I know that I'm asking a pretty biased crowd but, do you think I made a mistake trading my 2007 Subaru WRX for a 2009 Scion xB2? I've had this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach ever since I made the deal and I don't even pick up my xB until Friday.

I traded for better gas mileage, lower insurance costs, and lower payments, but you've got to understand where I'm coming from, performance wise I mean. AWD, turbocharged, sport suspension, 0-60 in under 5 seconds, etc, etc. Maybe I'm just looking for support. I've still got a bike to go fast, handle curves well on.

Please don't flame. No disrespect to the box. I'm just worried I'll be disappointed and I need some reassurance.

 

I love the box. But I just have one question... gas mileage... on an xB2? Why not just go for an xD?

 

I've read everywhere I've looked that average MPG is 24-26 for the xB2. My WRX managed 23 at best on all highway driving with the cruise on. 18 in the average commute to and from work. 16 if I drove it like I stole it. And it required 91 octane with the turbo.

 

Plus, I don't think I could've handled the drop from 230 hp to 128 with the xD

 

I guess I understand. OK... so depending on HOW MUCH focus you want on gas mileage, then if you are happy with mid 20s for gas vs mid 30s then that's fine.

The xB, for sure, will turn more heads.

But, I mean, I didn't know when shopping for a car you were shopping for the most powerful machine on the road that goes the fastest. I mean, you're only putting others at risk along with yourself. That's my theory anyway.

If you can look past the fact that you don't have a powerful, fast, car... then you should love the xB. Now, if you want to race... go be a nascar driver.

You should be happy with your box. Get into the spirit and mod it up as time goes on... makes it fun.

 

I understand your position on racing. I'm not one of the a**hats who street race, drive recklessly, etc. But moderate power and AWD made the car handle great. This made it a great autocross car (closed track, EMT overseen, controlled driving course weekend thing).

I don't mean to sound like I'm dreading the swap. I just wanted to get some other peoples opinion. The xB and scions in general have TONS of aftermarket parts available. One of the reasons I choose it in the first place.

My main concerns were passing ability, handling (body roll, wind buffeting, bad weather), and overall happiness with the car. I should have been more specific. I wondered what pros/cons other owners have with theirs or what they missed about the cars they had before.

I'm totally onboard. I'm already checking out wheels and ICE :D

 

If you want to smoke your WRX friends, it can be done, just get a Turbo Toyota set-up, but be prepared to lose the MPG advantage that you wanted the xB for. Talk to coryjames for the details, he's a speed freak; and very knowledgeable.

 

yeah i would of kept the wrx hahaha. my lady just got the 2008 sti. ____ is fast! the xb is a fun car has lots of room and get ok gas milage. and the wrx is a fun fast car. so it really just depends on what you want from your car. but gettin regular gas rather then surpreme is much better to your wallet

 

Its about an even trade Id say overall lol. The xB is fun and looks neat and definitely modable! I get my speed fix in my gf's mazdaspeed 3 so everythings good in my household :D Enjoy your box!

 

Here is my humble opinion, and I guess I'll be the "bad guy" - you screwed up. LOL..!!!

I love my xB2, but if I only had one car, and the choice was between a WRX and an xB2, I would have stuck with the WRX. I own four cars, with one being a modified AWD, turbocharged car (Galant VR-4), so I fortunately didn't have to choose.

I've been averaging 27mpg in my xB2, making short city trips, so you will do a bit better on the fuel economy, and you can run 87 in the xB2, so if fuel was a main point - then you did OK.

The xB2 is "peppy", but obviously nothing on par with the WRX. You would have to sink a TON of money to even get it close - and then it is only FWD at that, so you become traction limited.

Either way, welcome to the club - post some pictures when you bring it home, and congrats - I think. :-)

Dan.

 

I think almost anyone would be happy with an XB as long as they weren't expecting Lexus quality.

Getting up to highway speed or passing is not a problem. There's plenty of power on tap for the average driver. Handling is fine for me. When I want to take a curve quickly the XB was more than willing to take me around with no problems.

It's a great car for the price. It has a unique look and has plenty of aftermarket parts to make it even more unique. I've never been in a WRX but I think the only thing you'd be missing in the XB is the peak performance.

 

hmm .... coming from a 1st gen xB myself, i'd say you'll definitely have to get used to the lack of power. and i know for you (and me both) power is a very important factor. you can't deny the WRX's turbocharged, awd goodness.

however, if you value better mileage and driving comfort/space, the xB is the way to go. don't think about the power loss. think about the money you're saving.
and with that money you save, you can invest in another power monster later on.

not a mistake. just a step in a different direction.

