2005 Scion xA Release Series 2.0
From SCION-TECH : The Scion Resource : tC, xA, xB, xD
The second in the Scion xA Release Series, the 2005 RS 2.0 offers the same limited edition features of the previous RS 1.0. With a new special RS blue color and limited edition badging, Scion continues to improve on its already impressive product line. Special badging, extra comforts, and a special details will keep the resale value up for this xA.
Also see our page on the 2006 Scion xA Release Seriese 3.0.
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[edit] 2005 Scion tC RS 2.0 Oveview
Units produced: 1,700
Color: Spectra Blue Mica
Exterior enhancements:
Interior enhancements:
Engine enhancements:
[edit] 2005 Scion xA RS 2.0 Pictures
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[edit] 2005 Scion xA RS 2.0 Press Release
04/21/2005 Torrance, CA
Scion, from Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., announced today that the third and final limited-production Scion for 2005, the xA Release Series 2.0, will go on sale in May.
All xA Release Series 2.0 vehicles will have a bright Spectra Blue Mica exterior and offer unique appearance enhancements. Standard features include a distinctive sports grille, fog lights and a color-keyed rear spoiler. Inside, black fabric with blue accents complements the exterior. A blue interior lighting kit, xA Release Series 2.0 embroidered floormats and a small numbered plaque complete the uniqueness of this vehicle.
Only 1,700 units of the xA Release Series 2.0 will be available at Scion dealers nationwide. The xA Release Series 2.0 model will carry a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $1,035 over the base price of the xA.
[edit] IGN Article on the Scion xA RS 2.0
Scion's xB is one of the all-time favorite rides to ever grace the IGN offices. Yeah, it looks a little bit funky, but we have yet to see a car that is able to combine Toyota's world-class reliability and build quality, a cavernous interior, tons of features and unique style at an affordable price. The xB was a party-on-wheels, and we almost cried when we crashed it.
Well, even though we destroyed their xB, we were able to convince the Scion people to loan us yet another car. It only took them a year to get over it. Ah... the healing power of time... Anyway, this time we got ourselves into Scion's oversized rollerskate, also called the xA. But we didn't get just any xA, we got the all-new and super-limited edition xA Release Series 2.0. Only 1,700 of these 2.0s will be released, so if we crash this one, we're gonna have to leave the country and hope Toyota's goon squad doesn't find us.
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Oh yeah, the interior also comes with color-tuned fabric on the seats. We didn't know that color can be tuned on a car. We also didn't know that this color tuning applied to fabric. We're guessing that our xA gets an extra 5 horsepower at the wheels thanks to this color tuning. Or maybe it's just the Scion brass trying to sound "edgy" and "with it" for today's "kids".
We know that all of you are getting impressed with our talk of "limited-edition" rides. "If this car is limited," you are now asking yourselves, "it must be worth a small fortune, right?" Well, we're gonna answer your inner dialogue with a resounding "no". You see, a limited-edition xA Release Series 2.0 costs just $1,035 more than a base model xA. This extra thousand dollars adds Spectra Blue Mica paint on the outside, a cool looking black mesh "sports grille", rear spoiler, fog lights, interior blue LED light kit, floor mats that say "Release Series 2.0", and an individually-numbered xA Release Series Badge.
Anyway, adding the cost of that color tuning, exterior treatment and lights and stuff will raise the as-tested cost of the xA Release Series 2.0 to a hefty $14,730. Actually, that cost isn't hefty at all; we're just being smart-asses again. Even though this is Scion is a limited-release, it's still a damn good bargain.
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The interior of the xA is pretty good. Headroom, legroom and all other kinds of personal room are ample, though there is not much "trunk" room. We feel that the xB has way more interior space, even though the xB and xA are about the same size. The xB's boxy shape really does a lot to make the cockpit feel spacious.
Scion's xA does look a lot like an oversized rollerskate in our eyes. The Release Series 2.0's spoiler and black mesh grille do a lot to make the car look a little sportier, but it still looks like a toy. We do see a lot of xA's slammed to the ground on large rims around L.A., and those xA's do look good. However, our test car's stock height and 15-inch plastic wheel covers knock the xA's "cool factor" down a couple of notches. However, the Scion peeps figure that most xA Release Series 2.0 owners will purchase aftermarket rims anyway, so not adding cool wheels was probably seen as a way to pass the savings on to the consumer.
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The xA, on the other hand, suffers from the same sloped roof that Toyota designs on most of its cars. The area where the windshield and roof meet is right at our eye level, making the xA feel claustrophobic. Sure, the xA's dash is huge and we have a couple of inches of space over our heads... but the top (and closest point) of the windshield is feels like it's right in front of our noses -- which really sucks.
Perhaps we wouldn't feel this way if the xA's seats were a couple of inches lower. The driver and passengers sit really high up in the xA. To us, it almost feels like we are standing while driving the car. A lot of people would like this higher vantage point while driving, so we will probably be among the few people to actually complain about this. Those that like to sit mere inches off the ground (like us) will have a very hard time getting used to these seats.
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The seats, though too high for our tastes, do offer a reasonable amount of comfort and support. The aforementioned color-tuning consists of having blue inserts on the middle of the seats, and damn does it look good. This color tuning nicely matches the blue LED lighting under the dash. Oh, we also have to mention the cool blue LED lights on the cupholders, too. All this blue, in addition to Scion's standard gray and black interior color scheme, makes the xA Release Series 2.0's cockpit look very cool and futuristic.
Moving on... As if we need to say it, we would like more power out of the xA. But then, the only available engine is the 1.5 liter inline four that also powers sporty cars like the Echo. Our xA has 108 screaming horses that unleash their fury on the road via a 5-speed manual transmission. Okay… the power is low, but the performance isn't that bad -- especially on city streets. The xA has enough pep to get it moving with the flow of traffic relatively quickly. That said, the engine feels like it struggles to maintain 80 mph on the freeway, and we don't want to try any freeway passing maneuvers in this car.
The xA doesn't really need a bigger, more powerful engine. Most people will do a lot of their driving on surface streets, and the xA shines in this environment. The short wheelbase makes the car really easy to maneuver and park, which we like a lot.
Such a small engine does have its benefits though: namely the 32/37 city/highway fuel rating. It's dirt cheap to fill this car up, and it makes excellent use of gas. With premium gas at close to 3 bucks a gallon, it's nice to dump about 20 dollars worth of regular and know that it will last a long time.
The xA Release Series 2.0 is a great car for those of you that live in metropolitan areas. It's stylish enough to turn heads (especially with the interior lights), easy to drive on over-crowded streets, great on gas and easy on the wallet. Those of you that need to tow stuff and drive off-road or whatever (yeah, right) should look elsewhere. But if you need a cheap, reliable and well-built car, the xA could be the car for you.
[source: IGN]
