'08 Scion XD: The Return Trip
Luke Munnel
When Carter informed me that we'd be driving to Vegas for the Formula D / BOTI event-as opposed to flying-I was excited. Having spent the first 26 years of my life living on the East Coast, I like any excuse to drive through the desert. There's something about the endless supply of nothingness that fascinates me. I'm sure that sounds crazy to all you Cali natives, but rest assured; we do have one thing in common-a talent for driving in traffic. And probably like a lot of you, I view it as a welcomed challenge; pass more people than can pass me, defend my position against lane jockeys...you know what I'm talking about. So, when Carter added that we'd be sporting a pair of press cars for the voyage, I was geeked! "EVO X? STI? GT-R?!" I asked. So many formidable weapons have been released this year, which one was I lucky enough to have scored?
"Oh, really? A Scion xD...." I mumbled. That's like being told you're going to run a marathon in a pair of loafers. "Oh, and what's that? We're going to make this a fuel mileage test?" ...Better make it a pair of flip-flops. One size too small, at that, because Carter was getting the more powerful xB, and he also shares my compulsion to remain ahead of the pack-meaning I would be facing a hell of a struggle in keeping up with him.
A sharply dualistic experience, the drive on Nevada/California's two-lane Interstate 15 ranges from a high-speed, sprint-paced competition, to idling in bumper-to-bumper traffic when it all goes wrong...with very little of anything else in between; not the best situation for metering any vehicle's ideal fuel economy, especially not a 128hp xD sporting heavy(ish) 17-inch alloys and a fully cranked A/C, battling 100+ degree desert heat and an impatient lead driver. Keeping up with Carter meant the "go" pedal had to be smashed to the floor at all times, was needed, and the transmission-a manual, thank God-had to be kept in the lowest gear allowed by the fuel-cut when tackling any incline.
Needless to say, I wasn't expecting the xD to post glorious numbers-especially after sitting in traffic for nearly two hours on the return trip-but it came through with a surprisingly economical 28.7 mpg average. That's better than rival cars could manage on their best day-and this xD had probably just been through its worst. Cutthroat, high-performance sports car with the ability to ambush any unsuspecting, over-tanned, Hawaiian shirt-clad tourist before they ever caught a glimpse of it in their mirrors, the xD is not. But a relentlessly economical commuter, it most certainly is. Log onto importtuner.com for the expanded review of the TRD-enhanced xD: what we love, what we hate, and some juicy pics, to boot!