diff --git a/js/id/connection.js b/js/id/connection.js
index 5f5f17482..df9c318ca 100644
--- a/js/id/connection.js
+++ b/js/id/connection.js
@@ -7,7 +7,13 @@ iD.Connection = function(context) {
         keys,
         inflight = {},
         loadedTiles = {},
-        oauth = iD.OAuth(context).url(url);
+        oauth = iD.OAuth(context).url(url),
+        ndStr = 'nd',
+        tagStr = 'tag',
+        memberStr = 'member',
+        nodeStr = 'node',
+        wayStr = 'way',
+        relationStr = 'relation';
 
     function changesetUrl(changesetId) {
         return url + '/browse/changeset/' + changesetId;
@@ -34,92 +40,99 @@ iD.Connection = function(context) {
     }
 
     function getNodes(obj) {
-        var nelems = obj.getElementsByTagName('nd'), nodes = new Array(nelems.length);
-        for (var i = 0, l = nelems.length; i < l; i++) {
-            nodes[i] = 'n' + nelems[i].attributes.ref.nodeValue;
+        var elems = obj.getElementsByTagName(ndStr),
+            nodes = new Array(elems.length);
+        for (var i = 0, l = elems.length; i < l; i++) {
+            nodes[i] = 'n' + elems[i].attributes.ref.nodeValue;
         }
         return nodes;
     }
 
     function getTags(obj) {
-        var tags = {}, tagelems = obj.getElementsByTagName('tag');
-        for (var i = 0, l = tagelems.length; i < l; i++) {
-            var item = tagelems[i];
-            tags[item.attributes.k.nodeValue] = item.attributes.v.nodeValue;
+        var elems = obj.getElementsByTagName(tagStr),
+            tags = {};
+        for (var i = 0, l = elems.length; i < l; i++) {
+            var attrs = elems[i].attributes;
+            tags[attrs.k.nodeValue] = attrs.v.nodeValue;
         }
         return tags;
     }
 
     function getMembers(obj) {
-        var elems = obj.getElementsByTagName('member'),
+        var elems = obj.getElementsByTagName(memberStr),
             members = new Array(elems.length);
-
         for (var i = 0, l = elems.length; i < l; i++) {
+            var attrs = elems[i].attributes;
             members[i] = {
-                id: elems[i].attributes.type.nodeValue[0] + elems[i].attributes.ref.nodeValue,
-                type: elems[i].attributes.type.nodeValue,
-                role: elems[i].attributes.role.nodeValue
+                id: attrs.type.nodeValue[0] + attrs.ref.nodeValue,
+                type: attrs.type.nodeValue,
+                role: attrs.role.nodeValue
             };
         }
         return members;
     }
 
-    function nodeData(obj) {
-        var o = { type: 'node', tags: getTags(obj) };
-        for (var i = 0, l = obj.attributes.length; i < l; i++) {
-            o[obj.attributes[i].nodeName] = obj.attributes[i].nodeValue;
-        }
-        if (o.lon && o.lat) {
-            o.loc = [parseFloat(o.lon), parseFloat(o.lat)];
-            delete o.lon; delete o.lat;
-        }
-        o.id = iD.Entity.id.fromOSM('node', o.id);
-        return new iD.Node(o);
-    }
+    var parsers = {
+        node: function nodeData(obj) {
+            var attrs = obj.attributes;
+            return new iD.Node({
+                id: iD.Entity.id.fromOSM(nodeStr, attrs.id.nodeValue),
+                loc: [parseFloat(attrs.lon.nodeValue), parseFloat(attrs.lat.nodeValue)],
+                version: attrs.version.nodeValue,
+                changeset: attrs.changeset.nodeValue,
+                user: attrs.user.nodeValue,
+                uid: attrs.uid.nodeValue,
+                visible: attrs.visible.nodeValue,
+                timestamp: attrs.timestamp.nodeValue,
+                tags: getTags(obj)
+            });
+        },
 
-    function wayData(obj) {
-        var o = { type: 'way', nodes: getNodes(obj),
-            tags: getTags(obj)
-        };
-        for (var i = 0, l = obj.attributes.length; i < l; i++) {
-            o[obj.attributes[i].nodeName] = obj.attributes[i].nodeValue;
-        }
-        o.id = iD.Entity.id.fromOSM('way', o.id);
-        return new iD.Way(o);
-    }
+        way: function wayData(obj) {
+            var attrs = obj.attributes;
+            return new iD.Way({
+                id: iD.Entity.id.fromOSM(wayStr, attrs.id.nodeValue),
+                version: attrs.version.nodeValue,
+                changeset: attrs.changeset.nodeValue,
+                user: attrs.user.nodeValue,
+                uid: attrs.uid.nodeValue,
+                visible: attrs.visible.nodeValue,
+                timestamp: attrs.timestamp.nodeValue,
+                tags: getTags(obj),
+                nodes: getNodes(obj)
+            });
+        },
 