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ok that was the nice answer. now here's my really honest opinion.
WHY ?!

for the mileage and space, the xB2 doesn't really get that much more than the wrx to justify giving up the power and control you get in the subie. if you wanted mileage and space, the civic sedan is the way to go IMO. the xB2 just doesn't cut it for me at all.
i'm a gearhead, and compromising the boxer engine for the thing you get in the xB2 doesn't sit well with me at all. sure you can mod the xB2 to kingdom come, but the grin you get when blasting off in a rally-inspired car and being able to take corners at speed is just irreplaceable. ok fine, the xB2 has nice amenities and showy things, but as a car guy, that's just decoration. the core of the vehicle is completely different, and when comparing the xB2 to the WRX, the WRX wins every time.

but to each his own.

 

I don't think you made a mistake. I was in the same position as you almost a year ago. I sold my VW (1.8T with lots of mods) and bought the xB. Every now and then I miss the power, and of course sometimes I miss hearing the turbo spool.

Overall though, I'm happier with the xB. It really does have plenty of power. Won't have to worry about not being able to accelerate fast enough to get out of a bad situation or pass or get up hills, stuff like that. I've never been in a situation where I wished I had the power my VW did. I put a TRD sway bar and Tanabe DF210 springs, and it handles almost as good as my VW did (it had Bilstein Shocks & Struts and Neuspeed Race Springs). So I still have a lot of fun driving it. I don't miss having to buy 93 octane, that's a big plus. I've been getting around 25mpg and that's almost entirely around town (and big WV hills) driving. Plus I like having a car that's kinda rare (around here at least). I hardly ever see other 2nd gen xB's on the road.

Obviously you're going to lack crazy acceleration from a dig/slow roll and the handling. That will take some getting used to no doubt. But really, unless you were giving your WRX hell all the time and driving through the twisties ***** to the wall every day, how often did you actually use the AWD's goodness? I realized after a while that even though I had the power and really nice handling, I never really used either enough to make it matter.

Hope that helps some. I think you'll be happy. You'll have a brand new car!

 

its all in the eyes of the owner and what you want out of your ride.

if you demand power and speed..... well you should have stuck with the an EVO, oops i mean WRX. (the EVO is a better car in my opinion)
but , the xB is great on gas, very stylish, very modable.

ive got Tein SS+P coilovers, strut tower brace and wider tires on mine and it handles 10x better then when it was new and i didn't spend a stupid amount of $ doing it.
i don't care about power and speed, the speed limet on the highway were i live is 65 and i never race it or do burn outs or anything like that.
ill tell you this......... mechaniclly........ toyota is much much more reliable.

 

my co-worker traded his civic for mazda speed3, at first he said he really like the car because it's fast. now that the gas is going up almost every day, he said "big mistake"
I bought the xB2 because I also wanted to save on gas and insurance- i tested the wrx and evo and liked it too but if you have turbocharged vehicle, you tend to step more on the gas pedal because you know it's fast. you can't go wrong buying the xB. it's also a lot cheaper and unique

 

Yes I think you did make a mistake!!!! I LOVE THE WRX My friend has one it and it is nice!!Better than the XB overall........

But the XB is sweet and will definetely turn heads if you hook it up right....... Plus you have a larger fan base and supporters with the XB....

I felt the same when i traded my car for the XB but i think the choice was well worth it.

 

As a Suby fan, and as a Scion fan, I'm gonna have to say you would have been happier in the Suby. I've driven both and the wrx is WAY WAY WWWAAYYY more fun to drive. And the Suby family is kind of like the Scion family, they all wave.

You spend a good amount of time in your car, so reguardless of mpg's, you need to have fun too.

 

Big thanks to everyone for all your responses.

Evosky, I totally understand your second answer. But, the insurance bill was wiping the huge grin off my face even before I launched my sube. Plus, I can payoff my xB pretty quickly (2 years, I hope) and then I can put my equity into the proposed Subaru coupe that's launched in 2011. You've probably seen the article about it on scionlife's homepage. I'll be over thirty by then and my insurance will have dropped. Hopefully I'll have moved up in my career by then as well and then the money won't be such a big deal.

That is of course unless I fall in love with my scion, which seems to be a running thing with all the people I know who own one

 

^^^ definitely. i love my bB to death and plan to keep it forever. and yes, i'm looking forward to the trueno/levin replacement that they're collaborating on. however, if alfa comes out with the Mi.To for the US, that'll be another great option ;)

anyway, since you're already signed and everything, i'm sure you'll come to love your xB2 as much as you loved the WRX. it's just a different kind of love.

 

Who are these xB2 owners claiming you made a mistake? Have they driven a WRX? I would borrow my buddies occasionally, and frankly I much prefer the xB2, it is lively, roomy, and a lot of fun to drive, the WRX is cramped for even a small sporty car, but if you are commuting the WRX is rough with the sport suspension, and it goes through gas like a Hummer. Granted, the xB2 is not an autocross car, but if you want some extra oomph just get the TRD supercharger. I'm in the city and needed a small roomy car, and under that scenario the WRX didn't even come into play, have fun with your xB!