Having wrested the title “world’s largest car manufacturer” from General Motors, Toyota’s already committing some of the same mistakes that brought GM down. The all-new 2008 Scion xB is a blot on Toyota’s relatively unblemished copybook. It bristles with classic GM-think: dumb it down, fatten it up and cheapen it out.
The original xB was a brilliant design, an instant cult-classic, as iconic as the first VW Beetle. The box fresh box elicited the same emotional responses as the old bug: children, freshly-minted motorists and the young at heart all loved it. The xB was barely longer than a MINI and almost as much fun to drive, with the accommodations of a Tahoe and 30-plus mpg.
If the last gen xB evoked images of a lacquered bento box lunch, the new xB evokes a big, sloppy hamburger wrapped in greasy paper. Toyota’s drive to assimilate into the American heartland is relentless; its Texas Tundra brand BBQ sauce-stained fingerprints are all over this little porker.
The xB has gained 650 pounds, a foot in length, and three inches in width. Obviously, there’s a price to pay at the gas pump for that corn-fed heft. EPA numbers are down almost 25 percent for the city cycle (’06 adjusted), from 28 to 22 mpg.
That xB’s extra 12 inches are totally wasted; it all goes to making the hood longer. More room to mount a set of Texas steer horns? And since height is reduced, the XB actually loses usable passenger space.
The throne-like seating position has lost four inches of leg room. Headroom has also diminished. Ditto the back seat, where my 6’4” frame once sat in limo-comfort, with a good four inches of clearance to the front back-rest. Now my knees graze the horrendously cheap-feeling fabric of the front seats.
The xB’s front seats might as well have been lifted straight out of a 1971 Chevy Vega. Where the old thrones were nicely bolstered and contoured, with a nubby textural two-tone fabric, the new ones are molded blobs covered in a dreary monolithic black fabric. The Chevy Aveo’s seats put these to shame.
Toyota must have scored a volume deal from GM for vintage interior molds; the door panels are now harder than a trigonometry quiz. The xB’s lamentable polymerization also includes the upper arm-rest surface where my elbow likes to rest. At least the Vega had a little cushion there.
The xB’s interior package suffers mightily from the reshaped dimensions, the new seating position and the new model's higher belt-line. The xB’s superb view– favored by many of its elderly patrons– has been cruelly reduced. Now one sits deep and low, Hummer style, peering out gun-slit windows. And less of them: the rear three-quarter windows have disappeared.
The cute, perfectly positioned, oval-shaped analog instrument cluster that once perched atop the xB’s artistically shaped and textured dash has been replaced by four small oval, orange-lit displays. They're buried low and deep in the middle of the ponderous dash. The nervously-flashing digital speedometer is yet another 1980’s GM throw-back.
The new XB has the Camry’s 2.4-liter 158hp engine. It’s a competent and smooth mill that makes the new xB a faster vehicle, but a less engaging one. The old XB’s little 1.5-liter engine had an eager willingness and mechanical presence that made every trip to the pizzeria fun, especially with the stick.
In another GM-esque move, the Camry’s five-speed automatic didn’t make the bean-counter’s cut; the xB’s old four-speed slushbox soldiers on. Buyers opting for the manual tranny now row their boat with a shifter that protrudes from a large extension from the bottom of the dash– which enhances the perception of lost interior real estate. Equally annoying, the vague-acting clutch pedal sticks up higher than the brake pedal.
The new XB is faster, but the fun (and challenge) is gone. The new-found heft and softer ride takes XB handling from MINI territory right to into Camry Land. And we all now how engaging and exciting THAT is.
The xB’s electrically-assisted steering lacks the crispness and linearity of the former hydraulic unit. There were times I swear I could feel the electric motor on the other end of the steering column muttering at me under its breath– in a way that reminded me of my fifteen year old son.
Is there anything good to say about the new, ostensibly improved Scion XB? Yes. It now comes with cruise control and more air bags.
In short, the xB has become nothing more than a low-content five-door Camry. It’s Toyota’s el-cheapo ($16,230) version of the Chevrolet Malibu Maxx.
In fact, the new xB doesn’t deserve the Scion moniker, which established the brand's U.S. reputation as a provider of affordable automobiles with style, efficiency, quality, innovation and fun. Maybe Toyota could get a deal on the Oldsmobile name from GM.
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Brilliant review.
I’m not sure the old xB was a faultless as this review suggests–were many people fond of that 1.5?–but the new car certainly lacks much of what made the original special. Especially the high-mounted seats, huge windows, and airy cabin. All gone.
