I have had my Xb for roughly 1.3years now, and i must say its been a fun daily driver.
From the very start, Toyota/Scion has tried to give the impression that the 1.5L 1nz-fe is a rev-friendly, economy driven motor. Although i must disagree with part of this statement.

The 1nz-fe does free-rev nicely. However i find myself when pushing, the redline is too short. Possibly its because i came from a integra and i was just used to the idea of a 7000rpm redline.. Either way, 6200 redline is a down fall. I believe Toyota should have redesigned the 1.5 for a higher reving redline for the Xb/Xa. Another complaint i have is the low end. Stock i found the low end rather sluggish from 1-2.5Krpm. Of course beyond that it felt like i was actually moving. The I/H/E mods helped the top end, and i do realize i have lost a few whp and wtq in the low end. But sheesh, for daily driving low end is none existant.

Aside from that, the design of the bB/Xb i like. Its shorter than a 2 door civic, yet has a great amount of passenger room. I am however disappointed in the cargo-room area. You can't fit that much in the Xb without stacking everything up on top of everything else. That i don't like, but thats just me.

MPG im satisfied with. 210-250mpg per tank to me is great counting its such a small tank size.

Over all, i would say its a great economy car with a great since of style. However, the redline and power plant isn't perfect. I do realize its a 1.5L and won't be seeing 300whp, but i never wanted that with the Xb.

Style- 5/5
Performance- 3/5
MPG- 5/5
Overall- 4/5

Cya

 

ive had my box for 4 months now and i have to say i would sacrafice mpg for a lil more power but im happy with the 1.5 and its no where near the the fastest car on the road these lil things can handle like no tomorrow and my car is stock - im savin up for some real sticky tires (yes on stock steelies) , megan springs, and strut braces

 

performance is like a 2 or 1.

 

I have had my box starting on day 15 tomorrow So far its everything I thought it would be + more. The whole thing about needing to rev higher, just does not make sense. If they built a rev happier engine, there would be even less bottom end. As it stands right now, the only thing I dont like is the tranny gearing. 1-2 shift drops RPM to much while all the other shifts does not dropp it enough. My 4-5 shift only seems to drop about 400rpm. So speeds faster then 40mph = 2k+rpm. Im driving this thing at about 3k @60mph. I know its a little engine, but space those gears out some. If I need to go faster, I will just down shift

 

the gears are spaced so close so as that this slow pos SEEMS faster . and it does help it accelerate quicker.

 

I see. So where exactly do I really need to have blinding accele speeds these days? Oh wait, last I checked 10sec 0-60 was not that fast any ways. So I could live with a 0-60 time of 9.5 sec (closer spaced 1-3 gears) & then have 4 & 5 space out more A break down of what Im talking about:

1st gear top speed = 25
2nd gear top speed = 45
3rd gear top speed =75
4th gear top speed = 100
5th gear top speed = 130

Now the top speeds in 1-4 could be reached but 5th would be used as a granny gear. The xB just does not have the power needed to reach 130.

 

My TBird with a 4.6L V8 runs at 85mph @ about 900-1000 rpm in 4th. Of course, it's been getting about 13 MPG lately, too...

You gotta "pay to play", and HP is paid for with more gas at the pump.

36MPG, give or take, is looking better every day! :D

 

Yeah the milage I love. Just think of being able to get close to 35mpg at speeds of like 80-90mph though, not down at speeds of 65. I have yet to take this thing on a real long road trip, but I see the best milage going on right around 68mph or so.

 

I'm not comparing performance to anything. Performance is pretty good counting its a 1.5l and the way its geared. Its respect-worthy.

Cya

 

This is one of those expectation things. Why would a car company engineer something to perform best when it's at illegal speeds. Other than maybe Montana, i don't think there's a legal speed limit above 75.

It's geared to get good mileage and good economy at the speed limit and that's not good enough? Time = Money. Cost you some money to save some time, it'll cost you some time to save some money. Which is more important to you? I expect it to use more gas if I'm expecting it to give more power...

 

with stock gearing i've hit 125 mph with room to spare . so.....

 

so, did you expect to get 36 MPG doing it? You were probably on a highway...

I'm just saying people's expectation are not always based in reality. That doesn't mean the car is lacking.

 

geez nothing ever satisfies 100% of the peeps 100% of the time.....remember the key word here..value......

 

I love our xB. I agree, the performance could have been a bit better, but what to expect for a car that get the MGP it gets? As far as comfort and drivability, its great. I like the looks of it alot and I like the fact that so many people trick it out so differently. It not just another civic with a body kit and a wing if you know what I mean.

The xB is truely unique and in a class of its own and I guess thats what I like most.

 

a 1zz 1.8 liter used in corolla's and celica's would get better gas mileage. it gets like 40 mpg in a heavier car!!!

 

No, it's no hot-rod like my old 5.0 liter Mustang but it does get more than twice the milage, a worthy sacrifice.

 

I like to have stop light fun with the new Mustangs. My xB surprises them . You just have to look for the single tailpipe. The duals are the GT models, and the xB is no match