Just wanted to see what you guys have found on your XB that you do not like, ie. no armrest, ride quality, power, etc...

I have not bought one yet, but most likely I'll be getting one soon.

the fact that the roof gutters dont work right....if there is water on the roof and you have the window open and stop the water runs into the window onto the window control switches...fried my switches yesterday because of it....i usually make sure that the windows are closed until i stop a few times or get up to speed so the water runs off the back but i forgot to yesterday...other than that im happy

never had problem with water ,my only complaint is no armrest,which is no big deal they sell plenty of aftermarket ones,besides that it's a great car buy one ,i still enjoy driving it like it was the first day i got it

Other than wanting more power at times, I'm thrilled with the car.

I wish I had an armrest and I don't care for the cup holders. I don't normally carry the size cups that would not move around in that big hole.
:x

wish the ride wasn't so bumpy(good excuse to get lowering springs)

power.

armrest,visors(wish they had lighted mirrors)and no oil pressure or water temp gauges,engine needs a bigger displacement.Really though I am VERY pleased with my box :D

im happy with mine

A few small things:
I would have liked more settings/adjustment in the intermitent wipers. I'd have also liked my standard shifter assembly to have been smoother & the 5th gear to have been more overdriven or have a 6th gear. Higway RPMs are too high. And, of course, I wish my xB had more power.

All of my complaints are trivial, though......The car's bad ___ and I'm extremely pleased with my decision to buy one. I recommend one to anyone who will listen.

For the money, you absolutely can not beat the xB. 8)

Walat.

But my xB is looking pretty dirty right about now. :?

ok first thing I love my box...here is what I dislike
1) no armrest
2) small rear speakers cut outs
3) no sun roof
4) no 6spd
5) need more gauges
6) cup holder placement

But hey nothing is perfect :twisted:

A few small things:
I would have liked more settings/adjustment in the intermitent wipers. I'd have also liked my standard shifter assembly to have been smoother & the 5th gear to have been more overdriven or have a 6th gear. Higway RPMs are too high. And, of course, I wish my xB had more power.

All of my complaints are trivial, though......The car's bad ___ and I'm extremely pleased with my decision to buy one. I recommend one to anyone who will listen.

For the money, you absolutely can not beat the xB. 8)

Exactly what he said!!!

for the money, you cant beat it!

visors are crap, maybe I can find some Yugo visors at the junkyard, they hafta be better than the stock ones! lol

1. Overly stiff springs (rough ride)
2. OEM tires: poor grip and noisy ride
3. Thin, easily damaged paint.

Otherwise, it's the perfect vechile for me... I love my xB!

:D

Great topic...still researching the xB and wondering if people have the same concerns.

1) for my size (5'7") i find it difficult to reach the controls sometimes, especially the rear-view mirror.
2) head unit- no RCA's, and no volume knob.
3) stiff ride for some (I don't really mind it however.)
other than that, I LOVE it. get used to the attention. 8-)

I love my box... some above mentioned things are bothersome and to many rattles. My 35 series tires don't help but for a new car there are to many.

Other than no power and poor milage because they didn’t install a big enough rubber band under the hood or the key to wind it up, they would have to be:
(not in any order)
No armrest
No front dome or map lights
No rear hatch lights
Poor placement of steering wheel, it could come up and out at a higher angle
Stiff, choppy ride
Extremley overpriced accessory items from the dealer.
Poor sound quality from the factory radio even after upgrading fronts and adding a sub (going aftermaket made a major difference)
Visors should have the small wings to block above the mirror
The sheetmetal is so thin that it dents when you look at it. Not really but I have a dent from a pine cone falling on it!!! :o
No rear disc brakes
And probably a few others that I can't remember right now or haven't discovered yet

...you can tilt the wheel. the sound system is well above average on most cars this price from any manufacturer. I don't know what you were expecting, but it sounds pretty damn good to me.

power.

