Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
Options
Comments
There's no "tall wagon" category yet I guess, but don't be surprised to see it re-categorized again if one flops up.
So.... guess we'll move this board over to Wagons just to keep consistent. Since most people get here through the Make/Model links, most won't notice. But if you scroll through All Discussions in SUVs, it's going AWOL shortly.
Steve, Host
But in a "Scion Style" with carbon fiber, led lightning and some anodized aluminum trim.
-juice
What could possibly be slower? At a time when everything is getting more and more hp, here comes the xB with 108.
I just don't get it. Doesn't a Vespa scooter have more power?
scootertrash - Why "sad reality"? Wagons usually have lower insurance rates and better gas mileage than SUVs. ;-)
andergtr- #319. I enjoyed looking at your Scion xB pics! That dark blue color is very sharp.
sickboyjg- "first in OHIO." Congratulations! We look forward to hearing more about your Scion xB.
Revka
Host of Hatchbacks & Wagons
This is simply the coolest car I've driven: unique styling, HUGE interior, low levels of NVH, and it's fun to drive! Given a choice between another boring sedan or SUV with 300 hp, or the xB with 108 hp for the same price, I'd pick the xB any day. In fact I'd be willing to pay $10K more for the xB.
Anyone want to bet that Toyota/Scion will NEVER call it that?
A Vespa probably would never reach 60, would it?
-juice
I thought the power of the xB was good enough. It's no rocket, but it's definitely fun to drive.
http://baltimorebombshells.actiongirlart.com/
-juice
A woman's voice pops out of my computer and says "We KNOW how fast WE can go...."
Great. Back to work for me....
- San Fran Dan
-juice
1.5 is enough, but I would want better mileage with it. 30/33 for 1.5 xB and 30/35 for 1.8 Matrix make no sense for me.
CAI is a stupid stupid thing. The "coolness" of the air gives nil, the effect comes from less restrictive filter. Do you want to kill your engine earlier by highly abrasive dust? Go with CAI. Oh, maybe you want to sell the car in three years. Then do not tell a buyer that you had CAI installed on it.
The car is capable of good mileage. It is a stick. I'll be curious to hear field reports on the xB which is less aerodynamic.
I disagree about the CAI. If the less restrictive filter was the difference, than dyno runs would show that a K&N drop-in gives the same benefits as a CAI, and it does not. Why would Toyota offer a CAI option if it was damaging to the engine? If it was as bad as you say, long term reliability would be compromised, and that would look bad for Toyota.
ateixeira -
ah, the Vespa lifetsyle...
1) Why is it that most people go with automatic transmission for the Scion xB? I would think most people would want manual. I have never driven manual before but I am going to get a manual xB.
2) Debating Cold Air intake. Will I notice the difference? I want better performance than factory but the supercharger is far too expensive. Do I have any other options?
3) Debating TRD quickshifter. Opinions?
The options I definitely want to get are: fog lights, quickshifter, cruise control, sunroof, chrome shift knob, and scion floor mats. Debating cold air intake, and rear bumper applique.
I find the LED lights to be a cool gimmick but not at all worth the price. Subwoofer, also cool, but again not worth the asking price. Alloy wheels are tempting but I don't want to look like a racer.
Thanks.
micweb - The 10 horsepower claim is probably at the flyweel, and doesn't account for drivetrain loss. So, with the CAI, the xB makes 115hp, but some percentage less than that actually gets to the wheels. It is probably good for 5-7 wheel horsepower.
HIPTOBESQUARE: We thought that would be a good vanity plate but went with "A BOX"
Xb manual is 30/34 mpg and automatic is 30/33 mpg. No real incentive to choose a manual there.
If you like manual trans. or want to save some money upfront a manual transmission is a good idea.
Question. When you say you want cruise and sunroof are you thinking about aftermarket? Scion is not offering cruise control or sunroof from everything I've read.
Yes, when I say sunroof and cruise, I mean aftermarket. Toyota can install the sunroof right there at the dealership for a hefty $1495, but they cannot do cruise. For that I would have to go outside.
And thanks for the info on manual vs. automatic. I am still going to go with manual, though. I noticed a non-trivial acceleration difference on the manual (I test drove both) and I like the additional control you get. Not to mention it's $800 cheaper.
On the website, they are asking $335 for the Cold Air Induction System, not including installation costs. I have also heard the 10 hp increase number, but I'm not sure if that's accurate, so above all I just want to know if I would be able to tell a difference, regardless of the particular number.
Also, will the Cold Air system increase engine noise?
