It was almost literally a box on four wheels with a little puny engine under its hood when the Scion Xb debuted in 2004 and soon thereafter became something of a cult car. It was cute-ugly, slow as a bog, spartan and cheap. And its mostly young fans loved it.
So for 2008 Scion has redesigned the Xb, making it bigger, heavier and more powerful. The idea is to preserve the appeal of an affordable big box that can carry a lot of people and their stuff – especially younger ones in or recently out of college – but give them more style and performance.
I have to say Scion has pretty much succeeded on all counts. The bigger dimensions have added more than 600 pounds to the Xb’s curb weight, but the tradeoff is that there is a somewhat swankier exterior and 50 more ponies under the hood.
The Xb is a dozen inches longer, nearly three inches wider and a hair taller. The front end gets some curves and aggressive-looking faux brake ducts, while the fenders are substantially more prominent and the greenhouse has a touch of tilt to it. The result is still a box but a more stylish one. I think it’s also not quite so cute, but still ugly, but that’s just me.
The bigger news is the 2.5 liter four-cylinder under the hood, which ups the Xb’s power output from 108 to 158 horsepower. The added weight negates much of the expected performance boost but the new Xb is still good for 0-60 mph times in the mid-eight second range.
More important, the Xb is quieter, thanks to added insulation, so mostly gone is the thrash and vibration that came with the smaller engine on anything like hard acceleration. The Xb reminds you that it is in the final analysis an econobox if you push it really hard, but for the most part it is a much more comfortable ride now.
My tester checked in at just under $19,000, which is edging away from the affordability precincts. Scion sold 174,000 of the previous Xb, thanks to the lower average price and the fact that with only an additional thousand or two, buyer could personalize the thing with special wheels, interior items and sound systems.
Scion may lose some buyers on the lower end but my hunch is more than enough young marrieds and working singles will be attracted to the added style and performance to more than up the difference.
CHARTING SCION’S Xb:
Price-as-tested: $18,675
Engine information: 2.4 liter DOHC I-4, 158 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, torque equals 162 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm
Performance: 0-60 mph in 8.5 seconds (With four-speed automatic transmission)
EPA fuel economy: 22 mpg city/28 mpg highway
Safety equipment: Driver and front passenger front and side air bags, rear passenger side air bags, anti-lock brakes, traction control, vehicle stability control
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