aveng

Anyone know if Scion improved the crash worthiness in side and rear impacts on the 2008 XB? The previous 1st gen were bad. I'm considering buying one for my teenage daughter.

06B0X

I would hope so since they added side airbags

http://www.scion.com/#xBStandardFeatures
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=590

Hopefully someone can provide even more information (I really hope not to many have been tested)

aveng

Side airbags is definitely nice, but I would like to know if the heavy increase in weight was at least partly due to side and rear reinforcements and not just the larger engine/trans.

superboxcarxb

they scored a "good" in IIHS.

ZOMGXB

Rear impacts were just fine in the Gen 1's. My sister-in-law got rear-ended by a Suburban doing 35 and we only had to replace the rear bumper.

Also, I'd like to remind you that the original xB scored four and three stars, in front and rear seat respectively, in the government's side-impact test. It was only in the IIHS' Doomsday Scenario Side-Impact Test, using a striking barrier roughly the size and shape of a Suburban, that the xB did poorly...though it still scored better than about 80% of cars and SUV's without side airbags. So before you reconsider the xB you should take a good long look at whatever you're driving now, because there's a great chance the original did better than your car.

The side airbags probably knocked the new xB into the best performer category - Toyota is very good at responding to much-publicized crash tests. After the Previa did poorly in offset-frontal tests in 1993, the very next model year's Sienna was the best performer of all time.

The added weight been praised by a few different safety sources, though they refuse to address the fact that Gen 1 xB's had a tendency to bounce away from impacts, sustaining less damage in the process than many vehicles with greater inertia would have sustained. It'll be interesting to see how the new one shapes up.

Toyota in general and Scion in particular have excellent safety ratings - you're much better off putting your daughter in one of these, than overcompensating and putting her in a cheap crappy SUV she's just going to roll anyway. Scions are certainly the best performers in the minicar category.

Bancho

Hi All, I just bought an HTM xB automatic. I spent a lot of time commuting in a 1st gen xB and the redesign is what actually convinced me to buy one for myself.

On the topic of the 1st gen's crashworthiness, I was in a situation where I saw firsthand what actually happens when you get hit head-on.

I was going back to work after having lunch with my pregnant wife and son and at the intersection when I turn in to my office I was first in line at the stoplight waiting to turn right. I saw a car (a 1st gen Subaru Legacy) heading straight at me and I scooted *my* car around the corner and turned to watch as the Subaru hit the xB behind me squarely at speed (estimated 30 - 35mph by the police) without hitting the brakes at all. The rear of the xB actually lifted into the air at the impact and the entire vehicle scooted *onto* the Honda Accord behind him. As you mentioned above, the low mass of the 1st gen xB helped it bounce away rather than absorb all the damage but I can't say that's an entirely positive thing. The airbags fully deployed but the guy still got a pretty bad head injury. I spoke with his insurance company (as a witness to the accident) and they said that the guy couldn't recall a significant amount of time and didn't know any details of the accident at all. I think he'd have gladly taken more damage to the vehicle if it meant less damage to him. (ps - The guy driving the Subaru was on drugs and had already caused another accident on his way to causing this one.)

I know this is kind of an extreme example but seeing as small vehicles are such a minority on the roads (sadly) I take little solace in the fact that the 1st gen is one of the safest in its class. The fact is you're so much more likely to be hit by someone driving something significantly bigger.

I'm really glad they upped the mass of the new xB. It's on par with my old VW Golf and feels much more substantial. I traded a Nissan Xterra for it and I'm loving the extra mileage I get now (it's looking like 28+ is going to be very easy to manage). It may not be as cool as the 1st gen for some (and I'll admit, it was a cool car indeed) but I feel much better with my wife and 2 sons to ride in (6 years old and 8 months old). The fact that it's a whole lot cheaper helps me save a bunch of money as an added bonus.

ps - btw ZOMGXB, I'm glad your sister-in-law got off easy in that accident. I really wish people didn't buy such large vehicles for daily use, especially since the only thing they're hauling is their own solo riding butt to work.

Bigfieroman

I am calling BS on the suburban accident. Maybe if she was going 20-25 and got hit by a tailgater would there be so little damage, but that does not add up if you mean she was hit while stopped. Perhaps the Suburban was doing 35, but was able to skid to ~10-15 before contact, and your sister was off the brakes.

Also, while it is true that a lighter car will generally sustain less damage, the reason additional weight is a benefit is because the additional weight slows down the change in velocity (acceleration), essentially softening the impact to the actual occupants. I would rather walk away from an accident that totals my ride than be carried away from one that leaves a salvageable car.

I am not saying that the old xB did poorly in accidents, quite the contrary (except for side impacts), I just wanted to clear things up a bit.

midgethearsexb

The new xB scored "Good" in the recent crash test ratings and that is the best you can score. It is a verrrrrrrrrrrry safe car!

ZOMGXB

Hi! Welcome to the land of Wrong! Admittedly, I didn't believe it myself until I inspected both the car and the police report, but it's true. Additional info should help...

My sister-in-law Amy was stopped waiting to make a left turn on a road where the limit is 45. The guy in the Suburban came whipping around a bend in the road, saw her at the last second, and stood on the brakes. He only left five feet of skid marks; 35 is probably a little LOW for the actual guess, but that's what the lady next to him said she was doing around the bend, so that's what I'm going with.

Amy's xB launched like 40 feet forward. Since the guy in the Suburban was standing on his brakes (and his front end had dipped way down), there was actually bumper contact between the two vehicles. Her xB had a destroyed bumper cover, squished rear bumper (the big metal bar that actually runs underneath the plastic), two flattened bumper brackets, and compression buckling along the tailgate, which they were able to straighten out and repaint. He needed a new chrome bumper, which actually cost considerably more.

So, yeah, the xB sustained almost no damage, but took off like a freaking billiard ball. It's a trade off - the car's in great shape, but as you pointed out, Amy's whiplashed all to hell. (The paramedic said if her headrest hadn't been adjusted properly, she almost certainly would have had a broken neck.) And of course, if she hadn't been in the habit of keeping her wheels straight until actually turning, she'd have gone straight into oncoming traffic. But still, I assure you, it's quite possible to get rear-ended by a Suburban and come out with under $2000 in damage.

Naturally, I just about had a heart attack when my brother called me to tell me what had happened, since I'm the one who convinced them to buy an xB. But I'm also the one who showed her how to properly adjust a headrest, so I guess it's a wash.

ZOMGXB

I can't say I'm surprised. Even in controlled crash tests, anything under 2000 pounds or so gets at least two wheels into the air. And that's not the first real-world accident I've heard of where an xB ended up on top of something else.

If the new xB had contained only safety upgrades, I'd have been the first one to trade in a first gen. I'm still waiting for someone to do a side-airbag mod for hte Gen 1's ;)

Also, I totally hear you about people who buy gigantic SUVs to be "safer," especially when "safer" means "at the expense of the rest of the human population." if the genius who'd hit her had been driving a Corolla maybe he'd have been able to stop in time.

BTW, the guy who hit her? Who couldn't see a bright red Salsa directly in his field of vision? Drives a SPECIAL EDUCATION VAN

SciRunner

Hey I found an other related thread
4-star front, 5-star side. Not sure if NHTSA test rear impact. Maybe we have to wait for IIHS results for that.

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ncap/cars/4311.html

scionofPCFL

5 star side is very very good.

The rear impact of the old one actually was very good as well, but there are no official impact studies for rear impact, just going by what a few people who have been rear ended have said.

Oh, and don't forget, the vehicle is equipped with stabilty control to help your daughter avoid getting into an accident.