The original xB, literally a box on wheels, was developed for that portion of the Japanese domestic market that goes for small, quirky cars. It was designed to be exceptionally roomy for its exterior size, to provide a home away from home in a land where the homes themselves are rarely spacious.

Then Toyota decided to give the xB a shot in the U.S. as one of the first two models in its youth-oriented Scion brand. The box acquired a cult following, and sales greatly exceeded expectations.

The first xB was only offered in the U.S. for three model years, 2004 to 2006. There was no 2007, and for 2008 a totally redesigned xB has been introduced.

The new xB is much larger, much heavier, and much more powerful. It also isn't quite as much a box on wheels. Are these changes for the better. Or has Toyota replicated Ford's mistakes with the original Thunderbird and Mustang, and destroyed what made the original special? I took a new 2008 Scion xB for a test drive to find out.

Styling

The old xB was literally a box on wheels. People either loved it or hated it. It made no overt attempt to be stylish.

The new xB retains a boxy shape, but the exterior now includes a number of attempts at style: ultra-wide C-pillars, a high beltline in the Chrysler/Hummer idiom, false ducts for the front brakes, and flared wheel arches. With the stock wheels the new xB looks tubby and frumpy. An extreme amount of front overhang doesn't help. (While the wheelbase is up four inches, the overall length is up twelve.)

But Scion assumes many buyers will upgrade to much larger wheels, and even displayed a modded car at the press intro. The modded car looks much better. But for anyone who was attracted to the stark simplicity of the old design, that's gone. The salesperson wasn't a fan.

Inside the styling has also been dialed up a couple notches. The instruments continue to occupy the center of the bulkier instrument panel, but there are now more of them. The instrument panel has an "industrial" theme. Think Hummer-lite. Hard plastic predominates, especially on the IP. But there are enough padded surfaces on the doors that the car doesn't come across as barebones. Only an off-black interior is offered. Though silver trimplates help lighten the interior a bit, it still feels quite dark in there.

Accommodations

The original Scion xB had a lot of glass area, which lent the cabin an airy ambiance. As mentioned already, the new xB has a much higher beltline. The roof is also a bit lower. The windows are much shorter as a result. So that airy ambiance is gone. The original xB felt very roomy inside, especially for such a small car. Credit the amount of glass, the high ceiling, front seats mounted high off the floor, and a generous cabin length.

Despite the larger exterior, and a clear increase in shoulder room, the new cabin in many ways does not feel as expansive as the old one. Aside from the smaller windows, the roof is now lower and the front seats are mounted lower to the floor. There's still plenty of headroom and legroom in both rows, but the interior doesn't feel cavernous in the same way it used to.

The driving position has changed quite a bit. In addition to the lower seats and higher beltline, the instrument panel is deeper and more massive, and the upright windshield is in another county. In other words, the view forward is much like you'd expect in a mini-Hummer. This will likely appeal to some people, but perhaps not to people who loved the old xB.

The view to the rear is restricted by the ultra-wide C-pillars.

The seats are comfortable front and rear, with firm but not overly firm padding. The front seats are shaped to provide a decent amount of lateral support in conjunction with the grippy cloth. The driver's seat, but not the front passenger's, includes an attached fold-down armrest. The salesperson pointed out the unusual height of the rear seatback. It's actually so high that most people will have no need for the rear headrests. This in an age when many large SUVs have rear seats that don't even reach adults' shoulders and must have the headrests extended upward half a foot for proper safety.

The cargo area looks longer and wider than that of the old car, but the official stat has only increased from 21.1 cubic feet to 21.7. Do the numbers lie? Perhaps the old cargo area is so much taller that this cancels out the other differences?

Whatever the stats, in the new xB there's enough space behind the rear seat for groceries and short vacations. For larger loads, the rear seat folds, and my understanding is that it can even be removed for maximum volume. I'd like to see a folding front seatback, as in some competitors, but one is not offered. The interior includes many small storage spaces, among them a compartmentalized tray under the cargo floor and--in an odd innovation--inside the C-pillars. When your C-pillar are wide enough to include storage compartments...

On the Road

The original Scion xB was powered by a 108-horsepower 1.5-liter four from the Toyota Echo. As such, even with the car's light 2,400-pound curb weight acceleration was a bit short of adequate. And the engine was quite buzzy while straining to motivate the box.

The 2008 Scion xB has a much larger and more powerful engine, the Camry's 158-horsepower 2.4-liter four. However, curb weight is also up, by a considerable 600 pounds. So while the new car is quicker, it is still not quick, at least not with the automatic. An additional ratio or two would help--the automatic has only four. This automatic is now manually shiftable, but in stock form this feature doesn't add much. At least the new engine doesn't sound as strained as the old one.

Not surprisingly, the new xB feels like the "much more car" that it is. Actually, aside from the much different driving position it steers, handles, and rides much like a Camry. Again no surprise, as I suspect there are some Camry bits in the chassis. And so we have a much smoother ride than before, and thoroughly competent and safe but also thoroughly boring handling.

No doubt there will be aftermarket suspensions and even an aftermarket supercharger (one is offered with this engine in the tC sport hatch) to dial the excitement up a few notches. But in stock form, I must agree with the salesperson that Scion has something akin to a PT Cruiser. Except I'd argue that the PT feels a bit more agile (while not riding as smoothly).

Scion xB Price Comparisons and Pricing

The price of the new and improved Scion xB is $1,800 higher than before, $17,180 with the automatic. About $800 of this gap is accounted for by additional features: side and side-curtain airbags, audio controls on the steering wheel, tire pressure monitor, trip computer. And standard full iPod integration. The larger body and large engine easily explains the rest. So while the new xB is more expensive than the old one, it is at least as good a value.

The Honda Fit is currently the hottest subcompact. Closer in size and character to the old xB, in Sport form it lists for about $600 less than the new xB. Adjusting for remaining feature differences widens the gap to about $900.

Prices change frequently, and differences will vary based on feature level. To quickly generate these and other comparisons with the specific features you want, visit my Web site, www.truedelta.com. (It's the only site that provides true "apples-to-apples" price comparisons.)

TrueDelta's page for the Scion xB:

http://www.truedelta.com/models/xB.php

Last Words

By any objective measure, the new Scion xB is a lot more car for just a bit more money. It's larger, more powerful, smoother, and so forth. But did xB fans actually want "more car?" I suspect that many will not be happy with the changes. The exterior is no longer so simple and pure, the cabin is no longer so airy, and the handling is no longer agile. What we have instead is a Camry in a tall body. The Camry of course has many of its own fans, or at least many, many buyers.

All in all, the new xB will likely have a much broader audience, but also a less passionate one.

A Note on Scion xB Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy an xB rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Scion xB reliability comparisons.

The new xB is largely based on proven mechanicals, so I wouldn't expect many of the problems that often plague brand new designs. But there's always that chance.

Before I can report results, I need reliability data on all cars--not just the xB--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. Non-participants will have to pay an access fee.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

Some of my reviews of related vehicles:
2004 Scion xB review
Chrysler PT Cruiser review
Dodge Caliber review
Honda Element review
Honda Fit review
Nissan Versa review
Pontiac Vibe review
Amount Paid (US$): 17,180
Model Year: 2008
Model and Options: xB automatic, no mods