driven this car. It is so much more useful and practical than many of the offerings in this lower end of the market.

Motoring since 1952, Austin Lynas has owned 55 cars and at one time raced mini-sedans in England. An aerospace engineer, he was instrumental in developing the anti-skid systems used in British military aircraft that preceded today's ABS systems. Lynas can be reached by e-mail at austin@sandiegometro.com.