From Strange to Good
Written: Mar 09 '04 (Updated Mar 09 '04)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Seat Comfort: |
 |
|
| Build Quality |
|
|
| Roominess: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Price, Space, Looks?, Driving Experience
Cons: Power, Base model hard to find
The Bottom Line: The xB offers a lot in a strange, unique package.
|
|
|
| jumperless's Full Review: 2004 Scion xB |
Making a trip to the Toyota Dealership to have some routine maintenance done on my car, I was looking forward to testing the 2004 Toyota Prius. But, their tester was loaned out and I was out of luck…until I saw a strange looking, boxy ride, the Scion xB. My fiancé is still looking for a replacement for his old Saturn, but was considering an xA and holding off on making a decision before he could test it. However, he’s is now attracted to the xB after driving it. The model we tested was loaded, it had 18” wheels with short walled tires, cruise control and an auto transmission to name a few features.
Scion is a new brand by Toyota, supposedly targeted to the younger generation…or those that are just young at heart. Toyota dealerships are gaining Scion divisions that are basically information and ordering centers for the Scion brand. The one I visited had and interesting stainless steal display showing off Scion options, including colors, pedals, all kinds of accessories.
Performance, Power and Handling
One thing the Toyota ECHO has going for it is power, pair the 1.5L 108HP VVT-I engine with the 5-speed transmission and it becomes a peppy ride. The Scion xA and xB both use this engine, something I was unsure about because they’re both slightly heavier than the ECHO. And, our test model had an automatic transmission, so I was expecting it to be considerably slower. But, it actually had decent acceleration and shifted very smoothly. Our test model was loaded though and included the optional cold air intake. Some tests I’ve read say the manual transmission can do 0-60 in 9 to 9.8 seconds and the auto transmission can do 0 to 60 in about 10 to 10.5 seconds.
Body roll was a lot less than I was expecting for a car this tall, on fast (about 25 MPH) turns, it felt very stable. Much more so than the Toyota ECHO. I’m sure the standard stability control system had something to do with this. As with many vehicles in its price range, road noise was noticeable, especially on rough pavement…which the neighborhood we test drove in have plenty of. But, the ride was still pretty smooth. On one pot hole I hit, there was a sharp jolt sent through the cabin.
Gas mileage on the xB is not as good as the Toyota ECHO, but not bad at about 33 MPG average. With an 11.9 gallon tank, the xB can get pretty far between fill ups.
Interior Looks and Features
Some vehicles are not what they seem from the outside. Like the H2 for example, from the outside it looked like it had a cavernous interior. But, my optimism fell limp when I saw the puny interior. The Scion xB looks small from the outside, however it’s a different story inside, I felt it had more room for the driver than the Chevy Venture and certainly the H2. It’s hard to describe how spacious the xB felt, it has to be experienced to be believed. I’m 6’ tall (usually taller with heels) with long legs, so I moved the drivers seat pretty much all the way back when I got in. Somehow, I still had plenty of space in the seat behind the driver’s seat.
For driving, I had plenty of space, however I did need to adjust the steering wheel up. There was plenty of leg room, my knees were not close to the dash. I would imagine the xB could accommodate even taller drivers. With about 21 cubic feet in cargo space and back seats that are easy to fold down, the xB does offer a lot of versatile room for a vehicle its size.
Standard interior features include air conditioning, power windows and locks with keyless entry and a tachometer. The controls lit up in an orange color that as different. The xB has a very unique center gauge cluster that consists of one large circular multi gauge and a smaller display to the right of it. The multi gauge consisted of a large, white-backed speedometer at the top, and the black-backed tachometer and fuel gauge at the bottom. The display next to it has the digital odometer and trip meter and a blank black section where all the idiot lights are located. But, it looks like unused space when they’re not lit.
The dash mainly consisted of black plastic trimmed with metallic silver. The interior materials seemed of higher quality than the ECHO with more textured surfaces and stylized details. The AC controls were easy to use because they’re laid out in 3 main round dials, something I prefer over the slide bars I’ve seen in other vehicles.
Exterior Looks and Features
At 64.6 inches, the xB is taller than the ECHO. It’s also wider at 66.5 inches wide. At 155.3 inches long, it’s certainly not the longest vehicle, but will make parking easy and certainly does not feel short inside. Opening the back hatch, the interior feels very large. But, opened all the way, my head just barely clears it and I’m 6’ tall. I have to duck a little to access the rear, not a big deal as I notice the same on smaller SUVs.
Obviously, the xB’s looks aren’t for everyone. It is basically a box on wheels, exterior curves are non-existent. But, in a way, the xB also rebels against over stylized cars with more curves than functionality, my mother’s Camaro comes to mind here. But, the xB can still be customized with many options all ready on the market.
Safety
The xB comes standard with ABS (antilock braking system) along with traction control, pretty impressive with such a low base price. It also comes with driver and passenger front air bags.
Parting Shots
It’s hard to justify the higher price tag on other models after driving the xB. In many cases, people will pay a lot of money to have a vehicle with unique looks and some nice features. But, the xB takes many great features from various car classifications like the space of an SUV or wagon, the high-up driving position of an SUV, the gas mileage of an economy car, somewhat sporty handling and packs them into an off-the-wall vehicle that hardly fits in any classification. Though, it may be too strange for some, the looks of the xB grew on me.
The xB starts at about $14,000, but the price can go up quickly to over $18,000 with options. One complaint I do have is it seems to be hard to locate a base model xB, many already have aftermarket features installed. In doing research, I found scionlife.com to be an excellent source for information on Scions and to talk with other owners.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 17,500
Condition: New
Model Year: 2004
Model and Options: 2004 Scion xB
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
jumperless
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Location: Northern California
Reviews written: 125
Trusted by: 122 members
About Me:
Go with it.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.