And yet the elimination of the C-pillar window does make one new feature possible: the first C-pillar storage compartment I’ve ever seen, complete with a little net.
Then again, when you can fit a storage compartment inside a pillar, that might be a sign that the pillar is way too thick.
On the plus side, the price didn’t go up much considered all the extra metal and features you’re now getting. As the review notes, how very American. It’s all about MORE. E.F. Schumacher can stuff it.
For price comparisons (and fuel economy and reliability info once these start getting into owners’ hands):
http://www.truedelta.com/models/xB.php
I can only agree with everything in the review, with double emphasis on the loss of efficiency. The 2.4 is a good motor, but is a bit of a gas hog, especially in a vehicle of this weight. Maybe it will have better IIHS ratings, but the loss of the “fun/frugal” concept that surrounded the xB is lamentable. It makes me wonder what Honda will do when (if) they redesign the Fit… hopefully they’ll see the error of Toyota’s ways.
It went from being a funky, boxy Echo to being a cheap, boxy Matrix. At least safety is improved.
This redesign should help keep the lines at Mini dealers long.
shaker:
The Fit will probably just grow to be as big as a Civic. The Civic will grow to the size of today’s Accord. The Accord will probably get bigger and will get AWD to replace the CRV and Pilot because in the future truckly things will be totally unfashionable. Once the Fit grows, they’ll just have to introduce another all new tiny car to replace it.
Just my guess.
Oddly, I found the Daihatsu Materia (which is supposed to be quite equivalent to the xB) a pretty good car when I drove it a few weeks ago.
It had packaging and versatility that reminded me of nothing more than a Renault 16, a chuckable attitude to curves, a rough-but-ready 1.5L engine and a nicely verticle front screen. Perhaps only the U.S. version is fattened up, and dumbed down?
There’s no comparing the potential sale of a Mini to this xB. The market segment is completely different. People looking at Mini’s will not consider this vehicle, or the line of Scions because of the image Scion has. Most likely a potential Mini buyer will look at a Beetle. Scion buyers will look at Hondas (Fit) or Hyundai (Tiburon). Or something used with bling bling already installed.
I have driven an original xB for a few days and it was fun with the manual. I’ve also driven a Mini. I’d take the Mini personally because it was much more exuberant to drive. But Mini’s aren’t cheap.
Ah well, but “customers said they wanted more power”. Why would xB drivers want more power is beyond me. probably the old American habit of having your cake and eating it too.
Power was completely adequate, as long as you’re not driving 100mph and can use a little advance thinking and smarts to pass…
And therefore, thanks to the buying public and the marketing department of Toyota, here’s a perfectly nice vehicle turned into a fat blandmobile, as close to an SUV as possible, without being one of course.
Were people happy with the 1.5? Well, my last tank yielded 39.2 mpg with lightfooted driving. So yeah, I’m happy with that!
This review perfectly sums up the problems with the new xB. I was in the market for a car a few months ago, and had the option of buying the 1st gen. or waiting for this one. After reading about the planned changes, it didn’t take me long to decide. I’m just glad I got mine while there were still some left.
It also bears mentioning that the 1st gen. xB was a purely Japanese car, built overseas and shipped to America. Japan now has a 2nd gen. xB, but that’s not the car we get here. Our new xB is a purely domestic design built for the perceived American tastes. Thanks, Toyota.
Boy, talk about taking a timeless design with a cult following and instant recognition (that seems to get better with age), then overhauling it in a generic, soulless manner. Toyota appears to have completely changed the character of this model.
NICKNICK,
Comparing this to Honda, the Civic may be much bigger than even older Accords. However, in the last 20 years, it has grown only from a 1.5 to a 1.8 liter engine and improved its fuel mileage to 40 mpg. At least efficiency is a priority there. The Accord follows a similar pattern. If the Fit grows to be as big as a Civic, expect it to maintain, and probably improve, high fuel mileage ratings. Honda’s philosophy here is admirable. I have no idea what Toyota is doing with this one.
Ugh, just Ugh.
On the plus side, now that a new generation is out, used 1st gen xBs are going to get cheaper. So I can get a decent xB for less that I would have a month or two ago.
Chaser:
Thanks for the information. So, what I drove was a built-in-Japan, second-gen model.
Great review! I had almost convinced myself to buy a 1st gen xB a few months ago. Then common sense kicked in and I bought a car for cash. But I couldn’t imagine buying this thing.
