I received my 2006 white xB on January 9th. Since then I've put about 270 miles on it...

It really is as fun to drive as everyone says it is! Living in manhattan - I was really
concerned that I would lose my front end by hitting a huge pothole/bump but, so far, knock on wood, nothing has happened. I haven't bottomed out or anything which is a good thing =]

Another thing - the xB is very nimble! I've come across a huge bump/pothole at like 30-40 miles an hour and with a quick twist of the steering wheel, I've swerved around it... very nice handling and no roll at all!

It snowed here in NYC over the weekend and I drove around 80 miles in the snow/slush/ice.

The xB handles really well and I'm really glad that I made a good choice by buying it =] I could feel the traction control coming in a couple of times on some icy roads... awesome feature!

My only real complaint, which is a huge one, is the fact that the windows get so foggy so quickly!!! I have read a couple of threads on here and plan to clean my windows with windex and a rag so we'll see what happens. I was just so shocked that driving in the snow, with the defroster on, did the trick but not for long. The second you turn it off, the windows fog up almost immediately!

A comment about the audio: the stock head unit DOES SUCK as many people here have mentioned. I hooked up my laptop to the AUX audio input and played some movies/mp3s, even listened to some GPS instructions (thank you, microsoft streets and trips 2006)... THe quality of audio is much better from my laptop than it is from the head unit! I have a very small ibm x41 laptop and I am trying now to figure out a way to mount it using the space in the "oven" which is located under the temprature controls. I am thinking about having a mount/stand placed inside of the "oven" area and hold my laptop from there (in between the "oven" and the "oven door." I will let everyone know what I come up with... PS - my laptop is an IBM x41 - it has a 12.1" screen and it weights only 2.7 lbs. that's why i dont think it'll be a problem to mount via the "oven."

Having a laptop in the car is the best thing I think I have ever done to a car! lol! I have navigation, I have all the music and movies that my passengers could want, and the best part is, if I hook up a usb camera to the rear door, I can have a back-up camera all hooked up to the laptop! Having a huge display is a MUST HAVE with GPS and a backup camera!

On Saturday, I had a remote starter/alarm installed for $325 with a 5 year warranty from the dude that installed it. I never had this feature on a car and it feels awesome to start your car from far away then walk to it and it's warming up... lol.... simple but great!

I honestly hope that Toyota doesn't discontinue this model (or make it bigger)... It's so easy to park and so easy to drive... I let a friend test drive it and he fell in love with it! I think he's going to go with the xB rather than a Pacifica which was his first choice!

Anyway, I've only put a couple of hundred miles on it and I am in love with it! I will be checking in from time to time with more comments/pics of what i've done with it!

If anyone is reading this and thinking about getting an xB: stop thinking and get one! You will NOT be dissapointed!

 

Go to your local auto parts place and pick up some :"Rain-x anti-fog" it will cure that fogging up. Regular Rain-x for your windshield and mirrors is great also...the rain just sheds off at any speed and you don't have to use your wipers.

 

Great tip but how often would you have to re-apply that stuff? How often do you need to re-apply the anti-fog? and how often do you have to re-apply the regular rain-x?
- sh00k

 

A few weeks ago I had to drive my XB in and around Manhattan. It was a new experience for me, but since I had ridden in many cabs there and had my XB for over a year I knew what to expect. The extra nimbleness + the size of the XB + the visibility = GREAT for getting around Manhattan. I was able to squeeze between things the NYC Cabs couldn't! Although it will make you a bit nervous when you have tour buses on either side of you and in front of you.

 

LOL - I agree! I was on the highway yesterday driving next to one of those 10-car haulers!!! in my hummer, I feel as big as the car hauler - or at least as high as one!!! lol! in the xB, it definitely makes you more nervous... I think the roof of the xB is like 1 foot higher than the tire on the hauler! lol!

No diss or disrespect or anything like that, but I feel like the xB is a go-cart! so nimble and light!

 

Do you have the A/C on with the defrost?
It helps pull the moisture out of the air.

