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New Scion xB Owners - Give Us Your Report
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It is a great car, I am very happy with it. This car will definitely be a sleeper hit like the matrix.
Everyone turns and stares!
I haven't seen one around here yet. Please keep us posted as you get it broken in.
Any other new owners lurking out there?
Steve, Host
Anybody else bought one yet. Please post your opinions for us non-California people......ie, what's it like!
I have several hundred miles on it, and it has performed flawlessly.
My wife loves it too, we have a 6 month old baby in a rear-facing carrier in the middle of the back seat. THis works well.
There is more room in it than in my 99 4 dr. accord!
I am getting over 30 miles per gallon.
It is very quiet inside, and the visibility is excellent.
The power is decent enough for in town driving. I can tell the engine is working when I hit the freeway at 80.
The footprint of is small. I have a cramped garage with an entry from a narrow alley. My accord takes about 4 swings to cram in. The xb takes 2 to get in, 1 to leave.
I have a few minor ergonomic issues with it. I am 6'3" and have to make a goofy twist in my left leg to wedge it past the dead pedal while I drive. I have gotten used to this gimpy posture and now it doesn't bother me.
ALso I am too tall to stand easily behind the car with the tailgate up. I have to bend over like a neanderthal as I load cargo in the back. The gate doesn't flip to vertical like some hatchbacks.
Other than this, the car is ideal for tall people.
I would highly recommend the car. Even apart from the novelty factor, it is an excellent vehicle.
I believe we test drove 3 different variations of xb's, the first one was an automatic since we couldnt find a 5 speed which she wanted, so she test drove that, it wasnt too bad power wise with ac blasting fully she said.
After returning she was considering the auto but then noticed another xb that was a 5 speed with chrome rims (she didnt like the rims much but hey she is in her 50's), anyways we test drove that, the wheels made it really bumpy and there was a rattle from the back i believe from the wheels but the 5 speed she said made much more of the tiny echo engine. She wanted me to test drive it real quick just to for the hell of it I guess, well it had a good amount of power I guess, not like I was out to race anyone. It was compareable to my brothers 2000 manual DX civic, with the wheels though handling wasn't too shabby for being a box.
She really liked the 5 speed a lot more so we opted for that one, sales lady said she could take the wheels off and put the standard ones back on (which proved to be a hastle later on), after waiting a little we began to look through their new inventory and what luck we found the exact same car she test drove except it had the standard wheels and 30 less miles on it.
The buying experience was relatively pain free, the only option my mom got was the keyless entry/alarm which made the price about 14,800 and after taxes and all the fee's about 16,100 which isn't too bad. The saleslady was really low key, didnt pressure my mom into buying anything she didnt want just pointed out what scion offers and thats it. Everything is no haggle so thats nice, especially when you see people right next to you argueing about the price on their camry's and Landcruisers.
Took us about 3 hour from start to finish and she left happy, you wouldnt believe how many people stare at this car! some in delight others in disgust and some in just plain awe. Anyways when we got to her house her neighbor was really interested in it (hes in his 40's) and he loved it!, in fact he just bought one yesterday so now theres two scion xb's right next to eachother, really a funny sight.
All in all I think this is a great car... with its easy buying experience, tons of room (so much room in the back seat its ridiculous!), decent engine power (I would opt for the Cold air intake but shes content) and pretty good fuel economy, also the more you look at this box the better it starts to look.
I was first going to buy an element and I was convinced 100% that this was our vehicle...both of us were...then we drove it...something happened and I did not feel that the element was a quality piece..the test drive made me feel that we could not be satisfied with the vehicle...
I convinced my wife to go look at the scion before committing...and we both were blown away..by the Quality of the xb...we drove home in a Camouflage after considering the Black Cherry,Blue,and Black...
we picked the Automatic and our vehicle included the 6-disc (10 color) CD ,floor/cargo mats,cargo net,silver pedals,grey leather wrapped steering wheel and our total price was $15,887--plus TTL...no haggling and were treated very nicely..we originally considered the manual but we already have one ---so I could not talk the wife into it...:)...but the Automatic is very peppy,,as is..we are returning in a couple of weeks to add the front tower brace and the cold air induction...just for fun---because---believe it or not--it does not need it --this little box can scoot...unless you have been driving v-8's and absolutely want a fast car..
