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Those too young to look past looks may never see this Scion's Echo underpinnings. But they'll show themselves in due time, probably starting with its 1.5-liter engine. With 108 horsepower and 105 pounds-feet of torque, slugging to 60 MPH takes about 11 seconds, which may feel old school to most of us but is most un-phat to any teen whose mom's Accord can get there in 7. Passing on a two-lane road feels suicidal and 100 MPH becomes the impossible dream; is the buzzing dashboard supposed to make it feel faster? Dropping the Corolla's engine in the xB could have fixed everything, but what's done is done. Let's just appreciate that the xB will reduce speed-related teenage fatalities and move on.
Being the smallest engine in any gas-powered car intrudes in other ways - spinning at a rapid 3,000 RPM to maintain 70 MPH would be one - but at least it makes decent power for its size and is tricked out with aluminum, twin cams, 16 valves, variable valve timing, etc. It also keeps the weight both low and balanced, as the front half of the xB carries only 59% of its load. And if fuel economy was the goal, then slow and steady really does win the race: the xB got 29 miles per gallon during its stay with us. The big asterisk is that this can drop down to a pathetic 26 on 80 MPH highway runs - no better than a V6 Camry - because as you might guess, the xB's shape doesn't get along too well with the atmosphere (a conflict that intensifies with speed) and forces the engine to compensate disproportionately. Lower driving speeds rewarded us with an awesome 33 MPG. The transmission gets an A for having all the right answers, including knowing to hold third gear on uphill mountain climbs.
You can actually feel a little of the road through the xB's helm. The 15-inch tires (dem's big for the xB's weight... honest) grip the road fine, and because this mini-minivan stretches shorter than a Mazda Miata from end to end, it's pretty maneuverable in town despite not-that-quick steering. The rear drum brakes make the pedal a tad touchy, and we west coasters who can't order cruise control (what the heck?) must find solace in the xB's well-weighted gas pedal.
It's nice that all Scions add dual stabilizer bars to their Echo-plucked suspensions, but the engineers went too far in livening up the handling to its modest levels. I wonder if Toyota even bothered to drive the xB on the streets near their own headquarters where I gained my first impressions. Crashing and banging over every dip on the street will appeal to skaters only. With the bumps punching you from below, the engine droning from the front, and wind that whooshes louder the faster this brick goes, the xB experience is a lot of awkward pain for not a lot of pleasure. At least high schoolers can identify with something.
This rolling refrigerator ain't as big as it looks. At just under 5'5", it stands shorter than most humans and the seats sit at the perfect height for entry and exit. You, the driver sit bolt upright with the steering wheel angled slightly upward and the mirror and parking brake an arm's reach away. It's weird at first but never bothersome when driving.
The bothersome part is Toyota's insistence on continuing a bad idea they pioneered on the Toyota Echo: the center-mounted speedometer. What's supposed to be more stylish and more in the driver's sightlines fails miserably in both respects. When the speedometer packed up and left, it also took its illumination with it, leaving the dashboard pitch black and the interior feeling under-lit at night. The speedometer's marks are also too squashed together, the tachometer's too dinky, and some displays simply got left out. And where's my center armrest? Center console? Map lights? What's with the gaping indents in the dashboard and why does the driver's vent leak air when the climate controls are set to Floor? And do the doors have to slam with the tinniness of an ‘89 Tercel?
Amid all the misfires in class and taste, there's no denying that the xB is about 5,000 times more useful than other cars of its size (again, think Miata). The xB is Scion by Costco - fit more stuff onto the same plot of land by stacking upwards - which makes its cargo hold a great big 43-cubic-foot box. Thankfully, this savvy Scion is just as hospitable to humans, being able to swallow five lanky Gen-Yers at least as well as a three-feet-longer Camry. Even with a back seat that's high enough off the floor, there's still headroom to spare if you're six (maybe seven) feet tall. Legroom and under-front-seats footroom are both abundant. The useless rear armrests dump arms back onto laps but the big windows mean everyone has a great view out, nevermind the mass quantities of insect carcasses that splatter across the xB's mile-wide windshield.
The piece shared by all Scions is the masterpiece: the stereo. It sounds a little less slammin in the xB, whose interior forms a bigger stadium to fill than the other two Scions, but it will be a long time before you hear better sound at this price.
Knowing that most parents don't reward sixteen candles with a Porsche, Toyota kept the price within reach. With the automatic, an xB lists for $15,045. (This is a Scion, so that's not negotiable.) The xB has some key items standard including A/C, power windows/locks/mirrors, keyless entry, antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, vehicle stability control, and like other Scions, a handy first-aid kit. The only typical option is the overpriced $665 set of alloy wheels, but if you want to go for broke (say, by paying $350 for fog lights), you can check off every box on the custom mods list to take this baby all the way up to $22,560! Conspicuously missing are side air bags, cruise control everywhere but "Gulf" and "southeast" states, and the kids will be bummed that the tC comes with two sunroofs while the xB can't even get one.
As for the competition, hmm, does the xB have any? Going by either its body style, the 15 grand price point, or both, hard to say. Maybe you could step down by a few hundred and get a loaded Kia Rio Cinco. You could get a bigger, heavier Chrysler PT Cruiser that offers more space (thanks to a removable back seat) but costs over a thousand more. Or you could stack the xB up against any of the compact wagons (Toyota Matrix, Pontiac Vibe, Mazda 3, Subaru Impreza, Ford Focus, VW Jetta) or the even longer list of baby SUVs. Almost all of those are more desirable rides, in my opinion, but also start thousands above.
Think about what the xB's success implies: today's kids will sacrifice looks for space, pass on speed to gain gas mileage, place the comfort of others before their own driving pleasure, and know the value of a dollar. There's hope for us yet.
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