I would just like to say hi to everyone on the boards and would like to ask some questions about the xB.

I have a three year old with twins on the way. My current car, a Mazda Protege 5, isn't large enough for three kids and i just can't see myself driving a minivan.

Does anyone on here have three kids and if so, how well does everyone fit in the xB? With everyone on board is there enough power? I realize it isn't a sports car, but I would like to have enough power for it to get out of its own way and be able to safely merge with traffic.

And for those that considered the Honda Element as well, other than price, why did you choose the xB over the Element?

Thanks, Eric.

Bump. I know one of the members has a P5, but hasn't switched over yet. Lots of folks on here have kids, i'll let them ring in for you.

Welcome!

Andrew

why did you choose the xB over the Element?

Thanks, Eric.

its quite simple in your case. you have 3 kids. imahine you and your wife each getting out of your seat to let your kids out. kind of defeats the purpose of having a 4dr car

Scion xB is not a powerful car...but has adequate power to merge... i know that many have been complaining about merging onto freeways with scions... i don't get it..cuz i've never had such problem.

as for kids..i don't have any...so the backseat usually remains untouched. Quite frankly, if u want more room...get something bigger and more powerful. I love my xB cuz i'm single with a gf...but it's not really a family oriented car especially with 3 kids like u. it may be a cool second car..but i don't recommend it as a primary family car. i know minivans are not cool...but i've been in the new Toyota Sienna..and man..i was impressed with its features and ride. It was practically a lexus minivan.

well..that's my opinion about the box... it's roomy and sufficient as a cool daily driver...but it's not really a family car...that's my 2 cents

The honda element is actually only a 4 seater.


the protege five is
Head Room 36.7
Leg Room 33.0
Shoulder Room 54.2
Hip Room 50.4


the scion xb is=


Legroom 38.0
Headroom 45.7
Hiproom 50.6
Shoulder Room 50.0

So all in all the the xb has much more headroom and legroom. while slightly less hip and shoulderoom(which counts most for the passenger space)

welcome!
I have 8yr old twins and a 4yr old. All 3 fit in the back (including the booster for the 4yr old) with room to spare. What I recommend is taking your booster and whatever car seats / carriers you're going to use for the twins to your local Scion dealer and do a test run. ( A lot is going to depend on the size of the seats you're going to use)
Lots of luck to you, and congrats on the twins!!! :D

Regarding power...

The protege 5 is a slow car, while the specs say 130 hp, thats the engine specs, But once it gets to the wheels. Its been dyno'ed between 100-110 hp, and 110-115 tq stock. The quarter miles according to online specs, is the xb running 16.76 @ 82.70 and the protege 5 running 16.7 @ 82.6.
Protege 5 also weights 300 sum odd pounds more then the xb. While the protege probably gets more hp per modification to the engine, I think its safe to say even if you didnt get a cai for the xb, you wont notice a big difference in the two vehicles.
Best I can say is dont let the boxy appearance fool you into thinking its going to topple down a huge hill while your trying to go up it.

3 kids - 7, 5, 2. My 7 year old feels squished between the two car seats. He hates having to ride in the back of the XB because his 2 year old sister kicks him. Same with my 5 year old daughter.
The Mazda MPV is the primary family mover. We needed a 2nd car that could haul the family when required. We considered sedans as well. The "newness" factor and gas milage won out as this was also to be my commuter car. I could have easily gone with a P5 or a Matrix, but the box was just so cool.
There's no way we could have fit 3 car seats like the ones we like across the back seat.

yeh xB is teh car for young couple w/ no kids or a single college guy.

Power shouldn't be any issue. All three kids combined should only equal one adult passenger's weight. The deciding factor will be the closeness. Obviously, the kids don't need all that headroom or legroom, the hip and shoulders are going to be where it counts. I know someone on Scionworld - yahoo group - had said they had put 3 carseats in the back. I think they got some that were narrower than most, if I recall in fact someone had a webpage about the sizes of car seats. Ask Samantha, if she is still active over there, she'll have the info or can help find it I bet....

Hi Eric. I absolutely love my XB and it's very spacious for what it is. I think that the back seat is spacious enough for car seats as well as small children. I have a little brother and there is plenty of room for him and his friends in the back seat. I travel a lot as well with my boyfriend and friends and there is plenty of room for 4 passengers including the luggages and laundry baskets. As far as comparing the XB with the Element, sure the Element is great in that the interior is plastic! Ice cream trips with the children will now be most enjoyable in that you won't have to worry about stains in the seats! That all depends upon your wallet and how much you are willing to spend on a vehicle. And as for power, I put in an Injen Intake in the XB and that gave it better pickup and better power going up hills. You may want to check out the link for 'power' on this website. People have posted great things about the Injen Intakes and the difference in power it has done for their XB's. You can get one for under $200.00 and you can install it yourself in a half an hour!! Good luck with your twins on the way and your little one as well.

Thanks to everyone for your input.

I test drove a Camouflage Metallic 5-spd last night. The salesman went with us, and he was probrably 225lbs. Even with the ac on, power was more than adequate for passing on the highway, going up hills etc, provided you downshift (I realize the power- to-weight ratio is nearly identical to the Pro5, but the xB's power band seems to be much higher). There appears to be enough room in back for the car seats but i'll take unik_one's advice and bring along the car seats just to verify that they will fit .

I was very impressed with the handling and how quite the xB is even doing 80mph especially considering the shape. The turning radius is amazing and all seats felt very comfortable. A couple of things I didn't like: the raised rear deck (where the spare tire and storage bin fit underneath the floor). the rear drum brakes. and the lack of a center armrest. None of the complaints are deal breakers and if there isn't already a conversion kit out there, I sure there will be on soon to convert the rear drums to discs.

Thanks to everyone for your input.

I test drove a Camouflage Metallic 5-spd last night. The salesman went with us, and he was probrably 225lbs. Even with the ac on, power was more than adequate for passing on the highway, going up hills etc, provided you downshift (I realize the power- to-weight ratio is nearly identical to the Pro5, but the xB's power band seems to be much higher). There appears to be enough room in back for the car seats but i'll take unik_one's advice and bring along the car seats just to verify that they will fit .

I was very impressed with the handling and how quite the xB is even doing 80mph especially considering the shape. The turning radius is amazing and all seats felt very comfortable. A couple of things I didn't like: the raised rear deck (where the spare tire and storage bin fit underneath the floor). the rear drum brakes. and the lack of a center armrest. None of the complaints are deal breakers and if there isn't already a conversion kit out there, I sure there will be on soon to convert the rear drums to discs.

glad to hear that u're happy...with some minor dissatisfaction. As for the rear brakes..although it's drum brakes... scion xB have 4 wheel ABS. For the conversion...there's couple of owners who have installed brembo and wilwood cross drilled performance brakes on all 4 wheels.

yeah..i think more than 80% of the scion owners are waiting for an aftermarket armrest.

only the ignorants make fun of the xB...once inside and a close up look...most ppl change their mind of the xB. It's a great fun car~

get it now man!

BUY IT! They will come out with some kind of armrest I'm sure. That's what I'm waiting for !