Apologies for the long post...but I hope this answers some questions...last but not least...we parked the xb next to the miata and the miata is 1 or 2 inches longer!!!!...the driving is sporty---firm but comfortable...the visibility is fantastic all around---no blind spots and since the windows are cut low ...the view is almost 360 degrees...but--the seats are elevated so you have the commanding view...very impressive...the interior is the best part...it almost feels as special as my last car ...an Audi TT---believe it or not!!!. .. we are going on vacation to Texas in September and can hardly wait...we want to cruise today...but...work...work...
we heartily recommend this vehicle to all you folks in other parts of the U.S. ...you will feel like we do...like we got over...on Toyota...I hope they don't raise the prices...I know people are interested in the ``Age'' thing...we are a ``young'' 38 and 43 years...sorry kids...if you don't want these types of cars...us older kids will snap them up..
1. yes, you get used to getting looked at. you strike up conversations with strangers who are interested in the car.
2. the price i paid is the MSRP. i paid exactly the sticker price, which was the same as MSRP, no more and no less.
3. i don't know what the size is relative to the element, but it's much cheaper, and the element, while having much more cargo volume on paper, has a lousy payload capacity. then again, the xB's might be lousy, too. i don't see the payload capacity listed anywhere, though perhaps it is listed in the owner's manual. time to take a trip downstairs to the car!
4. the car has tons of room. you can seat five, but in reality i think four is much more realistic. it's comfortable for four people--not a problem.
5. people who at first thought it was dorky really dug the car when they came up to me in the company parking lot and sat in it. bond traders are a pretty tough lot of people, and you should understand that most of the guys drive nice german cars--myself included. however, once they sat inside the car and looked around, they were pretty impressed...especially when i told them about the $14K all-in price!
it's nice to have something that costs around $20 to fill up at the pump, compared to the $37 my BMW 325ci was costing me every time. mind you, i get 300 miles on one tank versus 400 miles on the BMW, but the xB's tank is 11-odd gallons versus the 16-odd gallons of the BMW--and it doesn't drink premium fuel.
First off, anyone who is worried about power shouldn't be. It's no rocket but is plenty quick off the line. Part of that stems from the short clutch take-up. The throws are fairly long and the shifter resists a little, but seems to be getting smoother. Or it's my imagination.
This car handles great. It's nice and tight and really holds the corners. There is very little body roll, but I haven't pushed it too hard, either. The ride is firm but not really harsh.
I like the visibility and seat position, except the seat bottom is short. Might pose a problem on longer trips. This is about the only car I've sat in where my right leg doesn't rub the center console. On the the other hand, the driver's door armrest/window controls hits my left leg.
Even though there are plenty of little storage bins, they are almost flat and made of hard plastic, so nothing really stays put. There isn't much interior lighting, but that can probably be fixed.
Those who have commented about the amount of attention it gets are right. In one day I've gotten everything from thumbs up, to looks of disapproval to laughter. It certainly gets attention.
I had the kids in the back seat (both very young and still in car seats). Getting them in and out was a breeze. I'm not small, but I had plenty of room to maneuver back there.
The best part was picking up my wife who had been away on a trip and didn't know I had bought it. She saw the car coming from a long way off and knew right away is was me.
I love it so far. If you're thinking seriously about getting one, go for it. This is one cool, fun, practical little car.
It caused quite a stir at work, too. Everyone thought it was pretty funny, but once they sat in it and looked it over they all liked it. One woman called the dealer where I bought it looking to trade her new Element for one.
On the way home, I stopped to let a truck driver cross the street. He just stood in the middle road staring at the car with his mouth open.
A/C (I live in Las Vegas, NV) works fine. Like all cars I've owned here, cool down after hours in the sun takes a while, but it does cool down. Never had a time when the heat overpowered the A/C.
I too get a whine: 40 mph, 3rd or fourth gear -- could whine in 2nd, but the rpms would drown out the whine. Reproducible, will wait until 5k before complaining.
Love my Toaster! I am continually questioned at red light about my xB.
1st choice was black cherry, but camo arrived as I wanted, options wise. Liking the camo more than than black cherry.
Happy Motoring!
Phil
The Scion sales team were very professional and they made my car buying experience painless and pleasant. I guess you can probably tell (lol)that so far I am pleased with my purchase.
Marion
There's been discussion on fog lights -- we got them (because I thought the front looked empty without them) and have found them very helpful. We vacation in Maine and often hit fog on the roads at night. Where we live is also around many streams where there's nightly patchy fog. I'm very happy we got them. I find them not to be just pleasing to the eye, but very helpful.
I also found the interior lower lighting to be a necessity. With the dash items so high (and very convenient) it makes the lower part of the car quite dark. I had to drive the first two days without them and it drove me nuts. Too dark. The lower lights (we happen to have green) are not distracting at all, but helpful when we drop things or even need to look over at the other seat.
Good luck!
Cheers!
