Part Wagon, Part Minivan, Part Sport-Compact, And All Very Cool
Written: Mar 21 '04 (Updated Apr 07 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Amazing interior room and versatility, unique styling, Toyota quality, eager and exuberant road manners.
Cons: Stiff ride, height feels awkward in hard driving, out of its element on freeways.
The Bottom Line: The xB isn't the sports-compact alternative Scion presents it to be, but it's as fun-to-drive as it gets for these prices, with amazing versatility, quality, and customer service.
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| drive571's Full Review: 2004 Scion xB |
My Experience
I test-drove a Scion xB five-speed at a local dealership. My test drive lasted about half an hour, and covered city streets, winding secondary roads, and the freeway.
Performance
I wasn't expecting much in the way of performance from the xB's 1.5-liter, 108hp engine in terms of acceleration, but it surprised me. Whatever the figures say, the xB felt surprisingly eager and energetic from the driver's seat.
Power always felt at least adequate, even at the low end, and it was especially zingy in the midrange. From 4000 to 6000rpm, in particular, the xB provided a bit of a shove in the back that made it feel surprisingly quick in first and second gear. In higher gears, and on the freeway, response trailed off considerably, but not to the point of sluggishness.
One of my favorite things about the xB was its crisp, clean engine note that made it fun to explore the higher reaches of the tachometer. This engine never sounded stressed or strained when I ran it up through the gears--just clean and eager for more. Vibration levels were low, and it felt smooth at all rpms. Noise levels were quite hushed in gentle driving, but rather loud at high revs.
This becomes relevant when you consider the xB's gearing. The xB is geared very short, which probably contributes a great deal to its surprising quickness around town--but this tuning works against it on the freeway. At 65mph, the engine is turning 3500rpm, and that's just where the underhood noises start to get loud. As I mentioned, the sound of the engine is quite nice. But when you're trying to settle into steady-state cruise mode on the freeway, and the engine is revving furiously, it starts to feel like you're working the car too hard. Even on my relatively short freeway stint, it began to wear on my nerves, and I was relieved to exit and get the Scion back onto city streets--which are really its element.
Transmission/Clutch
The xB's shifter was quite good, and like the engine, handily exceeded my expectations. The long, spindly shift lever looks like something out of a pickup truck, but thankfully, that's not how it felt. Its throws were notably short, and its effort was light and natural-feeling. Rowing through the gears revealed somewhat notchy gates, but they felt notchy in a pleasant, precisely-defined way--as though a high-quality short-shift kit came as standard equipment. Gearchanges felt just slightly rubbery due to the long, flexible shift lever, but it was all quite impressive otherwise.
The clutch was also very good, with light effort and an easy, intuitive take-up. It could stand to engage more quickly, to allow cleaner full-throttle shifting, and the engine could stand to drop revs more readily. But overall, quite good.
Steering/Handling
The xB was a maneuverable and responsive handler, but it couldn't completely disguise the fact that this is, after all, a tall and narrow car. Through most of my test drive, the xB felt nimble and eager, as long as I didn't press too hard. It felt especially agile in the tight, relatively low-speed maneuvers of city traffic.
The xB's steering is light but well-weighted, and its ratio is notably quick off-center, giving it sharp and immediate response to driver inputs. The firm suspension keeps body motions to a minimum, allowing very little body lean in moderate driving and helping the xB dart eagerly into turns. This is all good stuff, but the xB runs out of talent when it's pressed beyond, say, 7/10ths of its abilities.
When I pressed the xB hard on a winding road, its body leaned quite a bit in the turns, and the high driving position only accentuated the unsettling body movements. Abrupt changes of direction were accompanied by a somewhat nebulous, uncoordinated feel as the tall body took a moment to catch up with the quick steering and take a set in corners. The steering also lost much of its precision in hard running, and there wasn't enough road feel for me to get a good sense of how much grip was left at the front tires. I never got quite comfortable with charging hard into corners in the xB, despite its nimble feel at lower velocities.
This may not be of much concern to many buyers, but what is relevant to everyone is the xB's somewhat unsettled freeway manners. The tall body is easily blown around by crosswinds, and on my test drive, the xB wandered in its lane more than I would like. The steering lacked on-center precision at high speeds, further detracting from accurate control. I guess the bottom line here is that the xB feels very nimble, sporty even, as long as it's kept in the cut-and-thrust of city traffic. Outside of this comfort zone, its talent dulls considerably.