Scion..."What Moves You"... TORQUE!! :D

Not for nothing. The xB is an econo-box(literally). There really shouldn't be any complaints. You know what your buying and how much your spending. Hell, who didn't know that the vehicle came with a 108hp 4 cylinder engine?? Hell my Harley has more horsepower than my box. I would of love to seen this Box with a 6 cylinder.(not sure it would fit though) but then you would pay more. It would be one thing if you spent $25,000 for the box. Then you would have some complaints.

For the cost, its a great BOX. And with the money you saved you can change what ever you want to make it better. Stereo, Springs, Tires, Turbo, whatever.

Later

i have no dislikes

hahaha factory turbo would be nice but lets face it, we got these cars for style and the 30+ claimed mpg . . .not speed

my only complaint is that i dont have any money to buy more stuff for it =( but really i have no dislikes what so ever.

i just dislike its no balls motor. everything else rocks

i dislike the upright rear seats... and how the ac doesnt reach the back seats, even at full blast :x

oh yes i forgot to add on my post, that the rpms are too high in final gear.

lack of 6th gear on manual....lack of power/tq....lack of armrest...other then that all is well

1. no arm rest- made one
2.rattles- located them and eliminated.
3.sound system- damn good to begin with and just added amp to make perfect.
4.cheap paint- dealing with that until a later respray
5.dome light- swapped out factory dome light for an aftermarket one with larger bulb for better visability
6.seats- added spacers to front of seats for better ergonomics
Other wise quite happy

None that I can really complain about. But here's a few improvements that would be nice:

It would be nice if the rear seats could recline.
An interior light switch on the dash.
Under seat storage

Most of the people writing on this topic are WAY too picky. No wonder the XB JD Powers score is low!

Quite a few of the things people are complaining about are obvious upon a test drive. Does anyone test drive anymore, or do they just order off the internet based on recommendations?
I test drove Matrix, Scion XA, Ford Focus ZX5, Mazda Protege 5, and the PT Cruiser, besides the XB. I was pressed for time, but most of the dealers are close together where I live so it wasn't so bad.

I'm certain that I would have supported my choice no matter what I went with and had some complaints too. So I'm going against the grain here and writing what I like about my XB especially.

1) Giant rear opening. - When I moved boxes out of storage, I could fill them right to the lift-gate and not have to worry about how the hatch was shaped.
2) Styling - When I bought mine, people were still amazed that a new car could actually be shaped like this and produced by Toyota. It was hot and exciting and I loved it and still love it.
3) I love the interior layout and visibility! It blew everything I test drove away in that department. I feel like I'm driving around a studio apartment. No blind spots. Just great open feeling. The instruments are in the center!!?? C'mon...it's like they asked me where I would like my gauges and controls. Perfect.
4) Toyota build quality. The Toyota reputation played a HUGE role in my purchase decision.
5) Engine accessability. - I work on my own cars after warranty has expired and the engine looked like the easiest layout I'd seen in any car since my 1970 Datsun 510.
6) ABS/Traction control standard - Family of 5. I gotta be careful. On most of the competition, ABS was an option and skid control was not an option.

Of the competition, the Mazda P5 came closest to swaying me. Sunroof, cruise control as dealer options, and 4 wheel disk as standard almost put it over the top, but the other factors I listed weighed too heavily.
I'd do it again in a heart beat.
I bought this car because it's the car that I wanted, not the car I had to buy.

I bought mine because of the outstanding fuel economy, interior space and pretty much every other reason stated in these posts. This car is just too cool, and I can't believe I just said that because I am 37 years old...Anyway, one thing that I have yet to see mentioned is the scheduled service requirements. The engine is about as maintenance free as you can get. Yeah an oil change every 5K or 7.5 K according to the manual but that and spark plug replacement is pretty much it for at least the first 100K. My other car is a 1990 Honda Prelude SI 4WS, which I bought new and has 350K on it. The Prelude's manual calls for timing belt replacement EVERY 60K and since you have the engine apart anyway may as well put in a new waterpump...$400 every 60K may not sound like much but it does add up.
Overall my biggest gripe with my XB is the very unfriendly interface on the radio. It looks great but has a steep learning curve.

the paint isnt the greatest. if you are a bad driver like me (watch out for high curbs when you are parking) you need to keep a nice thick coat of wax on it. But i guess my complaint is more about me being an idiot than anything else.