Sad. Just sad.
The top is a peak – not a plateau. Toyota must begin its decent downward, and it’s already in progress.
Great review but also sad. The old xB was Toyota’s only recent success at producing an iconic vehicle that did not graduate from the it’s Valium inspired appliance school of design. Maybe they should have realized that they were on a good thing when other companies started to shamelessly copy their clever youthful design? Apparently not.
The self-destructive elements that come with becoming a market leader in the auto industry are starting to kick in for Toyota.
1) The longer, lower, wider syndrome
Toyota is now attempting to ‘SUV’ out their entire car line-up in the hopes that the increased weight and size will attract this demographic.
2) Quality isn’t skin deep
Toyota is misinterpreting their quality reputation with the belief that folks will actually pay a premium for Toyota quality without a premium interior. Toyota’s had this problem with a long list of models in the past (Tercel, Paseo, Corolla, Cressida, Celica, etc.). What the folks are failing to realize in Torrance is that Toyota has to offer an interior two clicks above the competition to become a market leader.
3) Profit, profit proifit
The 1st gen Scion Xb, along with the other Scion models, all offered a relatively narrow profit margin for the parent. The current iteration is designed to cure that since the Scion brand has a healthy level of market awareness and an excellent reputation.
I believe this vehicle will follow the same trajectory of other models of this ilk. There will be a first year pop, followed by a very substantial decline for sales thereafter.
It’s all very sad for Scion’s current Xb owners because their models could have been a strong and continual platform for various Toyota upgrades and modifications. Like other classics of the past, the 1st gen Xb offered a timeless design that probably only needed a minor facelift, an upgrade in the quality of the materails, and a longer list of available options and custom modifications to keep sales strong in the states. A panoramic dual sunroof would be one option I would have loved to have seen on this model.
Oh well… at least the 1st gen Xb’s will have strong resale values for many years to come.
I’d be nice if Toyota was kind enough to move the instrument cluster back where it belongs: in front of the driver.
With that said, even I’m surprised by the 700 lb increase in curb weight.
I guess we can chalk this up to a sophomore slump, everybody’s entitled to at least one of them, right?
I owned an xB and I loved it. The most space in the smallest package – and a great city car. It was of course not fault-free. That little engine was at times akin to a sewing machine, especially on grades with 4 passengers. And it did need a more resilent suspension and a bit more insulation. But I think I paid somewhere near $14K – in my mind a complete bargain. And did I mention the 33K miles the first year? I spent serious time in that xB.
And now xB part deux. *vomit* I’m sorry I complained.
I’ll be interested to hear how they did with the xD. So far I like the sound of it. They gave it the Corolla’s engine, which is not only more powerful, but also more fuel efficient (why not put it in the Yaris too?). They also got rid of the center mounted gauges which is a big plus. Better looking interior compared to the xA as well.
I guess the new U.S.-built xB has been designed for eXtra Big drivers…
First off: thank you for a fantastic review. Not in the literary sense (of course, it’s litertastic), but in the sense that this hits right to the heart of problems with such vehicles.
This Box gained ~25% more weight than it’s previous version. Holy snikies. Can anyone on this website grasp how a company known for frugality did this to one of it’s recent hits? A hit known for being one of edmunds “lowest true cost to own” vehicles.
The fact that Toyota took the first gen. of this model from Japan, thereby using a cost saving measure, and replaced it with a cheapened hemisphere-specific model, thereby removing said cost-saving measure, is mind-boggling.
And that 2.4 liter mill? 4-spd auto? What is this, 1990?
That engine has been around for too long with too little evolution. It’s gas inefficient in the tC, and it’s now a gas hog here. The 4-spd auto? It’s been used in everything, from base model Tacoma’s, to confused Pontiac Vibes, and now here. It’s out-dated, out-moded, wrongly-geared, and just plain silly.
As a side note: I agree with another commenter; this vehicle is not cross-shopped with the MINI. Aside from funky personalities, they share almost nothing in common in marketplace interests. I think this is most commonly cross-shopped with the Fit, Versa, Mazda 3 perhaps, and maybe some other 5-door versatile-funkerific mobiles (pronounced with a solid “i”).
Somewhere, someone at SEMA is screaming that this thing won’t look as good with a portable DJ booth growing out of the back.
Joe
focus group blight strikes again!!!! If it was up to me I would have kept it the same and just stuck the 1ZZ-FE 1.8 motor in it from the corolla with the 5 speed manual or auto.
