My car is great. It has plenty of room to seat five. Has a built-in, factory-standard stereo that has CD compatibility as well as MP3 through a USB port or even on disc. It allows for hands-free phone built into it. It has the power and drivability for a family car or a work horse. I have loaded the back down full of computer towers, and it was great. All electronics work wonderful. It even monitors the air pressure of the tires. I once had three people and all the camping supplies and food for a weeks trip in it.

The Scion XD is a practical and reliable car for the budget conscious car buyer. The gas mileage for city driving routinely tops 30mpg, and with careful driving can exceed 40 mpg. The hatchback and convertible rear seats give you a variety of options for maximizing passengers and cargo in such a small vehicle. My 100 pound Newfie has plenty of space to sprawl about with both seats down, and can sit and lie comfortably in the back if the seats are up. The sliding rear seats make the space comfortable for passengers over 6 feet, and it's one of the rare subcompacts that can truly accommodate 5 passengers without squishing, thanks to the lack of a "hump" in the rear foot well, and the tall profile gives you more headroom than most Japanese compact cars and sedans. The Scion's small size makes it ideal for city dwellers who need to parallel park on crowded or narrow streets, and the compact doors need very little swing space in parking lots where spaces are narrow. Unfortunately the car doesn't have the best acceleration, and you will have to put the engine through its paces to merge onto the highway or overtake traffic on a parkway, and the handling could best be described as "spongy." The gas tank could also stand to be a little more accommodating in order to extend the maximum range on a single tank. The interior is styled in basic materials, mostly plastics and low grade fabrics, with no option for leather.

My husband and I became a family of three shortly after purchasing this vehicle. Though the car is compact, it has easily accommodated all of our space needs. The hatchback is particularly useful for stroller and other baby equipment storage. The four doors allow for me to reach my baby from any door as well as to load purchases from a day out.