wingo

I live in Dallas, Texas. A few question;

How well does the a/c work in 90 degree + temperatures?
Why has there been no crash tests/ratings done on this car?
I am 37 years old. Am I too old for this car?
Why shouldnt I get the Honda Elemet?
Is there enough power?
What kind of mileage can I expect?

wyldkard

We have an xB car club based in Dallas. Here are the answers you seek:

1. It works OK, get Remote Start.
2. There have.
3. No, you're not.
4. B/C it's not near as cool and it's more expensive for less features.
5. Yes. Also there are a few small gains from bolt on parts.
6. Depends on driving conditions, I get: 27-31 depending on how heavy my gas foot is.

-Z

ltj42884

I am 37 years old. Am I too old for this car? my salesman said he sold one to an 85 year old guy

Why shouldnt I get the Honda Elemet? more expensive...not as cool lookin

Is there enough power? plenty of power IMO...not gonna win a drag race but it is peppy

What kind of mileage can I expect? stats say 31-35 mpg...im at like 27 but im still breakin it in right now...it should go up after this tank

RPMxB

1) How well does the a/c work in 90 degree + temperatures?
A. I've been satisfied with my AC in summer in Albuquerque, NM
Suggestions: Get a silvery reflective windshield shade and use it when you park. Buy a white or silver (TCM) xB; avoid the dark colors. Get the windows tinted and get a windshield tint strip. Open all the windows for the first 5 min. of driving to exhaust the hot air build-up.

2) Why has there been no crash tests/ratings done on this car?
A. It has been tested in Japan and did very well. The U.S. is slow to test new cars.

3) I am 37 years old. Am I too old for this car?
A. No. I'm 16 years older than you and I think the xB is perfect for me.

4) Why shouldnt I get the Honda Elemet?
A: Read this article:

http://slate.msn.com/id/2103009/

It explains why the xB is better than the Element.

5) Is there enough power?
A. It has plenty of power, IMHO. I just took a road trip in Northern NM. I could easily maintain 75 to 80 mph even on the long steep mountainous inclines. It's not as powerful as a Corvette.

6) What kind of mileage can I expect?
A. Here's a 3 page thread that discusses these issues:

MPG on xB

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...&highlight=mpg

The August 2004 issue of Consumer Reports tests came up with the following figures for the xB:

Overall MPG (Auto/Man.) 30/32
City/Highway MPG (Auto/Man.) 23/37 25/36

superjeer

hmmm..

AC can be week. There was a TSB on it though. Also, I noticed that if you use the defrost/floor setting it gets really cold fast.

there's been japanese crash tests on the bB. It did well. There's been a bunch of people here that have crash tested it themselves too All that I know walked away, though the box might not have.

The ave age of an xB owner is like 35ish

Because you must have better taste than that to have considered the xB. Actually, they are not the same class of car, so I can't answer that one.

Power is sufficient, but not ample It is fine, but you won't be racing it.

I get 32ish with 80% highway driving with wheels and a 5spd. My wife gets about 30 with all city, stock wheels and an auto.

nest

1.) I live in Arizona and I've used it in 115 degrees + I'd call it adequate. With a good dark tint you'll be fine. With the car packed on a 115 degree day, people will be a little warm, but they'll live. It could be better, but it's hardly a deal breaker.

2.) They have been done in Japan (stricter testing then our own) The xB does excellent in front and front offset crash tests with no significant injuries at 35-40 mph. The structure holds up very well in side impact, but Toyota's puzzling omission of side airbags mean, like any other non-SAB car, there is potential for head injury.

3.) I'm 32, don't worry about it. ;)

4.) I looked at the Element too. The reason I didn't get one is it really didn't offer anything that the xB didn't have in spades too for $5-7,000 LESS. It's not really any roomier than the xB, it gets worse fuel mileage, the handling is not nearly as good and it's not as light on it's feet or fun to drive at all. I also had a hard time learning to love it's looks. The Element appeared misshapen and cobbled together looking with it's odd gray plastic chunk panels. I would not hesitate to recommend one though.

I'd say the key advantages of the Element are the wash/wear interior and removeable seats and the AWD. I decided personally, I would not use these features enough to justify the difference in price and the xB was so much more fun to toss around on a windy road that I knew it would make the more enjoyable daily driver.

If I HAD to get an automatic for some reason, I would probably go with the Element personally. The Element had the best automatic tranny I've experienced, it was very smooth and nearly always in the right gear. The torque the 2.4 in the Element is packing is much more well suited to an automatic transmission than the 105 lb ft in the xB's tiny mill.

My recommendation: 5 speed xB in a light color (for the heat) and the darkest legal tint in your state. The 5 speed shaves almost 2 seconds off the 0-60, which matters even if you don't drive fast. There will be times when you need to or want to make the most of that small motor and the 5 speed allows you to do that without getting in your way.

If you don't like revvy little motors, you want an automatic and you expect to be carrying peope/cargo around with any frequency, then I'd tend to steer you towards the Element. You might consider a 2WD version, since Honda's AWD system is a bit of a joke anyway and wouldn't serve much of a purpose in Texas anyway.

CR-V's are also very nice.

5.) The power is more than sufficient with a 5 speed, IMO. The only time the car feels like it's labored at all is if it's loaded with people and the A/C is on and you're trying to accelerate uphill or something. If you're used to a big V6 it might seem a little buzzy and frenetic to you, but the power is there and the 5 speed lets you stay in the sweet spot.

6.) Expect about 30 mpg overall with the 5 speed, I've gotten as high as 35+ though, when driving all highway miles and keeping it under 80 mph.