If the gen 2 xB (x2B?) bombs, Toyota can always go back to the JDM bB/Daihatsu Materia that Martin drove the next time around, with the xD’s 1.8. Scion vehicles aren’t supposed to have a long lifespan anyway.
I believe, but haven’t heard confirmation, that the new xB shares the Avensis platform along with the tC which is also a 3000lb vehicle.
What is it with gun slit windows? Everyone’s doing it.
One of my friends was looking at xC, test-drove it for a couple minutes and never touched it again. Visibility is awful.
The first company to come up with a full bubble canopy that doesn’t end at shoulder level will get my money.
As for the rest of the review… I had to check the date to make sure it’s not April 1. I knew Toyota was going bad, but I couldn’t believe that they’d start making turds like this RIGHT NOW. I only hope their end will be quicker than GM’s.
I’ll admit I originally wasn’t too fond of the first gen xB, but the concept and design grew on me. Having never driven one myself, I took the owners’ words that they were fun to toss around and pretty economical.
Regardless of how it sells, can we add this one to the next TWAT list?
650 lbs! 650 lbs! 25% weight gain! 2395 lbs increased to 3020 lbs. Holy pork-out, batman!
Alex,
You mean tC? The XC is a Volvo SUV.
as an onwer of a 1st gen xB…im not angry…im just dissapointed. it going to turn into a PT Cruiser…its scary how the numbers between the two match up…
Mook mentioned the xD, with which I was not familiar.
I looked it up in Wikipedia, and I see that it’s “essentially a five-door Toyota Yaris. The five-door Yaris is not available in the U.S., most likely because the xD is too similar to the five-door Yaris sold in other markets”
TTAC and its commenters have mentioned models “cannibalizing” sales of similar models. I have never understood this–a sale is a sale. OK, so you lost a Yaris sale…but you gained a Scion sale: you’re even, and you still got the sale! Is this a result of fiefdoms where the manufacturer gains a sale but a particular brand manager posts a lower number?
bummer. as an owner of the 1st gen xB I was scared that this might happen, but hoped for the best. Glad I got mine when I did!
As far as the xB/MINI connection, when I was in the market and chose the xB, my criteria was small, fuel efficient, some level of roominess, interesting, and fun to drive. MINI obviously won the fun to drive portion of the contest, but it wasn’t as fuel efficient as I was looking for, so went with the xB. Don’t regret it for a minute, but would still would like to add a MINI to the fleet.
This is one of my favorite TTAC reviews ever. You’ve called this Scion what it is — a bloated, gassy remake of a car whose sole charm was in its diminutive size and excellent packaging. And what makes this particularly valuable is that, for some reason, the rest of the auto media think this model is an *improvement*. Why, I have no idea. It’s the same thing that happened to the Camry over the last two iterations — bloating, swelling, slowing, overcompensation with bigger engines. We’ll all be driving Lincoln Town Cars before long.
I still think the new one looks like a cross between Bubba from Forest Gump, and a whale. Big front lip, big front but tapers down to a small tail.
It really is a shame, but what do you expect from japanese companies that have US design houses designing their cars for just the US market. The first xB was an import, this one is ‘homegrown’.
I disagree that the old xB wasn’t cross shopped with the Mini. While they shared nothing in common on paper, they were both bought in droves by young silicon valley types who want to look cool, another I would include in this category is the Smart Fourtwo. These are the buyers the Scion brand was introduced in California for in the first place. Some Canadian dealers were importing the xB for sale here because of their cool factor, I serously doubt we’ll be seeing this latest one.
Yeah I am another disapointed 1st geneation Xb owner. The key though will be how does the market react and how does Toyota react to the markets reaction. If this sells well then Toyota won’t even notice its mistake.
I find it ironic that people consider the first generationm Xb underpowered. I had a an automatic rabbit. The original Xb weighs 20 percent more but has 50 percent more horsepower.
I seem to remember Nissan said they were bring over the cube from Japan. Anyone know the status of that?
The new XB is faster, but the fun (and challenge) is gone. The new-found heft and softer ride takes XB handling from MINI territory right to into Camry Land. And we all now how engaging and exciting THAT is.
Wonderful writing, funny, but very sad.
Pixel:
Ugh, just Ugh.
On the plus side, now that a new generation is out, used 1st gen xBs are going to get cheaper. So I can get a decent xB for less that I would have a month or two ago.
