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2008 Scion xB - new design... love it or hate it?

63 messages,  Last post on May 24, 2009 at 6:44 AM

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#25 of 63 Re: Toyota is brilliant re: the new Xb [bpraxis] by girlbuffalo1 May 22, 2007 (5:21 am)
Replying to: bpraxis (May 21, 2007 7:11 am) I had test drove the Element and they are scarce around these parts. I was willing to buy a new '07 however they only had 4x4 loaded versions in stock and it was just a bit too much for my wallet.   I purchased my 2008 xB black on black automatic for what is advertises on the Scion site $17,180. They accidentally forgot to charge me for the video stereo--and tried yesterday to call out the mistake and have me take the old stereo back or pay for the new one--not on my watch--I paid sticker and have signed all documents for that amount for that car--I called their bluff by saying "well what do I have to do to return the car" and they decided to let me keep the stereo ($400 on Scion site)--so that's good. Replies to this message: aatherton (May 23, 2007 6:16 am)
#26 of 63 Re: Toyota is brilliant re: the new Xb [girlbuffalo1] by aatherton May 23, 2007 (6:16 am)
Replying to: girlbuffalo1 (May 22, 2007 5:21 am) I looked at the new xB2 at a Scion Backstage event. I am 6’-2” and was surprised to find plenty of headroom, though less than my xB1. Even though the car is lower, the seat must be lower, too. Still, it was not hard to get in and out, and each seat has nice overhead grab bars. The surfaces that are dull pebbled plastic in the xB1, like the dash and doors, are smooth shiny plastic in the xB2; odd but practical. The 5-speed shifter came out of the dash at an angle, and felt smoother than the xB1. The back seat did not have the same amount of legroom as the xB1 with the front seat all the way back. The trunk was about 6” longer. There was a storage bin under the trunk, but it was so divided up that it will not hold as much as the xB1. The temporary spare wheel was painted a mustard color, evidently to advertise its emergency nature. The engine compartment was more crowded than the xB1, and the 2.4L engine is reversed compared to the 1.5L, with the exhaust in the front and the intake and throttle hidden behind against the firewall. It is a good thing that cruise control is factory-standard, because it would be too hard for an aftermarket installer to work behind the engine. The car had alloy wheels that showed off the disk brakes on the rear. It seems like a lot of car and engine for the money. However, I am turned off by the high and rising belt line, both from outside and from sitting inside, and bothered the huge blind spots caused by the C-pillars. It is odd for a wagon to have no rear side windows. I found the interior to be claustrophobic compared to the big bright windows and high ceiling of my xB1. The xB2 makes me think of a cross between a Batmobile and a Bradley Fighting Vehicle, and I would not get it to replace my xB1. If I had to do that right now, I would look at the Forester even though I don’t need AWD.
#27 of 63 Thankyou girlbuffalo by bpraxis May 25, 2007 (9:04 am)
Congradulations on your new Xb and thankyou for your pricing insight.     In Florida the Scion dealers want a $700.00 dealer fee which seems to be non negotiable.     Keep us posted on how you like it,     With appreciation, Replies to this message: aatherton (May 26, 2007 10:46 am)
#28 of 63 Re: Thankyou girlbuffalo [bpraxis] by aatherton May 26, 2007 (10:46 am)
Replying to: bpraxis (May 25, 2007 9:04 am) "... In Florida the Scion dealers want a $700.00 dealer fee which seems to be non negotiable."   That's the beauty of Pure Price. No worries about negotiation. When I bought my 2006 a year ago, I just checked the three dealers in my city and went with the lowest fee. They ranged from $400 to $900.
#29 of 63 Car of the year by frago May 28, 2007 (11:40 am)
Completely in love with this new XB. It is a hit all around. All of the things I hated about the old one are gone. Its really peppy now too and scoots along well. Very spacious interior and the slit windows give it a chop top street rod look. Never thought I would see the day I bought a Scion but this is the coolest car anyone has designed in quite some time and I am sold. Pick it up in two more days.
#31 of 63 new 08 scion xb owner by subjective May 28, 2007 (3:39 pm)
We have owned our 08 Scion xb 5 speed for 4 days which now has 350 miles on the odometer. The trip computer shows 29.2 mpg and by me measuring fuel used comes out to 29.1 mpg by driving secondary highways at 55-60 mph and incity light traffic. My wife and I really like this 08 xb much better than our 05 xb which we have enjoyed very much. You must drive the o8 xb to appreciate how good it is. A good 5 or 6 speed with proper shift points would make the automatic better than by using the 4 speed now being used. This shows what a young team of engineers and designers can do when not dictated to by stale management.
#32 of 63 The new xB looks like an ugly HHR/PT Cruiser by cloned_2_death May 28, 2007 (4:17 pm)