1. no arm rest- made one
2.rattles- located them and eliminated.
3.sound system- damn good to begin with and just added amp to make perfect.
4.cheap paint- dealing with that until a later respray
5.dome light- swapped out factory dome light for an aftermarket one with larger bulb for better visability
6.seats- added spacers to front of seats for better ergonomics
Other wise quite happy

Jethro. Do you have tech articles or how-to's for # 1, 2, 5, and 6 ?
I have been wanting to fix that as well.
Thanks!
:D

i love my camo!!! if you dont like it get rid of it and waste your money on some over priced pos!!!

Most of the people writing on this topic are WAY too picky. No wonder the XB JD Powers score is low!

Quite a few of the things people are complaining about are obvious upon a test drive. Does anyone test drive anymore, or do they just order off the internet based on recommendations?
. . .

I'd do it again in a heart beat.
I bought this car because it's the car that I wanted, not the car I had to buy.


I totally agree. I also test drove a lot of different vehicles first ... Honda Element, Toyota Matrix, Pontiac Vibe (which are identical) the PT cruiser, Nissan Xterra, Jeep Wrangler, and a Subaru Forrester. I also did a lot of Internet research on all of them. The xB was hands down the best value, quality, reliability, most standard equipment for the money, best gas mileage, and was the best fit for my tall 6'3" frame.
Yes, it's a cheap car, rides rough, and has a 108HP motor, but so what?! It's so easy to modify, and (with the right tires) drives like a big go-cart!
Any car that can put a smile on your face when you look at it and drive (it without breaking the bank) is a good car for me.
Remember... it's more fun to drive a slow car fast, than a fast car slow.
:wink:

I love my xB. It gets great mileage, had a low price, and has unique style.

It has little rattles and some of the other minor things some people have mentioned, but nothing that would be make me want to get rid of it anytime soon.

Nothing that can't be fixed with a little patience and a little money.

Disclaimer – I’d buy one again tomorrow.

The dislike list is:
1. no intermittent rear wiper
2. dome light location / front map / rear trunk
3. volume dial (analogue vs. digital)
4. silver dash bezels which “ghost” on the windshield

I've enjoyed all the comments in this thread and would like to add my 2 cents...although I haven't taken possession of my xB yet the number one reason I chose it is the style. I realized during my search for a car that I am quite sick of the aerodynamic, (jelly bean), shapes that almost all vehicles have now. I'm also tired of being cramped in the claustrophobic interiors of most designs. The xB looks great from the outside and is very roomy and inviting inside.

Oh, and it's big enough to load my telescope into when I want to go to the star parties.

The only comment that bothered me was the one about roof water running into the window, (and in the car if the window is open.) I have a 95 Saturn that does the same thing and I'd hate to find the problem followed me to my Scion.

Are the paint and steel really that thin? I've been driving Saabs since '83 with my current ride being a '92 9000S. I've been blessed with thick steel and durable paint and my '92 looks like a new car (even though I don't wax it that frequently).

I hope to get an xB before too long (reading another thread it doesn't look like I have more than a year or two anyway) and will be keeping it for a long time (10 years probably).

Think it would hold up in the rust belt for that long?

Regarding the comments about lack of power...for those of you with a Cold Air Kit...does it really help and is it worth the cost? I'd want to do something to help performance as long as it wouldn't void the warranty.

The only comment that bothered me was the one about roof water running into the window, (and in the car if the window is open.) I have a 95 Saturn that does the same thing and I'd hate to find the problem followed me to my Scion.

Unfortunately, mine does do this. I just have to remember to put the window up when it rains, and to not open it until the roof has cleared of water. Windshield washer fluid also tends to find its way inside if you have the windows down, so remember to put them up if you need to use the spray.

