Sunday, January 11, 2009

Subcompact Showcase: Rob's Scion xD RS 1.0

Rob Jordan's Scion xD
Rob Jordan lives in Southwest Washington state, and is no stranger to the Scion brand. Before purchasing his Release Series 1.0 Scion xD, he drove a silver Scion xA that had a bunch of modifications; it was even shown in a Scion United commercial. Rob is an active member on Scionlife.com and a few other related sites.

Rob sold the xA and now drives one of 2,000 2008 Release Series 1.0 Scion xDs— #417 to be exact. The limited-edition Release Series (aka “RS”) Scions come from the factory with a host of exclusive upgrades. For instance, the Scion xD RS 1.0 is painted “Hot Lava” orange, features a color-matched interior, a body kit from Japanese outfitter DAMD, a rear spoiler, TRD lowering springs, and a Razo RS shift knob. That’s right—these are all stock on the RS 1.0 xD, and only the RS 1.0 xD. To this, Rob has added his own customizations to make his Scion look and sound even better.

SUSPENSION/ROLLING STOCK
To start out, Rob upped the car’s handling ante by adding some 17” Tenzo Racing DC-6 Version One wheels wrapped in Kumho AST tires (225/45/17). To keep the rear end in check, the 22mm TRD rear sway bar was also installed.

AUDIO/INTERIOR
While the exterior or Rob’s xD looks sharp, the inside is the true gem. Right off the bat, passengers are greeted to a leather interior with custom stitching and heated seats—perfect for looks and those chilly winter mornings. These, combined with the RS 1.0 custom interior, makes the interior stand out. In the stereo department, the car showcases two Memphis Audio StreetEdge 12” subwoofers powered by a Memphis Audio StreetEdge 1.250 Class D amp. The subs reside in two custom fiberglass enclosures that have been color-matched to the car by Rhino Audio of Longview, WA.

ENGINE/EXTERIOR
The xD is based on the Toyota Yaris platform, but features the 128 hp 1.8-liter engine (2ZR-FE) found in the Yaris T-Sport, which is available in Europe and Asia, instead of the 1.5 liter, 106 hp 1NZ-FE. Rob kept engine mods simple, replacing the car’s airbox with a K&N cone air filter. Finally, Rob added a ClearBra RockBlocker to protect the front end from rock chips.

Rob’s tastefully modified RS 1.0 xD is a great example of turning an already unique subcompact into a personalized vehicle.

LINKS
Scion.com
Scionlife.com
DAMD Web Site
Memphis Car Audio
ClearBra Web site

3 comments:

Unknown said...

rockin' out on the orange! always a good idea.

Andy Lilienthal said...

I agree! I really like the Hot Lava color, and I think it looks good on the xD.

thunderingpants said...

Thanks for the write up Andy, very nice.