So my xB got titled and ready to roll so I took it for a little drive today. What I think is weird is it runs about 3000 RPMs at only 60MPH in 5th gear. Is this normal? This doesn't seem great for fuel economy, so whats up?

 

yea it normal. you should be at 4000 at 80 mph

 

ok just wondering because thats pretty high compared to other standards I've driven

 

yup thats normal...haha i drove from my house to panama city (260 miles) running around 95 and higher in some places and it took a whole tank there and a whole tank back...grr

 

Yep, quite normal. These babies love to sing at high rpms. Kinda like a motorcycle engine does. Won't hurt it a bit.
Other than that... How was your "first" drive? Did you get the warm fuzzy feeling that some of us have gotten?

 

The ride was nice but I couldn't relax too much, I don't have a whole lot of experience with standards so I had to focus on my driving quite a bit. No problems though, 1 more day of driving and I'll have it down fine.

 

i think its geared for city driving as far as the fuel eco. specs go. even @ 4000 rpm's you still get better mpg than most cars on the road... eNjOi

 

the RPMs are pretty high, but I still avaerage 30+ mpg....even with an Automatic

 

You'll learn you need to really use the manual tranny to keep the rpm's high...that's where the power, such as it is, lives in an xB. You're actually "driving", and not just pointing your car down the road and pressing the gas pedal.

As others note, if you do keep a light foot when you can, your gas mileage will be more than decent. I'm rarely under 32mpg, and often over 35mpg in a mix of city/highway.