It's not that the sheet metal is any thicker or thinner than on any other car, it's that there are large flat expanses of it. Curves are stronger than flat surfaces, so the sides of the xB are a bit more prone to denting than, say, the fender of a new beetle. It has nothing to do with the thickness of the metal at all.

Scipio wrote:
The only comment that bothered me was the one about roof water running into the window, (and in the car if the window is open.) I have a 95 Saturn that does the same thing and I'd hate to find the problem followed me to my Scion.

Wade vent visors help with the water in the window problem.

The biggest problem with an XB is everyone asking what it is. :roll:

Wade vent visors help with the water in the window problem.

I never thought of that. Now I think I'll have to get some!

wipers need another speed, arm rest, seats need to have alittle more suport for us big guys and steering wheel needs to come out more. maybe a tad big more power. Maybe they need to make another special edition 6 speed one.

My only complaint so far is that I keep getting stopped in parking lots by people who want to ask questions. :P

Wade vent visors help with the water in the window problem.

I never thought of that. Now I think I'll have to get some!

they do work well. i had the same problem before i installed them. no more water inside. :D

i have no gripes about the xB anymore. it was all trivial and easy to fix. (rattles, armrest, little more power, and sound system)

i would do it all over again. i love it :!: :D

Wade vent visors help with the water in the window problem.

Does anyone have photos of an xB with these visors on? I just visited Wade's site and recongize the visors...might be functional but I've always hated the way they look. Maybe on an xB they look okay. Any photos out there?

Wade vent visors help with the water in the window problem.

Does anyone have photos of an xB with these visors on? I just visited Wade's site and recongize the visors...might be functional but I've always hated the way they look. Maybe on an xB they look okay. Any photos out there?

check my profile. you can see them in a couple of the pictures.

check my profile. you can see them in a couple of the pictures.

Thanks. It's hard for me to make it out but am I seeing the visors here?
http://www.scionlife.com/gallery/data/500/1775scion_pictures_047.jpg

If so, then I'd say they actually look pretty sharp. They look flatter, (lying closer to the side plane of the vehicle), than other vent visors I'm used to seeing, (which bulge way out into the air).

yeah, thats them. they don't flare out as far as some of the others.

I have 17" rims and goldline springs. I think the car is too bouncy.

waaaaaaaaaaaa! waaaaaaaaaa!,i think my 15,500 dollar car should perform and do everything that a 80,000 dollar car should do!get over it!!!!!!!!!! if you cant live with it buy something else girliman!!!.

waaaaaaaaaaaa! waaaaaaaaaa!,i think my 15,500 dollar car should perform and do everything that a 80,000 dollar car should do!get over it!!!!!!!!!! if you cant live with it buy something else girliman!!!.

:lol: :lol: :lol:
Well said!

waaaaaaaaaaaa! waaaaaaaaaa!,i think my 15,500 dollar car should perform and do everything that a 80,000 dollar car should do!get over it!!!!!!!!!! if you cant live with it buy something else girliman!!!.

:lol: :lol: :lol:
Well said!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
gurlie gurlie man! :lol:
seriously they should have made the dash with no bumpy texture for easy cleaning.

yeah, another gurlie man,
:lol:

the only thing i don't like is when it rains and my side mirrors fog up and i can't see through them....thats pretty much it....:)

I love my scion. Im a die hard scion fan, my only fear is crusin' with the windows down and they shake right off. The windows just shakes too much. Accelerator acts weird sometimes, probably my fault.

yeah, thats them. they don't flare out as far as some of the others.

I think I'll probably get a set then. By the way, just minutes ago I arrived home with my new xB. The weather on the drive home was going to hell, (or should I say, Antarctica), with gusty winds and blowing sleet and snow, so I didn't get to enjoy the ride, and also can't really see how it looks in my driveway because it's pitch dark and blowing ice out there now...but I have it and I'm happy.

I hope tomorrow things clear up enough for me to go out and check how my yard looks with a Scion sitting in it.

8)

Congrats, Scipio. Sorry about the bad weather!

