XB = Fun
Written: Jan 06 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Toyota quality and engineering. No hassle pricing. Funky look.
Cons: No center armrest for driver. Waiting for the aftermarket to offer one.
The Bottom Line: Recommend this car. Legendary Toyota quality and reliability, great build and cool looks. Also very practical.
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| toyotatruckguy's Full Review: 2004 Scion xB |
I just purchased a Scion XB with an automatic transmission. After several test drives in this vehicle as well as other makes/models, my conclusion was that this is the best car for the money. I have always owned and sworn by Toyota cars/trucks (my wife likes Hondas). Other than muscle cars, I've driven Toyotas for 19 years. My daily driver until recently was a 1988 Toyota 4x4 which I bought when I was 21 (i'm 36 now). It still runs great but 50 plus miles a day is adding up. I have 220,000 miles on it and have never had a serious problem, but it is time for a new daily driver.
I've always admired the strange Japanese concept cars in the various automotive magazines, and with the XB, you can actually own one. Let me emphasize that I am not in the Scion target demographic. Married/36/2 kids...
My first impression was that it was a strange, weird car/suv thing. Don't get me wrong, I loved it from the start. It is a small car, but the interior is cavernous. The seats bottoms are high enough for ease of entry/exit. The materials do not feel cheap, and seem well engineered. The stock sound system is awesome. Standard features are power windows, door locks, tilt wheel, tinted windows, and AC. The only "option" I got was floor mats, which cost 120 bucks!! Once comfortably seated, a turn of the key fires up the little 108 hp engine. The gages are located in the center of the dash ala. Echo and Prius. A neat thing i'll get used to quickly. The steering on this car is go-kart like. I have never driven a car so responsive to little steering inputs. The wheel is small, and one turn will turn the wheels lock to lock. Hence the go-cart feel. Upon acceleration, the engine is smooth but seems to Tach out quickly during shifting. Power is more than adequate for getting on the highway and merging into the flow. My tach was showing around 2800 rpm at 65 mph. The car is very stable and ride quality is great. Braking is responsive and easy to regulate. Gas mileage is 35mpg highway. After my first drive, I opened up the hood and was amazed by the simplicity if the layout. Not to complicated in there. The rear cargo area is spacious and the rear seats quickly fold down to provide more cargo room. The cargo room is a tad bit shy of my wife's 2002 Honda CRV, but it is more than adequate. I am very happy with this car and expect to drive it for at least 10 years.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 14965.00
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Epinions.com ID:
toyotatruckguy
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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