The xB was the first car that I don't mind driving on long trips (650 miles each way). The seats are real comfortable and I never feel drained afterward. We usually stop every 200 miles or so to eat,gas and potty. LOL
My wife really likes being able to sit in the back seat with the front one folded down flat. It's just like sitting in a Lazy Boy.
I also added some spacers under the front seat brackets for better thigh support. And Cruise control is a MUST!!!
Good luck and enjoy your trip.

 

Why do you think you need a tranny cooler? Not necessary in this application... especially at Hwy speeds..

 

I can't make my front passenger seat fold flat. It folds forward a little bit and then the side bolsters contact each other, leaving the back at about 30 degrees from vertical.

 

To make your passenger seat lay out flat, first remove the headrest. Then slid seat all the way forward, then lay seat back all the way down. Our Scion salesman Jon Lancaster ( A.K.A. Jumbo ) showed us that trick. Wife loved it.

 

We drove from Tennessee to the eastern end of Long Island last summer----14 hours each way. We did 80 most of the way, and even fully loaded had no problems in the mountains, as well as getting 33 mpg. Folding down the passenger seat is definitely the way to go----it gives you a real break when you're not driving. Easily the most comfortable road trip we've ever made.

 

[
I can't make my front passenger seat fold flat. It folds forward a little bit and then the side bolsters contact each other, leaving the back at about 30 degrees from vertical.[/quote]

you need to scoot the front seat all the way forward and take the headrest off.. works perfect.

 

Well I am going to be driving up a very sttep hill (more like mountain Pass) called the Grapevine on Interstate 5 going towards Los Angeles. If you know the grapevine, yo can answer the question why a tranny cooler might be neded for a full car. Oh yeah also im going on Highway 15 toward vegas, which has a very long hill thats not really steep but it is like 20 miles long, going uphill......

so is a tranny cooler needed, for these two places... yes, for the load on the car, yes. Just preventive stuff i guess.

 

You might want to invest in one of those arm rests that you see here on the site. Cruise control would be nice too.

 

HA HA!!

Moved here from Fairfield Oct 1, 1989 (thus escaping the earthquake). Drove a 1971 VW Bug Convertible. I think I was in first gear by the time I got to the top of the Grapevine. The 15 going over the Cajon pass is the other one you mentioned. I take it with ease on the way to Vegas--but it is a long haul as you state. The other part is not over heating your brakes coming down off of those two locations........

 

Same thing goes for the drivers seat. With tinted windows, curtains, and a flip-down LCD, the box would be a cozy bedroom on wheels.

this me and the novia on a recent road trip

 

No.. you do not need a tranny cooler. Tranny coolers are mainly needed for high performance applications where you launch the car many times hard. It would also be used for heavy stop and go say for a Taxi. It's the torque converter that causes the heat.

 

Oh, it folds flat backward, not forward!

 

l0l - awesome man! I'm taking my girl to atlantic city for her birthday.... at $300 a nite for a hotel (a nice one) i figure why not spend 1 night inthe box and 1 in the hotel!

i gotta get curtains tho. i got the entertainment down since im bringing my laptop along for navigation/music/movies. l0l

nice pic!
- sh00k

 

thanks man =) just make sure she's cool w/ sleeping in the box first. get a bunch of pillows (at least 4) and at least 2 thick comforters. If you're not 6' or taller, you shouldn't have a problem. Let me know how it goes..

 

my car is lowered so i found going on long trips quite bumpy. and also since i have a manual tranny with exhaust, going around 80+ makes it loud in the cabin. im used to it so i dont really mind, but if i have passengers they tend to complain. sometimes i jus wanna leave them on the side of the road =)

 

Just for record, I am 6'4" and comfortably slept in my box 2 nights in a row with a TINY blanket and 1 pillow.... Would have been MORE comfy with more pillows and a bigger blanket, but you are ok at taller than 6'...

 

My plan:

- Going to atlantic city for 2 nights
- rooms are $300 a nite so im going to sleep the 1st night in the xB with my girl and the second night we're going to sleep in a hotel room
- with the $300 i'll be saving from not getting the hotel room on night #1, im going to put down $150 a piece on the last 2 columns of the Roulette playing board.

WISH ME LUCK! I lost over 4 grand last year playing roulette and haven't been back to atlantic city since! lol
- sh00k