I drive atleast 30 miles to and from work eveyrday, in both highway and city streets. I currently own a '96 mustang gt and love it, except the gas mileage and maintenance. I'm looking at the xB 'cuz of the room, and gas mileage. But, I've been reading reviews and read alot of people complaining about the 'sluggishness' of the auto trans (which is what I preferr after driving to and from work and getting stuck in traffic). I read through the auto vs. manual sticky and heard more of the same thing. But people were also praising the auto trans because of the downshift button and lower rpm's at higher speeds. So I'm still kinda on the fence about it, 'cuz it didn't really convince on either side. I test drove an xb, but didn't take it on the highway. I really liked the way it drove and didn't notice this 'sluggishness'.. but I'm also more of a conservative driver and don't really get on the gas very hard (mainly 'cuz I burn through gas that way in my car). So basically in a round-about way I'm asking if this will cause problems for me on the highway. I'm not lookin for something that will do 0-60 in 5 seconds or do a 9 second 1/4 mile. Just something thats reliable, gas efficient, smoothe ride, and easy to handle.

EDIT: I own a 96 mustang GT. It has flowmaster true duals and is lowered. So a little engine noise and minor road vibrations will not effect me.

 

Then look no further.
I just think you'll miss that horsepower, but I doubt you'll be missing the gas prices eatin' up your money.

 

yea I love the HP.. if I wanna get up and go I can. But the gas money eats me alive, and the clutch screws up my ankle (I broke it a couple years ago and it didnt heal 100%).

Does the xB do well at high speeds, can it actually get up to 80-90 w/o problems or taking forever?

 

The 5-speed has the lightest clutch you will ever feel, good acceleration up to 60, will do 80 all day long (4000 rpms), and will reach over 100. If you can drive gently enough, you can average 35 mpg for 6,000 miles like I did. Or if you like to drive hard, you will have a lot of fun and still get in the high 20's.
But if you like to really get up and go, even the 5-speed will disappoint you. If you have developed heavy-handed fast-shift habits, the delicate xB gearbox will not feel good and may not last long. If you are used to popping a sturdy Mustang clutch, the xB clutch may not last long before it slips on you.
And the automatic might really disappoint and bore you if you are used to a performance car that you really drive.

 

i'm not really gunna try and mash it eveywhere. more concernced with good gas mileage. I don't even get on it in my mustang.

 

I went from an AMG Mercedes to the box. In commuter traffic and cruising to work at 60-65 is a cake walk. Push the box much past 70 and things get a little noisy(I have the TRD muffler and no extra sound deadening). For me it feels best in stop and go driving and 65 and under, which is my typical commute speeds. Sounds like that should work for you as well. It's a great, roomy around-town car.

 

If you plan to get one, you'd better hurry up. The last of the current xB will be gone very soon.

 

Not so much with the "smooth" ride. Short wheelbase and stiff shocks can be a little bouncy. $70 for Monroe sensatrac in the back help a lot, but still can be rough on older concrete highways or torn up roads.

It'll go 80 all day long but it's kind've loud. With the 5 speed, I'll try to stay below between 75 and 80 because the noise and vibration increase the closer it gets to 4k RPM (roughly 80). The gearing on an auto would help. 90 is probably too fast unless it's just to pass a car or two. The manual says not to go faster than 85.

Small and light car so power is decent. 0-60 for the auto is probably just under 10 seconds. Faster than a speeding Prius! Power mods are cheap and helpful.

 

my mustang is lowered and just sits on the lowering blocks (no shocks in the back) and has flowmaster true duals on it.. so its loud and feels even minute cracks in the road. so anything would be an improvement over that.

are the 08's/gen 2's being releases this year?

 

The xB1 is the best commuter car ever made, imo, if you're commuting from the burbs into a big city. The the "sluggish" acceleration doesn't mean much when everybody's crawling at 10mph anyway. ANd it's offset by how nimble it is: I find myself changing lanes, ducking into spaces in adjacent lanes that are moving faster, that I never would have attempted in a bigger car.

The xB2 becomes available April, May, so they say. Expect lower gas mileage on a commute and in city driving, and less agility as well.

R

 

I am glad I have the 5 speed despite driving 90 miles a day through LA traffic. The auto is a little sluggish my friends say if you are heading up an incline. I get over 30 MPG even whey driving at 75 for extended periods. Lots of room in the xB--you can not go wrong.

 

u can have mine for 14k. i want the xb2. i don't like being beat by the citybus. it was horrible i was gonna pass him so i could get on the h1, he beat me and i ended up on the wrong side of the island. i was so ____ed...

 

You will definately miss the horsepower but you get used to it. I traded in my Tacoma for my xB and I am getting 34 mpg vs 18! I drive 30 miles one way to work and my speeds average around 65. I do sit in some traffic every now and then. I do notice it being sluggish getting on the freeway but it is no biggie. You can do a couple of mods to boost the HP a bit. All I have is a K&N Air Filter. Overall I will trade the horsepower over gas mileage any day.