Ride
The xB's ride was one of its weaker points. To make the tall, boxy xB handle as nimbly as it does, Scion had to tune the suspension very stiffly, and this exacts a toll on ride comfort. On my test-drive, the Scion did a good job of muting the impacts from bumps and potholes, but the car's body motions were non-stop. On uneven or patched pavement, and sometimes even on apparently smooth roads, the Scion pitched and bounded stiffly, like a car with lowering springs and aftermarket shocks. Having used such a car as my daily driver, this didn't bother me too much, but I imagine many consumers would find it off-putting.
Still, despite the hobby-horse rocking, the Scion's ride wasn't harsh. The suspension was impressively adept at taking the edge off of potholes and other pavement imperfections, and the xB's stiff, rock-solid body structure never quivered or rattled once. Road noise was pleasantly muted as well, although wind rush creates quite a racket on the freeway as it passes over the xB's boxy body.
Scion is probably hoping that the younger buyers this car targets will just find the stiffness and noise more exciting, but I fall into the targeted age range, and I wasn't thrilled--a ride this stiff should be accompanied by razor-sharp handling, and the Scion isn't quite there yet. More-conservative buyers who are just looking for a spacious, affordable runabout would be well-advised to take a good, long test drive to make sure the xB's busy ride quality is something you can live with.
Interior
The xB's interior, like its exterior, was entertaining and totally unique. It had loads of space and an edgy, gen-Y style that I (being a gen-Yer myself) found especially pleasing. The shape of the dashboard is boxy but futuristic, looking more than a little like one of those expensive home stereos at Circuit City. The three-spoke steering wheel, aluminum-look trim, and eyeball vents contributed to a sporty mood that felt very "import-tuner." The dimpled rubber dash top was an especially nice touch, and it reminded me of a similar material in the Acura RSX.
But that's where the sporty-car comparisons end. The driving position felt like that of a scaled-down minivan, with high, bar-stool seating and a big, upright windshield looming ahead of the broad dashboard. The driving position was tall and upright, with pedals that were close (but not too close) to the seat. The seats were big and broad, with excellent comfort and support. There was also loads of room, in every direction--especially overhead, as you might expect.
When I climbed into the rear seat of the xB, I was amazed at how much room there was to stretch my legs. It really felt as if the seats were pushed right back to the edges of the Scion's boxy shape--for a small car, the xB is incredibly efficient with space. Of course, this means there's not much of a trunk behind the rear seatbacks, but you can always fold the seats down--or remove them entirely, if you're hauling refrigerators or something. I usually prioritize a car's driving experience way above everything else, but I must admit that when I imagined myself driving to a gig, pulling the xB into tiny parking spots, carrying the bass guitar, amplifier, PA system, and mixer in the back with room to spare, I got the "I-want-it" bug. This is not an urge one experiences often in the sub-$15,000 class.
There was only one thing to temper my enthusiasm for the Scion's interior, and that was materials quality. I was surprised to find this a weak spot in a Toyota product (all Scions are rebadged Toyotas sold in Japan), but the quality of the plastics in the Scion's interior definitely left something to be desired. The plastic on the slab-sided dashboard was disappoingly hard and roughly grained, and it sounded hollow when knocked on. The climate-control knobs were unusually clunky in operation, and the eyeball vents were sticky and difficult to get adjusted properly. Most surprising was the way the front windows flapped--not just vibrated, I'm talking flapped--when I rolled them partway down at freeway speeds. Forunately, Scion paid attention to making the controls you touch the most (steering wheel, shifter, turn-signal stalk, etc.) feel much better, so the cabin still has a classier-than-average ambiance when taken as a whole.
Practicality
As I'm sure you've deduced by now, practicality is a huge, huge selling point for the xB. This car absolutely blows away everything in its class, and even the next class up, when it comes to cargo space and flexibility. To do better, you'd have to move up to a Honda Element or a low-priced minivan, both of which will land around $20,000.
