2008 Toyota Scion xB
Softer style, upgraded engine make Scion xB cool for all ages!
Type: A front-wheel drive five passenger vehicle
Retail price*: $15,650
Engine: 2.4-liter 4-cylinder, 158-hp, 164-lbs-ft torque
Transmission: 5-speed manual, 4-speed automatic, with clutchless shifting
EPA mileage
22 mpg city / 28 mpg highway (both transmissions)
Notes: Be careful with so many ale carte options, the price can quickly climb. *Includes shipping
Report card
Overall: ***
Performance: Good New 2.4-liter engine provides more power and longer wheelbase and wider track create better handling.
Exterior: Good The xB wears its softer edges and bigger size well.
Interior: Good Very nontraditional. Increased space makes it more comfortable but over use of plastic feels low grade.
Safety: Excellent Standard side curtain airbags for front and rear passengers, antilock brakes and electronic stability control.
Pros: A well-priced multipurpose vehicle.
Cons: New xB loses some of its funk factor.
The xB is one of the few vehicles you can say has nicely matured and still insult someone who drives one. So Scion owners, please don’t take this the wrong way, but the new xB shows signs of growing up.
It’s bigger in nearly every dimension compared to the first-generation xB, which created a buzz when it arrived in America from Japan three years ago with a body that seemed carved by a meat cleaver and a too-cool-for-school attitude.
The new xB, rolling into Scion dealerships now, has refined its look with softer edges that make it look like a glamour shot of its former self. The flat-side panels and bay windows have been replaced with more bulging fenders and smaller windows.
This is still not an average-looking vehicle, just a more sophisticated one, especially with its smoother ride, crisper handling, more comfortable interior and an upgraded engine.
At Scion headquarters in Torrance, Calif., executives of Toyota Motor Corp.’s youth oriented brand tout the xB as ugly and brash, as if it were the anti-hero in the prosaic world of sedans, vans and pickups. They may be overstating their case. But this second-generation model looks more mainstream than cult classic — and could wind up hauling just as many AARP members to early bird specials as its predecessor carried college students to underground German techno parties.
Whether delivering the hip or those with hip replacements, the xB offers passengers lots more when it comes to size. The xB’s new platform adds four inches to the wheelbase, 12 inches to its overall length, 2.8 inches to its width and 3.5 inches to its rear track.
The longer wheelbase smooths out the ride, the wider track enhances handling and stretching its overall length adds lots of interior space.
The passenger volume is up more than 10 percent — to 100.8 cubic feet — and there’s a larger rear storage area. Basically, the xB’s shape has gone from toaster to a toaster oven.
Inside, the xB is comfortable and different — maintaining some of the funkiness that could dissuade more conventional consumers, which should be reassuring to many current Scion drivers.
On the instrument panel, for example, the speedometer and three other gauges are mounted in the center of the dash, replacing the cheaper-looking single gauge in the first-generation xB. That’s a big improvement, even though the dash still features large open spaces of plastic and the plastic silver trim feels a bit cheap.
The digital speed readout is another twist that seems at home on this vehicle. Additionally, the gear shifter seems to float out from the bottom of the dash, giving the xB a different feel than other vehicles. It’s an interesting presentation
Like all Scions, the xB comes with an assortment of amenities, including electric windows and locks and a six speaker stereo system that can connect to an iPod or other music player. The new xB adds a few more standard features, such as self-locking doors, a cruise information display that gives the driver the outside temperature, current miles per gallon, average speed and a host of other bits of driving information.
From there, Scion encourages buyers to customize the vehicle any way they want, adding everything from 19-inch tires to a supercharger. Scion executives promise at least 40 accessories for the new xB, and additional after-sale items will, no doubt, become available quickly. The xB comes in only one trim level, but it can be upgraded a la carte to the owner’s content, limited only by the buyer’s budget.