To keep compaints in perspective this is an economy car meant to be priced within reach of younger buyers. So in that respect the only real complaint I have for Scion is the poor interioir lighting. Why they couldn't install two overhead lights is beyond me. That wouldn't have raised the cost of producing the car by any significant measure.

Other than that, for the money its a hell of a car.

- lack of interior lighting
- lack of a center arm rest
- no height adjustment on chairs

and...

if you lock the window, you lock your drivers window too. isnt that button just suppose to be for the back? WEIRD!

I was seriously considering getting an xB.... but this thread has me a little freaked out. This and the other thread about the paint chipping off like crazy.



God, I hate making big purchases :x

the only thing i don't like is when it rains and my side mirrors fog up and i can't see through them....thats pretty much it....:)
if you use shaving cream on your mirrors, they wont fog.... little trick I use in the bathroom too...

I was seriously considering getting an xB.... but this thread has me a little freaked out. This and the other thread about the paint chipping off like crazy.



God, I hate making big purchases :x
I haven't had any problems with the paint... I have a 05 camo... I'm in washington, so we have rocks and gravel all over the plave... I have yet to get a chip...

Don't let this thread freak you out. What needs to be realized is that scion owners are passionate about their machines.

For a stock car from a dealership you can't beat the value of what you get. Scions were not designed to be a luxury car with everything perfectly suited to you from the dealership. That's why scion went out and recruited some companies to make aftermarket products for it. And many other aftermarket companies have caught on after the fact. Scion gives you a base vehicle that kicks a$$ for the price and lets you add the parts that you want.

Some people complain about the power and in some cases I would agree. However, I drive I-81 on a regular basis and I am comfortable passing and merging. I have a manual so I'm not sure how this would be in an automatic.

The one thing that I didn't like and quickly changed was the sway bar. Adding the sway bar makes the car handle much better.

My only complaint that I can justify are the gear ratios. I feel that 1st 2nd and 3rd are too close together. I find that I'm changing between first and second before I get through and intersection when starting at a red light, but that's just how I drive. However, it is kinda freaky when you can start your car in 3rd gear. You may not have much power, but you can do it. It just signals to me that the gear ratios are too tight. Anyone else feel this way? Anyone played with gear ratios yet?

I hit a bunny the first day I had my car. Ran right out in front of me then decided to cut back. I was expecting some damage to the front but I found nothing. Maybe it was the soft fur!?!

I hit a bunny the first day I had my car. Ran right out in front of me then decided to cut back. I was expecting some damage to the front but I found nothing. Maybe it was the soft fur!?!

My buddy wacked a mole (rabbit) with his Volvo S60 and cracked the ground efects and dented the intercooler.
:shock:

thin paint esp front so i ordered colgan full bra
no arm rest so i got a drop in from cartoyz in austin
low power so i ordered dc header,injen ram intake and trd cat back
choppy ride so i installed trd lower springs
crappy tires and wheels so i added motegi 17s and toyo 215/45/17s
think the sound system is ok
seat uncomfortable on long trips added 2" foam lumbar support but looking for more
and i"m still trying to shift into sixth gear
but i love this box

WoW! Thanks everyone for all your comments. All I have read so far are MINOR discrepancies, which is good to hear.

Looks like I will be getting an XB soon :D

This car needs more power. That is the only thing I have to complain about!

1. If there are 5 drops, or 5 gallons of water on the roof, they are coming in the driver's window. I have never had a car that had this problem as bad as my xB.

2. Dome light is all but useless. I would like to have had the option of map lights. At a minimum, the dome light should be controlled by a dash or stalk mounted switch.

3. The 5 speed is "clunky". At least mine, doesn't like quick shifting.

All that said, I knew what I was buying and I do like the car.

SGF

Things I would change:

1. lighting. Map lights, Hatch lights.
2. rattle in the Front passenger door from stero
3. armrest
4. sun visors seem very cheap

Had my camo xB for 4 days, and as you can see, those are some small annoyances, that thanks to this forum, I'll be able to remedy myself. And to think i only financed 10,000 after trade in.

no dislikes for i paid for it,you might need to look at more exspenive cars,they might meet your needs better.