...........before I get started "YES" I've used the search and been on here a few times, BUT there's SO much to read. Figured this is the easiest way to get the info I'm needing...........

I'm 42 and have owned ALL kinds of vehicles over the last 25+ years. From a Mustang GT, IROC Camaro, Trans Am, Corvette to An Escort GT, Volvo wagon, ect.
I have no problem enjoying ALL KINDS of vehicles. I currently drive a Supercharged Toyota 4Runner Limited & a Volvo wagon (which is nearing retirement!!).

My question concerns the '05 & '06 Xb's. Are there certain problems associated with one & not the other? I'm considering buying one to use as a work transportation vehicle. I drive an average of about 250 - 300 miles a week and with gas going thru the roof, I need a better MPG car/suv ect... to drive.

I only average about 3000 miles a year on my 4Runner, with a supercharger and the price of premium gas, it gets a bit expensive. I use it mainly for pulling my trailer & motorcycle. If I had to drive it everyday I'd be broke..........

I'm looking for ANY INFO someone wants to provide...............snow driving?..............long trip comfort?.............avg mpg...............WHATEVER YOU CAN TELL ME WOULD BE APPRECIATED!!

 

i have had mine since 04, and have no negitive comments about it, gas mileage is awesome, better now that i have a scanguage2 i can see my real time mpg and adjust my driving habbits to get me the best mileage. Long trip comfort is unbeatable in my opinion, i go up to San Francisco from So cal, about 6 hour drive pretty often, and my butt never goes numb, i don't have to figit around to stay confortable, as i did with my 96 full size chevy 1500... my average mpg with intake, headers, and exaust is 31mpg average city and highway combined, and i have a manual. one thing i wish i had for long trips is crusie controll. you can get an aftermarket crusie controll off e-bay and you are good to go.. by far, this is my fav of all the cars / trucks i have ever had... the most confortable, the best on gas, the easiest to park, and u turn in. besides my 56 vw, this scion has the cheapest replacement parts both oem and aftermarket.
Now as for snow driving, i can't comment, as i am in so cal.... whats snow, or rain for that matter?! if it were me, i would get the 06, as it has the steering wheel controlls for the radio and the 05 doesn't. ( some one correct me if i am wrong about that ).
you will not be disappointed with the scion if you get one..

 

Works great in the snow, i'm lowered 1 1/2 inches in winter (i go lower in the summer) and still can get through everything.
The xB is good on long trips for comfort also, I would say that it is a good choice for a daily driver.

 

It's reasonably comfortable for long distance. Probably not nearly as either your 4Runner or Volvo, but not bad for a small car. I've taken a couple trips over 400 miles in a day and it's more tiring than my SUV. You'd want to swap the rear shocks for Monroes ($60) to get a less bouncy ride. Add a rear sway bar ($130) to make up for the increased body roll from the softer shocks. It's geared low so the engine noise and vibration can be tiring at highway speeds. Almost 4,000 RPM @ 80 MPH in the manual and a few hundred less in the auto. An intake or removing the snorkel from the airbox will help (especially helpful on the highway). Without the intake or snorkel removed, it'll seem like an effort getting much over 70-75 MPH. Cruise control (~$500) is worthwhile if traffic where you drive is good enough to use it. Snow driving? Get a separate set of snow tires on steel rims, they're cheap (~$400 downsizing to 14's). The xB will seat 4 tall people comfortably, even with the front seats slide all the way back.

xB's have a high resale value. A good used xB is probably going to cost $11k-$15k. The gas mileage is good for the amount of stuff you can carry in it, but not spectacular for the compact car class and engine size. The low gearing makes the power adequate with one or two people, less so with more people and stuff. No side airbags, so it's not as safe as some late model cars. The heater seems to take a long time to get warm. The A/C seems to be underpowered when it gets over 90.

xB is good if you need the space to carry bulky stuff or 3 passengers. It's also good if you're 6 feet tall or taller and want a compact car. If you don't need to carry a lot of stuff or are shorter, then you could probably get something that would work as well for a daily driver, got better mileage, and is cheaper.

 

I live in Montana and picked up an xB1 in July. I work at a ski hill so I drive snow, ice and what-have-you nearly every day. With a set of Bridgestone Blizzaks mounted for the winter it has handled everything I've thrown at it. The VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) works great and the traction control is nice, unless you want some tire spin for the deeper snow (in which case, I just shut it off).

The front-wheel drive of the xB handles the winter weather better than many of the rear-wheel drives and almost as well as the four-wheel drives I see out there.

I bought the Rostra cruise control from allscion.com for $199 and installed it in about four hours with a buddy's help. It certainly helped on longer trips.

I would echo the comments about comfort from the taller guys and gals -- I am 6'2".

My only beef is the noise levels on longer trips -- I have the 2005 RS2 so the exhaust is a bit noisy at 3000-4000 rpm. A little more soundproofing should help resolve the issue.

Thanks

 

..........I REALLY appreciate all the feedback/info thus far. I've been looking at the Xb's for a couple of years now. For some reason I like the first gen better than this new model.

My Volvo wagon ('90) has about 200,000 on it, and things are starting to become a pain to keep fixing (mostly electrical), motor wise the thing still runs like a champ. But I've had it for going on 8 years and I'm ready for a change.

..................If/when I pick up an Xb I'll let you know. I actually thought I'd found the one I wanted a couple of days ago ('06 with 17,000 miles, 18" wheels & TRD leather for $14g)....................salesman called me today and said it had sold, back to looking again!!