If you want the 1st Gen xB, then you might want to get one soon since most of the dealerships are selling out. Here in Houston, there are a lot but I am sure they will go fast.

Good luck!

 

I don't know why so many people complain about the xB's pickup - if it was that much of an issue that the car is a little slugish (compared to gass guzzling counterparts) - then they shouldn't have gotten one in the first place.

with the good comes the bad but the xb's pickup isn't that bad in the first place. i live in nyc and my box see's a good mix of street/highway driving - and i have never been bothered or said 'wow this thing is slow.'

if you're not a fast/aggressive driver, then why did you have the question about the xb's pickup in the first place? if you took a nice (5-10 minute) test drive, and the xb met your expectations in terms of pickup, AND you didn't notice slowness, then you answered your own question. go out and get one ;]

for the price, of course it's not going to have the pickup of an acura. i've taken the xb on a few hundred mile road trips and never noticed any problems with it's pickup - considering i did between 65mph and 80mph the entire time!!! if the xB was so slow and if the pickup was that much of a problem, it would not have been approved to be on the streets of the USA. ps, 80mph with 3 passengers in the car and like 2-3 suit cases.

FOr me, i think the pickup is great. there are times where im not even on the throttle that hard and the next thing i know im doing 40-50mph... i think i may haev a problem with the pickup if i was at a red light and wanted to race someone - which i never do. but other than that single scenario, the xb is enuff for me. ;]

i think most of the complainers are younger kids that wanna race their xBs acting like it's a sports car...
- sh00k

 

The xB loses its sluggishness with a few minor and relatively cheap modifications, ie an intake and an exhaust for under $500. Granted, it still won't win any races, but since its so light, you'll feel like you're just effortlessly gliding along. I used to have an auto (now traded it in for a manual) and the pickup was relatively weak until I added the intake, and things only get better with an exhaust.

 

I have been very content with the xB1, it picks up speed fine in everyday traffic and I have had no problems running 80-90 MPH on the highway. It also comes in handy when the traffic is tight, you can sneak in and out of the lanes very easily. I don't think you will be disappointed, especially with the difference in mileage.

 

I have mine since September. It is great for dailey driving back and forth to work every day, even with traffic because the clutch is so light. The pickup is good enough, it feels quicker than my 03 Civic LX auto felt. Of course it is not a sports car, but it is very nimble. The bouncyness in the ride can be taken care of by new shocks in the rear, a lot of people reccomend that. That is one of the next things I would get for mine. It even does well for short road trips, though for longer ones, say longer than 7 or 8 hours, it may not be ideal, only because the RPMs are so high if you are doing 80 the whole time, plus the bouncyness of the stock shocks. Can't beat it for around town driving and short road trips, though.

 

In this whole post about pickup, there is no mention of what kind of transmission you are talking about.
The Mustang owner should know that there is a difference between the pickup of the manual and the automatic. One might be acceptable, the other not.

 

I posted I preferr the auto trans in my original thread.


Now, I'm not a complete moron. I know theres gunna be a drastic change in power (v8 vs. 4 banger, 106 hp vs. 300+ hp). But Again, I'm not looking for big power. I've just been reading that the auto trans is 'sluggish' and was wondering how sluggish it was. When I test drove the xB, I only drove it around the block (which is what the dealer let me do) and couldn't take it on the interstate. I only got it up to a max of 45, and that was after leaving a stop light in minor traffic. So it's not like I was gunning it. I wasn't really concerned about it until I started reading about it and it worried me. I don't wanna be on the interstate coming to/from work and not be able to change lanes or something of the sort 'cuz I can't get up to speed or whatever. I'm going to go to another dealership when I get the chance (I work all day, and am usually too tired to do anything after I get off work) and see if I can take it on the interstate and see for myself. Until then, I came here to get peoples personal opinions of thier own cars.

So what I really wanna know (to the people who own automatic xB's), do you have any problems on the interstate passing, accelerating once over 40 mph, or difficulties achieving higher speeds (we'll say in the 70+ range)? I'm also wondering what they max out at. Not that I'll do it, but just out of curiosity. I usually drive 60-80 mph to and from work on a daily basis... if that helps with anyone elses suggestions.

 

I posted above. I have the automatic. Once again, for me 60-70mph is good and anything above that for extended lengths of time is bad. Short bursts over 70 is ok. When I need more umph at speed I simply push the Overdrive button and mash the gas and it goes well enough to pass, lane change or whatever your heart desires. If you are a high-speed weaver (which doesn't sound like you are) then forget it. My previous car had 350 HP, so I know what that felt like and to be truthful it was a handful in crap weather which we get a lot of here in Chicago. I was glad to see that Mercedes go and have never missed it since.