I live in Kentucky and am in the market for one. We have a lot of hills on the highway. I am wondering how well it performs in the mountains. I cant stand being passed by trucks. Anyone have any experence in mountain driving. PS the hills arent straight up and down some are just steep.
Any suggestions on which is more powerfull Auto or Manual?

I live in Kentucky and am in the market for one. We have a lot of hills on the highway. I am wondering how well it performs in the mountains. I cant stand being passed by trucks. Anyone have any experence in mountain driving. PS the hills arent straight up and down some are just steep.
Any suggestions on which is more powerfull Auto or Manual?

I recommend the stick shift because we got some good torque on these things and the RPMs are lower on the freeway with the 5 speed. 8)

It sucks on steep hills. But that has to be the only downside to this car.

i drive up and down the hills without any problems, went up north, down sout, up east and down west, no problem......downshift to the approprate gear

Picked up my xB, manual, all stock, just a few days ago (new to this board -- great info, thanks all) and just got back from first extensive highway run. Went up some pretty long, fairly steep hils and didn't have to work it to keep at speed. My wife and the two munchkins were with me, too, so there was a little weight in it.
The rpm run a little higher than I'm used to -- mid 3s at 75 or so -- but no problem. Quieter than I expected. It's best on twisty back roads. Really fun to drive. enjoy.

I have an auto xB, that I've got about 31,000 miles on, mostly highway, and it is great on hills... the tip is to get a decent start, and learn where you car holds the gear when your smart transmission kicks in...

IN FL, when I go over steep bridges, the car has no problem staying at the same speed. Doens't struggle whatsoever.

Here in SoCal, I have no problem climbing the Grapevine in 5th and 70MPH heading south. On the northbound side I have to shift down to 4th, but can still maintain speed.

George

I have an auto and hills are not a problem. About average, what you'd expect from a economy car. In an auto you just press further down on the accelerator and it will downshift on its own and give you what you need to get up the hill, no problem. These cars are really not that slow at all. They are as fast as any CIVIC (not SI) or Ford FOCUS on the road (if not faster), that's for sure. I raced a PT Cruiser and there was no contest at all, xB wins.

I have an auto and I have no problem with hills. I have passed at 80 going uphill. If I need a little extra oomph....I just hit OD off.