The tiny gun turret windows/high beltline and huge C-pillars are a big mistake. Sensible design, practicality and safety lost out to Toyota's styling department's decision to copy GM's and Chrysler's mistakes. Unbelievable. Then again, they'll probably sell a ton of these to the 50-70 year olds, secretaries, grannies, and college girls etc. that seem to love that nasty PT Cruiser. No doubt Toyota conducted multiple styling clinics that told them that this styling would be popular with consumers. I'm betting more than 80% of the new xB sold will be automatics.   Of course, this all raises the question of exactly what market segment is Toyota trying to reach with its Scion brand. Funky, bold, unique, practical, inexpensive vehicles like the xB were supposed to be Toyota's way of bringing new, younger buyers into the Toyota family. The changes seen with the 2008 xB are what I would have expected from Chrysler or GM - not Scion. All the car needed was a few minor upgrades: 1.8 L engine, standard cruise control, a traditional Honda-simlple dash, slight freshening of the front end and revised tail lights. If they wanted to get adventurous they could have added a diesel engine and brought in a bunch of sales from the tree hugger and commuter segments.   Since last Fall, I was holding out on buying an xB since I knew the new model was coming. As soon as I saw the 2008 xB, I went out and bought my 2006 xB. What the he11 was Toyota thinking? I suppose the redesigned tC will come with tail fins, a big spoiler, whitewall tires, fake wood side panels, 19 inch chrome wheels (with spinners), fake carbon fiber interior and pinstriping? Can't wait.   The 2004 - 2006 xB was cool because it looked like it did and seemed to be designed without a care whether or not people would like it. You either "got" the xB or you didn't - most people seemed to either love or hate the design. If I remember correctly, when Scion first came to California in 2004, Toyota actually expected the xA to outsell the xB by around a 2:1 margin. The style and practicality of the xB resulted in the xB trouncing the (practical-but-bland) xA in sales. Now fast forward to 2007 where we have a new xB introduced that seems to be trying hard to look cool. Sorry Scion Toyota: you can't fake "cool". You either are or you aren't. People (and companies) that try to look cool usually just end up embarassing themselves. (Think Microsoft's Steve Ballmer and his legendary "Developers, developers, developers, developers..." speech.)   I'm seriously considering buying another 2006 xB and putting it in storage...
#33 of 63 we like both our 05 xb and our new 08 xb by subjective May 29, 2007 (8:54 am)
My wife and I both had the same feelings about the 08 xb as poster #32 until we drove it on a 110 mile test drive. We also felt that the 06 xb could be slightly upgraded with side airbags, the 1.8 engine,better aerodynamics etc. Our new 08 xb is averaging 29+ mpg in normal driving which is better than the 23 mph that we expected. The new standard ammenities/driveability are so nice. It seems to us that the 08 xb is actually a new different model and the 08 xd is the replacement for the old xb. We have and love both xbs. Replies to this message: cloned_2_death (May 30, 2007 1:45 am)
#34 of 63 Re: we like both our 05 xb and our new 08 xb [subjective] by cloned_2_death May 30, 2007 (1:45 am)
Replying to: subjective (May 29, 2007 8:54 am) I feel the new xB is actually a fairly solid vehicle. The only problem is it is no longer an xB in spirit. Instead, it seems to have morphed into yet another competent-yet-vanilla, cynical, design-by-committee-for-fat-Americans vehicle. The quirky, lean, mean xB attitude was a casualty of this redesign. Toyota might as well have called it the xD, but no doubt wanted to leech off the goodwill built up by the original ("real") xB.   I see Toyota also jumped on the silly gun turret window/high beltline styling bandwagon with the xA's replacement, the xD. Despite this, the xD seems to be more in keeping with the design philosophy of the old xB.   For years, manufacturers have "dumbed down" their vehicles for the American market, typically selling vesions of their vehicles that have poorer handling, softer ride, more options and are bigger than the versions sold in Europe and Japan. (Examples include the VW Golf, Honda Accord and Ford Focus, which often seem like completely different vehicles compared to the versions sold to "Fat Americans". Car companies seem to believe Americans only want bigger, plush-riding, numb-steering vehicles.) The 2008 xB continues that patronizing attitude: Fatten it up, try to overcome the weight with a bigger engine, jump on the latest styling fads and then try to market it as "cool" or "hip". I'm not biting. The 2008 "xB" may be a good vehicle, but it sure as he11 isn't a real xB.   Fisrt Honda butchers the CRV and now Scion butchers the xB. Great. All I need now is for Honda to kill off the S2000 this Fall and the year will "perfect".   If I was in the market for a practical vehicle now that the new xB has had its base price jacked up by $1,600 this year, I would look at the Honda Fit (hate the geeky styling + lack of a dead pedal), Honda Element (hate the geeky styling) and Scion xA (amazing price for what you get) instead of the xB and would probably go with a manual transmission base Fit.

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