My gripes are few. First, Toyota decided to leave off the fuel cap holder off the fuel door. I plan to rip off the attachment so the fuel cap just doesn't dangle on the car. Mine is Blue Onyx pearl (I chose it), and it scratches very easily. Now combine that with everyone that wants to touch it, thats a bad combination. Finally, an armrest would be nice, although I did find one on the internet.
On the positive side, their is nothing like it on the road. The packaging is great. It is quite and it rides and handles great. Its not soft, but it isn't stiff either. I have the strut tie bar. The steering is great. The radio is great for a factory system, even though, I never hear the rear speakers. There is 4 in the front (2 in the front dash, and 2 in the front doors) and 2 in the back (the very back).
Overall, I am very impressed. The only thing I wonder in time if my paint job will survive.
Note: The second day I took my car in to get an alignment. The dealership scratched the crap out of it and I had to take it to a body shop for repair. Be wary!
1. LOW front bumper. You'll tear it up if you pull in over curbs or parking lot concrete barriers.
2. Radio panel is hard to see during the day because of its convex shape.
3. Get the rear bumper protector right away (it's just a decal). Otherwise your bumper will get all scraped up easily.
4. Paint quality isn't the greatest on mine (black cherry pearl). It's already got lots of little scrapes where you lift the door handles up.
5. Get the Zeta armrest (or some other after-market), not the Scion one.
6. I bought a Magellan GPS unit which attaches to a flexible stalk that suction-cups to the inside of the windshield (I'm hopelessly directionally-impaired). Because the speedometer is in the center, the GPS sits perfectly on the dashboard directly in front of you, where a speedometer would normally be. AWESOME.
I just put about 1300 miles on it driving round trip from Palm Springs to San Francisco and had the greatest time. I only stopped to put gas in; other than that it was non-stop and totally comfortable. When I drove without A/C got about 32 mpg (freeway).
That's outstanding gas mileage. On my stick shift Golf, which gave me freeway commute mileage of 30 mpg, I dropped to 26 mpg on 80+ mph runs from San Francisco to LA. On my current ZX3, I dropped from commute mileage of 31 to 29-30 - not so bad a hit, due to lower RPM on the ZX3, I suspect. On my former xA stick shift, I got 30-32 but 35 mgp on my freeway commute. I mostly don't use aircon. High speeds seem to reduce mileage due to RPM/air resistance.
Questions for you - stick shift or auto? Average speed (under or over 80 mph)?
as far as comfort issues....only one i had is that my right knee got stiff after 10 hours of driving in a high seat. my teen daughter says the car is totally cool and i truely enjoy driving it daily (i am 35). i now have 7,800 miles on it since october.
also, this thing has tons of room inside and reminds me of a minivan on the inside. also on those long trips your passenger can lay the seat all the way down to take a nap! :shades:
The other vans she has are Ford Windstar and similar. They'll empty a $65 or $70 tank of fuel in under three days driving. The Scion does the same delivery for just a bit shy of $30.00. Mostly in the 28 to 32 MPG range. Everybody loves it, we've had endless comments from various people, mostly positive.
I'm over 6'2", and have a few inches head room over my ball cap. You sit at chair height, not sitting on the floor as in so many small cars.
We took the rear seat out for space, and it's hard to believe something that small on the outside can hold as much as it does on the inside.
On the short interstate jaunts we go on, it has no problems running 75 or even 80. A fun vehicle to drive, and it doesn't roll on the interstate ramps as bad as the Winstar did. Pretty sure footed.
An impressive and economical vehicle. And as with anything made by Toyota, it is assembled very nicely.
Do 300mi/wk and avg. 32.8 mpg with 50% country, 25% city and 25% hiway @ 70-80 mph. Cruise control is on my wishlist.
Car came w/ rear spoiler, 6 disc CD changer, Fog Lights, Sport Exhaust and Weather Tech Window shades. The window shades keep water out of the interior while driving and are a great addition. I added an aftermarket smoked Bug deflector (Bugflector) to protect the hood from stone chips...it's helped and the color blends well w/ the Blue.
I love the car and the interior space, functionality and ergonomics. The seating height matched that of many vans I've owned. That was a main cosideration when buying this car. Plus, it fits my life style and my Lab's too!
I bought it new from Dave Edwards Toyota in SC. First my radio randomly changed stations - so I took it back. It took nearly 2 months for the new "part" to come in. Once they replaced the radio I pointed out the hole in my back seat upholstery which the service department told me was normal. They finally agreed it needed fixed...but they had to order more "parts". Next I was driving on a long trip when my cruise control, and radio just died. Turned out I had blown a fuse. They told me it was because I had my cell phone plugged into the cigarette lighter which you can't do with the scion xb. REALLY???