-    function relationData(obj) {
-        var o = {
-            type: 'relation', members: getMembers(obj),
-            tags: getTags(obj)
-        };
-        for (var i = 0, l = obj.attributes.length; i < l; i++) {
-            o[obj.attributes[i].nodeName] = obj.attributes[i].nodeValue;
+        relation: function relationData(obj) {
+            var attrs = obj.attributes;
+            return new iD.Relation({
+                id: iD.Entity.id.fromOSM(relationStr, attrs.id.nodeValue),
+                version: attrs.version.nodeValue,
+                changeset: attrs.changeset.nodeValue,
+                user: attrs.user.nodeValue,
+                uid: attrs.uid.nodeValue,
+                visible: attrs.visible.nodeValue,
+                timestamp: attrs.timestamp.nodeValue,
+                tags: getTags(obj),
+                members: getMembers(obj)
+            });
         }
-        o.id = iD.Entity.id.fromOSM('relation', o.id);
-        return new iD.Relation(o);
-    }
+    };
 
     function parse(dom) {
         if (!dom || !dom.childNodes) return new Error('Bad request');
-        var root = dom.childNodes[0];
-        var entities = {};
+
+        var root = dom.childNodes[0],
+            children = root.childNodes,
+            entities = {};
 
         var i, o, l;
-        for (i = 0, l = root.childNodes.length; i < l; i++) {
-            switch(root.childNodes[i].nodeName) {
-                case 'node':
-                    o = nodeData(root.childNodes[i]);
-                    entities[o.id] = o;
-                    break;
-                case 'way':
-                    o = wayData(root.childNodes[i]);
-                    entities[o.id] = o;
-                    break;
-                case 'relation':
-                    o = relationData(root.childNodes[i]);
-                    entities[o.id] = o;
-                    break;
+        for (i = 0, l = children.length; i < l; i++) {
+            var child = children[i],
+                parser = parsers[child.nodeName];
+            if (parser) {
+                o = parser(child);
+                entities[o.id] = o;
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/test/bench/node-xml.html b/test/bench/node-xml.html
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..174738350
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/bench/node-xml.html
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html>
+<html>
+    <head>
+        <title>Node XML</title>
+        <style>
+            #mover {
+                width:10px;
+                height:10px;
+                background:black;
+            }
+            #moved {
+                width:5px;
+                height:5px;
+                background:red;
+            }
+            pre {
+                position:absolute;
+                top:120px;
+                width:500px;
+            }
+        </style>
+    </head>
+    <body>
+        <div id='mover'>
+        <div id='moved'></div>
+        </div>
+        <pre id='report'></pre>
+        <div style="display: none" id="xml" lat="12.34" lon="12.34" version="0" user="foo">
+        </div>
+    <script src="benchmark.js"></script>
+    <script>
+    var suite = new Benchmark.Suite;
+    var obj = document.getElementById("xml");
+    var fns = {
+            lon: function(o, v) { o.loc[0] = parseFloat(v); },
+            lat: function(o, v) { o.loc[1] = parseFloat(v); }
+        },
+        def = function(o, v, k) { o[k] = v; };
+
+    // add tests
+    suite
+    .add('one', function() {
+        var o = { type: 'node' },
+            attrs = obj.attributes;
+        for (var i = 0, l = attrs.length; i < l; i++) {
+            var attr = attrs[i];
+            o[attr.nodeName] = attr.nodeValue;
+        }
+        if (o.lon && o.lat) {
+            o.loc = [parseFloat(o.lon), parseFloat(o.lat)];
+            delete o.lon; delete o.lat;
+        }
+    })
+    .add('two', function() {
+        var o = { type: 'node', loc: [0, 0] },
+            attrs = obj.attributes;
+        for (var i = 0, l = attrs.length; i < l; i++) {
+            var attr = attrs[i],
+                k = attr.nodeName,
+                v = attr.nodeValue;
+            if (k === 'lon') {
+                o.loc[0] = parseFloat(v);
+            } else if (k === 'lat') {
+                o.loc[1] = parseFloat(v);
+            } else {
+                o[k] = v;
+            }
+        }
+    })
+    .add('three', function() {
+        var o = { type: 'node', loc: [0, 0] },
+            attrs = obj.attributes;
+        for (var i = 0, l = attrs.length; i < l; i++) {
+            var attr = attrs[i];
+            (fns[attr.nodeName] || def)(o, attr.nodeValue, attr.nodeName);
+        }
+    })
+    .add('four', function() {
+        var o = { type: 'node', loc: [0, 0] },
+            attrs = obj.attributes;
+        o.id = attrs.id.nodeValue;
+        o.loc[0] = parseFloat(attrs.lon.nodeValue);
+        o.loc[1] = parseFloat(attrs.lat.nodeValue);
+        o.version = attrs.version.nodeValue;
+        o.user = attrs.user.nodeValue;
+    })
+    // add listeners
+    .on('cycle', function(event) {
+        document.getElementById('report').innerHTML +=
+          String(event.target) + '\n';
+    })
+    .on('complete', function() {
+        document.getElementById('report').innerHTML +=
+          'Fastest is ' + this.filter('fastest').pluck('name') + '\n';
+    })
+    // run async
+    .run({ 'async': true });
+</script>
+</body>