2008 Scion xD left, 2005 Toyota Matrix rightI've read reviews how the new Scion xD stacks up against the Honda Fit. The interior of the Fit is slightly larger than the xD. I took a bike with me checking out new cars. If a bike didn't easily fit, the car didn't make the selection. The xD was just big enough to accommodate a bike. I was curious how the xD compares with the other car we will own for several more years, a 2005 Toyota Matrix.
Plenty of room for full bike in MatrixA road bike has room to spare in the Matrix, without removing the front wheel. Since I'm nearly 6ft tall, my saddle is too high to stand the bike up with front wheel removal. I can also fit a hardtail MTB in there without having to take a wheel off, but I usually pop the front off anyway so I don't put mud on back of driver's seat with the rear wheel. I can also easily fit two road bikes in the Matrix with front wheel removal by layering a shipping blanket between them.
With wheel removal, a road bike just fits in the xDThe xD is a good foot shorter than the Matrix. Most of this length comes out of the cargo area in back. A road bike just fits with wheel removal. Two road bikes would be more challenging, but still doable I think. Colin R can stand two bikes up in his Fit. Perhaps Fit seating is lower than either the Matrix or xD, which allows more vertical cargo space. The xD and Fit are both spec'd at 60 inches tall. I also use a Cycle Ops Bones bike rack. This allows me to take three bikes and two passengers in the Matrix. Because of the geometry of the xD, Cycle Ops recommends no more than two bikes on the rack for the xD. I wouldn't want to put a rider in the back seat anyway in a car that small. The Matrix will still be around when a little more room is required or three of us carpool to an event.
I chose to go with the xD over the Fit since I was so happy with my other Toyota product. Both of our cars basically have the same 1.8L engine. Honda thus far has imported a very limited number of Fits into the US, and that concerned me a bit regarding parts and maintenance. As for bikes, I do my own auto maintenance too. I prefer to own mainstream cars. Cost of long term ownership is lower.
Carbon shift knob in the xD. How cool. For some reason they stuck this $50 option on this car, the only option on it. When I balked about the $50, they just added it to the already negotiated trade-in value.
2 comments:
The reason bikes can go upright in a Fit, unlike most other compacts, is because the gas tank is under the front seats of the car instead of under the trunk like most cars, which means the cargo bed can be quite a bit lower.
The downside of that is that if you somehow manage to make your gas tank explode while driving, you're definitely in big trouble... unlike most cars where you're probably in big trouble. But depend on who you ask you're courting death driving anything smaller than a Canyonero, so I don't sweat it.
does xD look like a silly emoticon to anyone but me?
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