 

doesn't everyone?

 

Its a great DD. stew32 hit everything right on the head.

I use mine mainly for commuting, but I carry tools and equipment also.

Your main concern will be auto or 5 speed. I have the auto for SoCal freeways. No clutching and will do 8 or 80 all day. 80 is about 3200 rpm. Manuals spin about 500 rpm faster, so slightly quicker but noisier at speed.

Buy one, you will not regret it. Yes, good resale value for current owners, but cost potential buyers a bit more.

Gen 1...FTW.

 

fyi...there are two '06 models - don't be a fool like me and get the straight '06 model. the '06.5 (i guess that's what it is referred to as) has the audio controls on the steering wheel, the straight '06 model does not.

 

Yup, other than the above difference of steering wheel controls, I don't think there's much difference between the years you mentioned.
I, too, bought mine as a commuter because my drive turned into a 160-miler 4 days a week in Los Angeles traffic, and my '04 T-Bird was killing me with gas. The xB had great cargo room, handles nice, and gets astounding mileage; I've actually pulled 44 mpg - trying VERY hard - and averaged 35-37 mpg for normal driving. I put over 35,000 on it my first year, and had no complaints. I no longer have the commute, but kept the car because it's such a gas (no pun intended)! I get 31-33 mpg now in all city driving, but for a car EPA rated something like 29 city, 33 highway, that ain't bad! In fact, I've never gotten less than 30.0, even in all city driving, with A/C on 100% of the time!
Slap some sway bars, Konis, and lowering springs on it, and you'll also be able to spank the odd Mini Cooper on a twisty country road!

 

Its a Toyota.

 

Big wheels will make the ride harsh and make it slow (if they're heavy). I'd say to look for a stock xB with 15's.

I like my xB. I got it to replace my SUV. Mainly because of the gas mileage, but also because I wanted something smaller. It's a good adjustment because it's slightly taller than most cars, has a lot of passenger space, and can carry about as much stuff as a small SUV. It gets about 10 MPG better than my SUV. Cruising at 75-80 MPH gets about 30 MPG. City is about 25+ MPG. If you like modding your car, you can practically rebuild an xB from eBay.

Several months ago, the wife got a Honda Fit (Sport) manual. It is more refined than the xB. If I had to log a lot of miles, it would be a tough call. The Fit has slightly more power, better cruise (on the wheel and is smoother since it's drive by wire), and is quieter. It's also a little more cramped (if you're ~6 ft), just as bouncy as the xB, has less space, and is lower (so you can't see around traffic as well). It gets a couple MPG better. It came with cruise, alloys, and anti theft included in the "Sport" package so it didn't cost a lot more than my xB after adding these items aftermarket.

Not trying to talk you out of a Gen 1 xB, but just pointing out other options. A new 2008 Scion xD or Honda Fit Sport retail for about $16k vs. a used 2006 xB for $14k.

 

Nothin but good on my end. I've got a 06.5 tcm(silver) 5-speed, drove it threw one winter before I lowered it and went mod crazy, now its my summer car. Originaly got it for daily driver duty, now it only comes out in nice weather. I get 31mpg on e10 89%octane, no problems and 16k plus miles. Only a couple things bug me, cheap thin paint, kinda bouncy in the rear, doors sound like there made of tin.

 

also on my longest tip of around 350 miles all hwy and 75mph I got my worst tank ever 27mpg which is not even close to normal for me (31avg)

 

Mine is an '06 automatic. I average 30 around town and 33-37 highway, depending on speed. I bought it new and have almost 30,000 miles now with not even 1 issue. I service it just like the owners manual stipulates (except I use full synthetic oil at the regular intervals). You can pack alot of crap in them. They are large on the inside and I have taken several 700+ mile trips with no comfort issues. The A/C is slightly weak on really hot days but liveable. I don't know of differences between the 05 and 06 other than possibly cruise control became an option (mine has it) as well as an AUX jack for the stereo and wheel controls.

Good luck with whatever you get.

 

I live about 3 miles from my work, all urban/non-highway driving. Traded a nice BMW 3-series for the Box; just couldn't see having a $40,000 car that I drove 30 miles a week (my wife's car is our weekend hauler).

Couldn't be happier with my 04xB. Just turned 30,000 miles, absolutely no mechanical issues. Better in the snow than the wife's Volvo S80. Average 30-32 mpg, like I said in mostly urban traffic. (Took it on a 300 mile highway trip once and got 28 mpg while keeping it at 65-70 mph).

Yeah, I'm in my 50s and get some grief from my peers. I don't care...love the box!

 

Hmm, sounds like its time for a system and some eDead!

My doors and system sound better than my wife's Benz!

 

yea yea I know thats one of my next projects, sound deadning new deck, amp and sub under front seats custom, its on tha way...

 

Get the xB. It's great on long trips, gets great MPGs when driven right and has rock solid dependability. win win win!

 

The deadening will be especially noticeable with the system OFF!

Driving experience is so much better since its much quieter overall. Nice to roll up the windows and isolate yourself from the outside noise. Car is noticeably quieter at speed. Doors shut with a solid, dense thud instead of a tinny ring. "Knuckle rapping" the panels is fun when comparing them to your buddy's rides!

In fact, since I did my deadening in many sessions, it was interesting to note that the noise traveled around the car as I deadened different areas. Particularly loud were the floorboards and cargo area. Of course, doing all the doors helped immediately.

To quota another member: "Win Win Win!"