Although the driver's seat doesn't come with any special adjustments beyond the usual fore-and-aft and seatback-angle, its comfort and support were excellent, and the tall seat height lent a commanding feel to the driving position. The rear seats were equally comfortable, and had Town Car-quality legroom and van-quality headroom. I've already mentioned all this, plus the foldable and removable rear seats, but you really have to see the xB's cavernous interior to believe how much space there is in this little box. On a 1 to 10 scale of practicality in the cheap-car class, I'd put the xB somewhere around 12.
Reliability
Consumer Reports doesn't list a reliability rating for the xB yet, but they do have data on the Toyota Echo, which is the basis of both Scion models. Scions are built by Toyota, and in Japan they are sold under the monikers Toyota Ist and Toyota bB. They're both built on the Echo platform, using the same engine, transmission, and suspension components--albeit tuned for a sportier feel. So the reliability of the Echo is pretty much a dead ringer for how well the Scions will hold up. And the good news is, the Echo gets Consumer Reports' highest rating for reliability. Its Better Than Average score promises virtually trouble-free operation, and so the Scions are unlikely to show anything less than similarly excellent reliability.
The only issue here is the Scion's unexceptional warranty--same as Toyota's--which is just 3 years/36,000 miles bumper-to-bumper and 5 years/60,000 miles on the powertrain. Next to the Korean competitor's marathon coverage, this seems pretty ordinary, although it's partly compensated for by the promise of a superior reliability record.
Overall
It was interesting for me to test-drive the xB and experience Scion's approach to selling cars, since (being a 21-year old near-college-grad) I fall conveniently into the demographic this youth-oriented brand targets. My impressions of the xB, and Scion's tactics in general, were very positive. Before I get into my overall evaluation of the car itself, I want to mention the excellent customer service at the Scion dealership, which was totally unique except for the equally customer-friendly Saturn brand.
The salesperson showed me around the xB for a few minutes, gave me a brochure, and then handed me the keys to let me test-drive it, by myself, for as long as I liked. I love unaccompanied test-drives, because they allow you to concentrate more on the car, and they rule out the old salespersons' tactic of talking your ear off as you drive through the roughest or twistiest sections of road that are most likely to reveal a car's weaknesses. Upon returning to the dealership, I simply gave the key back, was handed the salesperson's card, and sent on my way. Perfection! I also think it's really smart for Toyota to use this respectful, no-hassle approach specifically on young buyers, who so often feel pandered to and manipulated by marketers, and not taken seriously by adults.
But enough generational commentary, on to the car itself. Although the xB didn't have especially sharp or confidence-inspiring handling when pressed, and its freeway manners leave much to be desired, I was impressed with this little box. Its utility and cargo flexibility are simply awe-inspiring, and its passengers are treated like royalty (except for the stiff ride).
It also strongly appeals to me for its efficiency. There's more room to stretch out and a more-open feel inside the xB than you'll find in most plodding, wasteful midsize SUVs, and the xB delivers this spaciousness in a small, tidy body with fuel-sipping gas mileage. So practical, so common-sense. And at the same time, so out-there and unique. I'll let you make up your own mind on the styling--I personally loved it, but more in a "I'd love to see more of them on the road" way than a "I'd love to be seen in it" way. It calls a little too much attention to itself for my tastes, but then I'm not really typical of my age range--I'm also not into stickers, spoilers, or big-bore exhaust tips.
The bottom line is that, while the xB isn't the sport-compact rival Scion seems to think it is, it's still among the most fun-to-drive cars in this price range, and an amazingly useful cargo hauler and provider of "personal space" (a big deal in the Japanese market this car was originally designed for). Considering all this comes with Toyota reliability, very reasonable prices, and a stellar buying experience, it's hard to imagine not being satisfied here.
Feel free to check out my reviews on some of the xB's competitors:
Chevrolet Cobalt
Chrysler PT Cruiser
Honda Civic
Honda Civic Si
Kia Spectra5
Mazda 3
Mitsubishi Lancer
Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart
Nissan Sentra
Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V
Pontiac Vibe
Saturn Ion
Scion xA
Suzuki Forenza
Suzuki Reno
Toyota Corolla
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 13,680
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Epinions.com ID:
drive571
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 in Cars & Motorsports |
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Member: P.J. McCombs
Location: Berkeley, California
Reviews written: 138
Trusted by: 69 members
About Me:
New baby at home: a 1999 Mazda Miata in British Racing Green!
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