 

No I didn't but i'll try that next time. i just had the defrost on with the temprature set to the hottest - the temp. **** all the way to the right.

 

And yet, by using the aux input, you are not bypassing the HU at all. Your laptop is simply one of several sources feeding the same preamplifiers and power amplifiers as the disc player and the tuner.

Whatever difference you're hearing is not coming from the HU. More likely, it's either that the output level from your laptop is cranked so that it's simply louder than the outher sources, and/or you have an equalizer curve applied to your laptop's audio that makes it sound different from the disc player or the tuner.

RichC

 

Very good point. I was thinking the soundcard had something to do with it. When I play the same song via CD and via MP3, there is a considerable difference in quality. I'm never going to burn a cd again - just gonna connect the laptop and hear the difference =]

 

Nice write-up.

I bought mine on the 11th and so far I have no real complaints. The thing is a blast to drive and I've already put over 350 miles on it...

 

Do the radios in the 06's have the settings like the older ones? As far as setting it to the car that it is installed in?
That may make a diffrence to the way it sounds.


Scott

 

If you play the same MP3 file from the laptop (or MP3 player) through the Aux input, or on an MP3-CD on the Scion disc player, they should sound the same -- IF you match the levels scrupulously. It's been proven over and over again that people will almost always pick the louder of two otherwise identical sounds and the "better" one.

However, not all MP3 decoders are equal. There are certainly going to be cases where the same file could be decoded differently and thus sound different on two different players. It's not something I've noticed on my 05, but then again I tend to rip most files at high, constant bitrates, Low-bitrate VBR files rely more on the decoder, and may yield more variability in sound quality.

If the levels are matched and the Aux source still sounds different, look to something in the source (equalization applied, or some sort of dynamic-range compression, etc.) that's causing the difference.

If the Scion's HU is typical, then its EQ (bass, treble, and the "Scion Sound) equalization) is applied to all sources. If it's turned off, and the Aux source has its own EQ and is also louder, then there's no question that it will sound better.

RichC

 

when trying to get your windows to de-fog you should be trying to match the temperature outside the car with the thermometer inside. the reason windows fog is because of the different temperatures and moisture. running your A/C on defrost should do the trick...

 

Yes! This is an awesome little car! We used to have a gas sucking Toyota Sienna that was very uncofortable to sit in & drive. Then we got rid of it & got an xB! It's so roomy! I can put the drivers chair all the way back & I can sit behind it & I don't even hit the drivers chair with my knees! I'm 6'-1" too! ( ^_^)

Now to slap on some ultra lightweight 15" X 7" Rota Slipstream wheels in flat black or gunmetal & some 205/55-15 Falken Ziex ZE-512 tires! (^o^ ) <3

 

I wouldn't say the head unit sucks, but the clipping does. REALLY effing annoying. If I ever decide to invest a penny in the stereo, the head unit will have to go based on that alone.

 

The interior anit-fog only needs replacing after a cleaning with windex,vinegar,etc. It lasts quite a long time.

The exterior Rain-X needs re-doing every second or so storm...it's really easy to apply and you will get double the life of your wipers. They also make an additive that you put directly into the windshield washer fluid....like 4 oz. to a gallon I believe...it also will help a lot with your wiper life and windshield clarity during stormy weather. We use it in all our truck and engine companies.

 

The A/C comes on automatically when you turn the defrost on. Don't worry about hitting the button.

Here's a thought... are you on recirculate? That sliding thing just above the right temp ****... move it to the right to allow fresh air in, that should clear you right up.

Oh, and don't use Windex on your windows. The ammonia in it is harmful to the plastics in your box. I recommend Stoners Invisible Glass, available at most auto parts stores.

 

That was the problem! Now that the **** is to the right, no more fog! thank you so much for the tip! i am a numb nut when it comes to that stuff ( im sure you couldnt tell =X )

Thanks again!

 

also, try stoner invisible glass. in my mustang, i would clean the windows, and they would fog and you could see exactly where i had cleaned, like, every swipe i made, but i tried the invisible glass with newspaper, helped a ton.