Now I have 17,000 miles on it and driving on a long trip - my dashboard lit up like a christmas tree. The VSC light came on the track off light came on and the check engine light came on. I hit my track button a few times but it wouldn't turn on. I made an appointment to take the car in and of course - after 3 days of driving around with these lights on - they finally went off. I just heard from the dealership and they have to order me yet another part - so I'll need to come back in when that part shows up. I am seriously thinking about trading it in. Has anyone else had any of these same problems?
I also discovered that it drives terrible in the rain. And my back seat passengers said that the rides pretty rough back there.
I apologize for venting myself, but I've had my own share of negative experiences with Toyota. Oddly enough, I had thought of getting an xB simply for investment purposes, as it is soon to be discontinued in its current form, and remains popular. But after reading about your situation, I cannot imagine giving that company another dollar.
I wish you well as you try to solve your problems. At least you'll be able to sell it for a good price, especially after all the new ones are gone.
The OEM tires really stink...I replaced mine with Yokohama Avid TRZ's. Now it drives and handles very well in the rain.
I really hope all turns out well for you.
Also the ride in the back is stiff because your rear seat passengers are literally sitting on top of the rear wheels. Go to Sears and buy a set of Monroe Sensatrac shocks and install them yourself. Cost: about $50 on sale. It takes about 20 minutes to install with simple hand tools. The Monroe's ride softer and are better for rear riders. There are many posts on this site with directions on how to change the shocks.
The tires will last about 35k miles with proper inflation and rotation but they're pretty cheap. Read the other posts under "tires and wheels" to find out what works on others XB's I changed mine to Falken Ziex 512's in 195 60 15 and noticed a huge improvement. I have 54,000 on my 2005 TCM and have made the above changes and am pleased with the outcome. Good luck.
Have thought about installing an infrared cruise system, but @ $200+, haven't justified the expense.
Somewhere in doing two radio installs and a cruise control install, your dealer must have shorted something to cause the electrical problems.
I use the cigarette lighter to charge my cell phone on trips, and it does not blow the fuse.
In the first week I replaced my rear shocks with SensaTracs, in the driveway in 30 minutes, and the ride became smooth.
I have stock tires and have not noticed any problem in heavy rain on the Interstate up to 70 mph. Maybe toward the end of their tread life they will not be so good in water.
I bought my xB used for a vendor that is not affiliated with any dealership. I have brought my xB into the local dealership to do a few repairs since I got it but they have been small and minor and have not kept me out of having fun driving my xB and having a blast doing it. I am now modifying my box to fit my style and it is great. There are a lot of owner groups out there that are very knowledgable about the box and can typically help through any problem.
Just picked it on on Friday and too a 324 mile trip for a mpg of 30.1.
This baby rides smooooth and without wind noise. Another reason for liking this is when hitting bumps on the road it is smooth compared to other vechiles driven.
The only complaints are:
- No arm rest for the passenger
- For the driver, the left arm has no where to rest logically as the bottom of the window is to high and the area where the button are is too low. Otherwise this is a great buy.
-The backseat room is great.
? rhovertonyahoo.com
i am getting better than expected gas mileage (average to date: 30mpg city/highway) and the ride is quiet and smooth! i went from a luxury sedan to this and the ride is equal if not better imo. i took myself, my friend, her 2 children and my 2 children on a weekend trip and we was all very comfortable! obviously i cant say enough about my cool new ride! :shades:
Your mileage may vary depending on how you drive and what the traffic is like in your city.
good luck with your new xb!
As for bumps.. the ride could be better. The ipod touch hooked up is a good deal... no more cd's. Other than a fresh cracked windshield from Mr. Pebble i'm content for now. This will be my first new car and first winter coming from a 91 ford e250 cargo. I sometimes cant take the helicopter sound/feeling without rolling down all windows. kills my ears when that happens. I'd give the car a 9.5. Also just learned today that Ford is releasing the Flex next summer. It looks hideous and we'll probably see it all over. See thats another reason why I chose this Scion. No one around my area has the same car, in White. Many tC's and few xA's but hardly any xB's, especially the newer models. For fun, I like to park next to the older model xB's and get a chuckle of the differences between the 2. One time a person w/ a 06 white xb left me a note on my windshield saying... "Very Funny". Well thats my story... I love it. Check out the xD when you get a chance. Make sure to look at iut in WHite also. No other color works for scions.
Told them the problem started after taking the car home from their shop, they rechecked. Turns out they tighten my handbrake so hard that the parking brakes were rubbing as I drove, they said they fixed it but I still got the crummy 20-24 MPG with the same driving. Took it back 3 times and the best I can get now is 28-30 with the same type of driving. So freakin, disappointed. :mad: