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Scion xB - Hip to be square

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  • carpeoplecarpeople Posts: 36
    An interesting article on Scion:
    http://autos.msn.com/advice/standardart.aspx?contentid=4021974&am- p;am- p;src=News

    Some interesting points in the article:

    Sales: "As of June 26, 1,058 Scions have been sold, two thirds of which were the xB model."

    Average buyers age:"The average buyer's age was 36, 64 percent were male, 59 percent were new to Toyota, and 54 percent of buyers were age 35 or younger"

    Product: xB
    "The xB's boxy nature is actually quite functional. The interior has plenty of headroom and legroom, and cargo space is plentiful for a car of its size. "

    xA:
    "The xA is a small 4-door hatchback with seating for five; however, rear seating is extremely tight. I'm not particularly tall (5'8"), but my legs were pressed against the front seatback. Unless they were of small stature and extremely comfortable with each other, three people would have a difficult time sitting back there. Cargo space is on the small side as well, with only 11.7 cu ft of room behind the rear seats. However, the front seating position was very comfortable. "

    "Performance, however, is not very impressive. Even with a manual transmission, acceleration is quite poor. In the constant trade-off between performance and economy, Scion has opted for economy — the fuel mileage figures are much more impressive than the acceleration numbers"

    Customization:
    "Vehicle configuration can be accomplished at the Scion Web site, from any computer. The saved configuration can be recalled on terminals at the dealership for easy ordering. Since the cars all have the same basic equipment, half a dealer's Scion inventory remains at the port where they entered the country. Once a car has been configured online, accessories are added at the port, and the car is delivered to the dealership in a week or less. Accessories can also be added at the dealership. "
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  • ateixeiraateixeira Posts: 72,587
    That's good, I think the median age for Corolla buyers was 42, so they are younger. Toyota may have hoping for an even younger demographic, though.

    -juice
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  • steverstever Posts: 52,683
    image

    Ten Japanese Cars You Can't Have (Car and Driver)

    Steve, Host
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  • carpeoplecarpeople Posts: 36
    Yeah, they gave the Nissan Cube a 10(TEN!!!WINNER) for Yankee deirability. What do you guys think? Me, personally, as long as they bring atleast a 2.0l along with them, I'd be fine with it and would get it instead of a Xb.
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  • tcpip1tcpip1 Posts: 121
    The XB should get 11 for Yankee deirability, because of more HP. :)

    P.S. When they show such a cute "box," I wish they put a comparison object near it, so that we can tell how large/small it is.
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  • ateixeiraateixeira Posts: 72,587
    Sorry but that's absurd. Unless they made it look like a baby Hummer I doubt it would even earn a 6.

    -juice
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  • carpeoplecarpeople Posts: 36
    The Cube is 8.4 in. shorter than a Xb. They say it is as refined as an Acura :O.

    And one more thing that I will quote from the article that amuses me:

    "I asked the Cube's chief designer, Yoshi Akiyama, 42, what cars influenced him as he sat at the drawing table. "No cars," he replied. "I'm not so much a car guy. I was looking at refrigerators from the '50s. I liked how the edges were rounded." Akiyama once styled an excavator for Caterpillar."
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  • tcpip1tcpip1 Posts: 121
    Hello lucky XB owners in CA, is the XB expensive to insure?

    I read that if a car's target demographic is younger folks (especially young male drivers), then the insurance cost tends to be higher.
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  • SporinSporin Posts: 1,066
    TexasXB

    Just curious what good 3 free oil changes at a California Scion dealer will do you in Texas?

    Has Scion started their expansion east?
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  • texasxbtexasxb Posts: 5
    sporin, the oil changes are good at any toyota dealer nationwide so is regular service for the vehicle. if any parts were necessary, the local dealer would have to order them. i've been told scions wont hit officially until february but will start to show up in december. that's what i've heard locally. i'm the only xB in my city as far as i can tell. already used to getting stared at.
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  • tcpip1tcpip1 Posts: 121
    When you drove from CA to TX, how did the XB drive? Did you feel the wind resistance at highway speed? Was the engine quiet at highway speed? How about wind noise?

    Thanks for sharing your experience.
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  • texasxbtexasxb Posts: 5
    tcpip,
    the ride was great all along the 8 to the 10. the car is so damn quiet and at idle i press the gas just to hear it rev a little to make sure its still on. i'm serious. i cruised easily at 80-90mph. its so smooth and quiet that it feels like you're moving around 50-60mph until you actually pass-by vehicles. i got an automatic and i took overdrive off ocassionally up steep roads along the trip. i'm not a pro on cars but on bumpy roads i'm generally cautious when it comes to potholes, dips, etc. in the Xb as you need to treat it like a lowrider. but that lower chassis ride keeps it nice and tight around turns and passing in and out between lanes. bottom line, the glass, panels, etc are solid and i have never experienced any wind noise, even at highway speeds. i will never sell it UNTIL it's time to trade in for an upgraded Xb way down the road. plus, i NEVER would've bought a NEW car but this one showed up and for all the outstanding basic features plus the thundercloud color and only 15k (!!!) after all is said and done, ka-ching, had to get one.
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  • lazlo3lazlo3 Posts: 6
    I agree with everythind that tex says. My xB is going on 2 months old and performs flawlessly. I also had a bad experience with the salespeople. Mine new absolutely nothing about the vehicle: I had to teach him from the internet research I had done.
    The scion salespeople couldn't give a rat's [non-permissible content removed] whether they sell the car or not - they don't work on comission. There is no price negotiation, so there is fixed profit, and the sales team is on salary from toyota. They seemed to be actually bored and annoyed when I asked a question about the car!
    Luckily, the car is wonderful and sells itself to those who do the research.
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  • jchan2jchan2 Posts: 4,956
    This car seems to be a hit. I remember reading somewhere that Scions are an instant sucess, with over 2/3 of Scion sales being xBs. I also read that since Scions went on sale, sales have nearly tripled over the past few months. Pretty impressive figures. I don't get why, living in Ohio, I have to wait until June 2004 to get into a Scion. I may just get so impatient that I'll just skip Scion, which would be bad because I heard that Scion is so good. (the xB at least)
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  • texasxbtexasxb Posts: 5
    my original intent was to fly out to california, buy the car, and have it shipped back commercially. i arranged to ship with a auto shipper but after i bought the car, i said what the hell, and drove it back to texas myself. i know 700 miles is alot to put on a car second day owning it, but i saved 700 bucks and put it toward my insurance and first monthly payment. so really, nobody has to "wait" for the scion to hit their area outside california. i called all the dealers in the L.A / San Diego area who had the exact model and color i wanted, had em reserve it, got a plane ticket ($200), walked into the dealer with a sight draft in hand, and drove off in my Xb 2 hours later from the dealer and headed home. it was really very easy. any toyota dealer will service the scion, same with the free oil changes. its an option worth considering.
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  • terrafirmaterrafirma Posts: 212
    Xb is really cool. I've seen several drive around. They aren't really that small..maybe because the greenhouse is so huge.

    It can look really cool or really dorky. I happen to think it looks really cool. Hey, you can't get uglier than the Echo!
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  • nippononlynippononly SF Bay AreaPosts: 12,726
    post this here as well as in "youngest cars", just because it seems pertinent here, and someone was posting speculating about sales numbers:

    http://www.autonews.com/article.cms?articleId=44666

    It seems to be off to a roaring start, and as I said in the other thread, I think it will be an absolute hoot if Toyota goes ahead with its idea to sell them primed with no paint for more than the painted cars cost...

    these cars look awesome. As for xA, well it seems a little too similar to Echo and maybe that is why it is not selling as well as Toyota expected...

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

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  • revdrluvrevdrluv Posts: 417
    I think the deal with xA sales is that it looks quite dull next to the xB. Obviously people going to look at a Scion are wanting to try something different, and the xA could just be seen as just a hatchback version of the Echo. No fun there.

    The xB is really cool. Nothing else on the road looks like it... yet. I am willing to bet that when the sales figures come out, every other japanese auto maker rushes to get there version of "the box" to the US.

    I am seriously considering saving some money vs the alternatives and getting one as my next car.
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  • nippononlynippononly SF Bay AreaPosts: 12,726
    is playing with the idea of bringing the JDM Cube to market here - its looks will compete directly with xB. The problem is it is a microvan - even shorter and compact than xB - and that may not fly in the U.S.

    I love the look of the xB. It is VERY Japanese-chic.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

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  • jchan2jchan2 Posts: 4,956
    Sounds like Honda could rush it's Mobillo Mini-Mini-Mini van over here ASAP.
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  • nippononlynippononly SF Bay AreaPosts: 12,726
    is one tiny tiny little van! :-)

    I think I read someplace that 2/3 of all Americans are overweight or obese or something...will they fit in a Honda microvan?! :-P

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

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  • jchan2jchan2 Posts: 4,956
    would force many Americans to slim down. (Our weight and our oil usage)
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  • jchan2jchan2 Posts: 4,956
    is cheap too. Only about $13.5K USD when converted from YEN to DOLLARS. In Automobile Magazine it gives the Mobillo a rating of a little over 9 out of 10, so in their opinion, it would do well. (Just look at the Scion xB) There is a Scion xB in Japan that is a 2 door model with a convertible type roof. (a la Jeep Wrangler) It would be nice to have a dependable car that looks great, sips gasoline, and has that roof like the Jeep Wrangler.
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  • ateixeiraateixeira Posts: 72,587
    I've been reading rumors that Honda wants a Scion of their own, it just might happen.

    I'm glad the xB is off to a good start, who needs 3 ton SUVs for a commute they usually do alone?

    -juice
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  • muffin_manmuffin_man Posts: 865
    Absolutely!
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  • alpha01alpha01 Posts: 4,747
    xB fans, check out the very favorable overall review in the September issue of Car and Driver.

    ~alpha
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  • jchan2jchan2 Posts: 4,956
    This car is getting people to switch from their Hummer H1s into these things.
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  • roomanrooman Posts: 10
    Incidentally, I was tailgated by an H1 this morning. Gee, I thought, this guy was driving a school bus right behind me…

    We currently own a 1st generation (smaller) Odyssey, but in a few years when our little ones get older, we don’t even need a minivan, xB will serve us just fine. Come to think of it, its only $15K or so. For the price of a loaded 4WD Sequoia, you can buy 3 xBs!

    I sure wouldn't mind to see more competitors such as the Nissan Cube, especially the new e-4WD, coming here:

    http://www.cardesignnews.com/news/2002/021012tokyo-nissan/

    http://www.carbc.com/Car-Review-61.html
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  • ateixeiraateixeira Posts: 72,587
    They should make one in yellow, I think that's the H2's most popular color.

    -juice
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  • tundradudetundradude Posts: 588
    I also enjoyed the article in Car and Driver.

    The bad thing is that I cannot get one where I live on the opposite coastline.

    Here is a entreprenurial tip, go buy a car-carrying trucks worth and bring them over here and sell them for a little markup.

    We can do what the texas guy did, but then it would be ready for its first oil change when it got here.
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