Who makes the Cold Air Induction system? TRD? I found an AEM Intake (very reputable) for the xB, elsewhere on the internet for $278, not including install. And I'm sure that lower prices can be found. I would definitely try to bargain with them on the price, or at least get install thrown in.
The intake will increase engine noise, but probably not too much. I do think you would be able to feel the difference with and without it.
the Cold Air system being sold on scion.com as an option with the car, is AEM. It's probably the same one you mentioned.
And a question about the TRD quickshifter: Do you think it will increase noise? One of my co-workers bought an aftermarket quickshifter for his Subaru Impreza WRX but he ended up taking it off because it didn't shield transmission/engine noise as well as his stock shifter.
Why are you in need of replacing the shifter?
I don't know if the short shifter would increase the noise level, I've never heard of that. I've never noticed any extra noise with any short shifters I've used.
Aw heck, you better go for the supercharger! How much do they want for it?
If the quickshifter doesn't increase noise and I can still put the cool (or chrome) gray shiftknob on it, I will most likely go for it.
As for the CAI, I'm still torn. I may just wait a bit before getting it.
The dealer told me the supercharger is going for about $4000.
scootertrash,
YES.
scootertrash - the factory supercharger will not violate the factory warranty, and short shift kits often imprive shifting feel, it's not only the speed of the shifts.
"The young buyers don't have money and the not-young buyers with money usually don't like weird. The Pontiac Aztec was an example of such a failure, and Toyota's new boxlike Scion model fits here. A weird-looking vehicle, no power (105hp) and no all-wheel-drive. The bragging of early success will soon sputter out."
From the following article:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/fo/20031009/bs- - _fo/e996891276076ef60891e956f0d2d775
hiptobesquare - I think that advice goes for the purchase of any new car.
I never saw that coming.
This person must be able to predict the future.
I recalled that Honda Civic and Mitsubishi Lancer are popular cars among young buyers.
The xB's pricing is competitive with those cars.
It's advantage includes: non-conventioanl styling, great utility, good mpg, and Toyota reliability.
One thing that the xB lacks is the HP. I bet the next generation of xB will have the HP increased if most young buyers demand that.
In short, it's too early to write off the xB's protential success.
Fog lights -- nice to have, and makes car look better.
Cruise control -- what for? I used CC on my Camry maybe twice for three years, including trips from San Diego to San Francisco twice a month. CC only helps if you drive 60 mph in the right lane along with trucks. Anyway, you wanted more control with manual gearbox. CC is less control.
Chrome shift knob -- how many horspowers does this add?
Scion floor mats -- I would buy in the car store, if I could get ones that fit. Should be cheaper.
Debating cold air intake -- I would not pay more than $20 for this, and only for cool looking cromed or painted intake. Maybe it is really "Cool" Air Intake, not cold?
Rear bumper applique -- If you are going to move around your bike, this would help from scratches, surely. But for the money they ask???
<hiptobesquare>With a quickshifter, the throws are shorter so I could switch gears faster. I imagine this is a plus regardless of whether or not one has driven manual before.</hiptobesquare>
Actually, normal shifter may be more precise because of the _longer_ throws. It is easier to find a proper gate, and needed force is lower (the rule of the lever). Also, another inch of travel will not give you much unless you are Tommy Makinen. Especially considering your hardware: you are not running Evo or STi.
<hiptobesquare> The dealer told me the supercharger is going for about $4000.</hiptobesquare>
Why would not you just buy Matrix XRS?
<hiptobesquare>What do you guys think of this quote: ... </hiptobesquare>
Well, a lot of it is true, but the article is directed to carmakers, not to consumers. Article assumes that consumers are either weirdo-lovers with empty pockets, or middle-aged people looking to buy yet another boring family sedan. Which is a lot true. I would not like to be one or another, I would prefer to judge by my own, I hate stereotypes. And I like xB not because it is cool and trendy, but because it is so functional, like a real car should be.
I do not care what other people think unless they make decisions to produce or to not produce a certain car. Certainly, Aztek parents went crazy, but I can say the same about the whole current Pontiac line. Contrary, Aurora or Intrigue were cool, but grandpas did not get that coolness, and middle-aged bored accountants preferred to get Camry or Accord instead of Intrigue with Magnasteer and Shortstar. And nobody educated them. This is a shame that Olds died having at least two world-class cars. Now some hotshot can have his Grand Prix (aka Intrigue) with archaic 3800 pushrod, thinking that his car is sooo cooler than daddy's Olds with 3.5L 32-valve DOHC Shortstar with "limp home" mode. Dream on.
The article also tells that american customers (those who have enough money to buy new cars) are dull boring men and women who cannot tell sh... I mean, Intrigue from Cutless 98. Which, sadly, seems to be true.