I could easily see the first gen becoming more expensive. The second gen is not an xB, after all, it’s something entirely different. And the first gen is ,or wouild have been, or will be a cult classic. As someone who was sorely tempted by a first gen xB, you couldn’t give me the second gen (or if you did, I’d just turn around and sell it).
Say it ain’t so Joe!
I really liked the 1st gen xB. I sat in one once and the terrific interior volume was very impressive. It almost made me want to buy it on packaging alone, but I sold my soul to Saab a while back. The 1st gen xB is a near-ideal urban car.
Whomever is responsible for the bloated, lead-filled 2nd gen xB must have worked on the now massive RAV4, which also ballooned up for its revision.
Excellent review. Who the hell at Toyota thought, “Hmm, people want more power… aww, let’s just slap a Camry engine in it!” It boggles the mind. With some Honda-esque tuning they could have tweaked the engine for more power. I’m sure all those new airbags added some weight, but a 25% increase is unforgivable. And they beat it with the ugly stick, just like all the rest of Toyota’s stuff. Yep, you hit the nail on the head… Toyota has replaced GM, in more ways than one.
there was TRD turbo charger option in Japan that boosted the 1.5l up to ~150hp which woulda been blast in the 1st gen xB/xA…sigh…
The extra power could have easily come from the new 128 hp. 1.8 engine that’s used in the new xD. Keeping the old weight more or less intact would have netted a better power-toweight ratio than the new xB.
Yeah, I believe the xD just uses a revision of the Corolla’s 1ZZFE, which is a great engine. I don’t know why it isn’t used in all of their small cars. It gets better highway fuel economy than the 1.5 mill and more power to boot.
By the way, comment submiting is not working in the current “improved” viewing template (at least on my older version of Firefox). I switched to classic view and it works now.
Toyota must have figured that the vast majority of American customers would just as easily accepted a fatter, uglier and less technically adroit version of what was a pretty good little runabout, FWIW.
The sales figures will say otherwise.
Perhaps Toyota’s gotten a bit GM on us.
The new xD is the spiritual successor to both the xA and previous xB. This is…well…something else. It’ll be interesting to see if it sells. I sat in one the other day-it was fairly nice and roomy, with some handy overhead storage bins-and cruise control, a feature that many people complained about the old xB (and xA) lacking. But the 22/28 mileage on the sticker will turn people off. Of course, it’s under the new formula for calcutating the mileage, which hurts it. Apparently, the xD (if calculated under the old system) will have better mileage than even the xA, even though it’s larger and has an engine that is 20% larger.
Oh, and like mook, I also had a problem submitting a comment in the new template. I thought the problem was on my end.
Toyota, I’m very disappointed in you.
I’ve never even sat in a Scion (we don’t get ‘em in Canada), but I’m sad at the direction Toyota is increasingly taking. I guess Toyota’s hell-bent mission to be GM is progressing quite well according to plan. I predict that within two years, the mass public will start to realize that the things that built Toyota’s reliability credentials no longer apply as decontenting and bloating turn them off the Toyota brand and into the arms of Kia, Hyundai and the fresh Chinese imports.
Toyota’s facade is crumbling as people begin to realize that their well-honed image and perception is only that, nothing more.
Mook:
xD uses the new low-emissions 2ZR-FE.
Oh no. If they do that there’s no way that I’ll be able to resist. I love that thing. The asymmetrical rear window really seals it for me.
I never understood the complaints about cruise control in the 1st gen. I got cruise installed from the dealership for $300 when I bought my car. I wanted it under warranty, but otherwise I could’ve picked up the kit for
Anyway, the kit was pretty much plug-and-play since all options were meant to be easily installed at the dealership.
I don’t think one mistake means the end of Toyota. They have a habit of learning.
We probably wouldn’t be having this discussion if they’d simply named it something else. Calling this boat an “xB” was their first mistake.
I’m less bothered by the very existence of this car than some people seem to be. But it’s disappointing that Toyota, having discovered and developed a previously unknown US market for a true city car, has now abandoned it. There’s a reason why you see so many gen1 xB’s are in use as local shuttles, hourly rentals (eg, Philly CarShare), and delivery vehicles. Nothing else close to its price offers such accommodation and easy access for 4 adults, combined with the ability to parallel park three of them in two spaces and get 30 MPG in all-city driving.
This new thing is not an xB. It’s also going to have much less appeal to older drivers, which I’m guessing was a strong motivator in the redesign. Toyota is really committed to focusing the Scion brand on a younger demographic, and seeing so many gray-hairs driving Boxes really bothers a lot of Scion boosters.