titojanboy

i'm considering purchasing a 2008 xB. the only thing that i'm really worried about is the reduced gas mileage.

by reading the posts from those of you who actually did purchase the next gen boxes i can see that some of you DID own an older box. now my question is, having had the chance to drive both, is there a significant difference in gas mileage?

thanks.

Basilius

I'll let you know when my wife gets back tomorrow. She took the new xB up to Seattle for Mother's Day weekend.

I would get 31-32 MPG (actual numbers after odometer correction) on that trip in my 06.5 box. My wife's driving habits are a _little_ different, but that's mostly in town. So, we'll see what kind of numbers she gets.

I know I've been getting 24 mpg driving around town on my first tank (city/hwy mix), but I've had a bit of a lead foot enjoying the bump in horsepower. I imagine that'll settle to around 25 or 26. I would get 28-29 in the old box with the same mix of driving.

yellow_aspen

Great question. I'd love to hear the actual numbers from owners.

toronado

Two things to keep in mind:

1. As has been mentioned before, the new EPA ratings are lower.

2. If you are asking owners of the brand new xB to give you their MPG it is going to be lower than you will normally get because these cars are not broken in yet and MPG goes up after the motors are broken in.

chewd0g

Yeah but you're going to get a reasonable view of the mileage from the beginning. If someone is getting 25 average, I doubt it will increase to 30-35 after 50,000 miles are on it. Might get up to 27-28 but that still isn't good enough.

butterfly0fdoom

27-28's pretty reasonable given the more powerful engine and the significantly increased weight.

george_da_2nd

i have an 07 tC which is the same engine. i get 24 in the city and 32 on the hwy at 70 but im more arrow dynamic so expect lower hwy millage city shouild be about the same just dont run your AC!!!! with AC on i get 19.83

chewd0g

I still say it's not good enough though.

After getting over 30 mpg the past 3 years there is just no way I'm going back to anything less.

Gas mileage should be going up, not down with the cost of gas now and everything...

george_da_2nd

going up if fine but only in the same engine class the xA is in the sub 2.0ltr, its a 1.5 the 2.4 has almost an intire leader on you you see its size gain to gas millage loss is about on par. meaning that its as fule efficent per ltr as your xA.

Bigfieroman

As if we were short on gas mileage threads...

Ok, here we go.

The mileage chould rise 1-3 mpg over break-in, which generally takes 1000 miles but cannot be considered complete until 2500 miles.

The xB gets better mileage than the tC. It has electric power steering and different engine tuning, so expect 2 mpg better city and about the same highway. Based on what most tC owners say, that is 26+ mpg city driven responsibly. 26 is about 4 less than what most old-gen xB drivers report for sit driving (30).

If you expect mileage to go up with a larger, heavier, more powerful and better equipped car, you are being completely unreasonable. If you want the same mileage or better, get something smaller/lighter/crappier like a Yaris. Toyota has made the statement that the new xB only loses about 10% fuel economy compared to the old one.

titojanboy

ok so i just got back from the dealer after test driving the new xB. please keep in mind that i am not at all intending to bash or promote the car WHAT-SO-EVER so bashers and gen2 owners dont hate. heres what i walked away with: [if you dont care about what i thought about the car and want to read about the gas mileage issue go to #6.]

from the new xB:
1. its HUGE! coming from an xA, i felt lost in that interior space. the dealer that took me on the test drive was 6'4 and he fit in there perfectly. BUT after adjusting the seat, i felt a heck of a lot better in there. but its big inside nonetheless [yes i have been inside a gen 1 box].

2. bigger is not the best word to describe the exterior. to me it actually looks LONGER. but it looks good and the projectors are a plus. i like the view from the front but not so much the extra space in the back after the rear passenger windows. [in my opinion it would have looked better if they just never included that extra foot or so in the back and just ended the car right after the rear passenger windows. they would have saved weight and maintained that small car feeling] also... wheel well gaps.. they are still there.

3. in terms of power, that thing can more than pull its weight. that extra 700 lbs surprisingly never made itself evident. [ps. we drove up hill too and i was able to pass cars.] that was pretty cool, and by not goin over 3500 rpms i was pleased.

4. as far as driving goes, i would have to say that it felt like driving a van BUT i am saying that simply because i am currently driving an xA so all that space is very new to me. ALSO pulling back into the dealership and making my way back to the parking spots in the front, it felt SURPRISINGLY easy to maneuver.

5. so how did i like it? it was ok, it didnt exactly blow my mind but at the same time it didnt disappoint. it has the power i feel i lack with my xA but the size is something that i wasnt too happy about. i guess it may be due to the fact that i was actually expecting it to be smaller. i watched the video reviews from edmunds.com and the guy looked bigger next to it, i guess its because he was really big. [im 5'7, filipino, normal build.]

6. GAS MILEAGE [moderators please excuse my use of caps] i brought this issue up several times with the guy because that was the main thing i was worried about with the new box [hence me posting this thread].
-first he said that yes, MPGs were sacrificed for the sake of more HPs.
-second he said more space and more safety features meant more weight so less MPGs. [i agree especially because the car felt so much more solid than the first gen xB's]
-he said something else but i forgot.
BUT HE DID SAY that since i am so worried about MPGs, i will notice how much less it will be compared to my xA.

chewd0g

What's sad is how common the responses to my post are among Americans.

Why do you continue to "expect" loss in mileage because of a larger engine? It's not like we're talking about going from a 4cyc to a V8. It's the mentality that "it's ok" that keeps us at a stand still in this discussion.

I think this model is going to flop, it might meet expectations but the cult surrounding the 1g xB will not continue to the 2g. If they would have maintained the compact car image while patching up the issues the new model would have a smooth transition.

I really don't know why everybody thinks these cars were under powered in the first place. My xA had a lot of zip to it and I rarely ever had issues hitting highway speeds or traveling up hills. I remember driving through the gorge on I-40, the border of TN and NC. I was FLYING through there with zero power issues. Are you driving at Indy or Daytona?

Scion created an expectation with the xB and xA models, the tC was a fluke if ask me. Seemed more like a model they felt would help keep the brand alive. But the xB and xA had a style, image, yet convenience of being wallet friendly. It's now taken a stab at that by leaning more towards style and image being more important.

Expect more yes, but don't Americanize the damn cars. Toyota has done so well stateside because they weren't always following the 'bigger is better' mentality many Americans have. Either way, this is a cruiser car. Something to fix up and make it look great. It's just now you might look great, but taking a bigger stab at your wallet.

If you want to tell others to go buy some other car, why not tell yourself to buy another car instead of pushing them to change the major approach of the vehicle! Just frustrates me to no end, this country continues to move backwards day after day...

george_da_2nd

toi be ho nest i tihnk the xD will out sell the xB thast the big reason i sol the xa it didne thave the 1.8 ltr its a great motor same gas millage more power just dose everything better than the 1.5. so its keepin the small car and also gettin way better gas millage ten the xB i tihnk the xD will be a strong contendor when its released.

toronado

It's not the larger engine. It's the increased curb weight.

The tC is a Celica replacement. Basically, they moved the Celica to the Scion brand.

toronado

Good point. I don't think the xD will OUTsell the new xB, but those who want the smaller, lighter, higher MPG type of car can get an xD. I think the xD is cool. Big improvement over the xA.

toronado

The new xB is not huge. You're concept of car sizes is way skewed toward the ultra tiny.


I think just the opposite way. I think they should have given it even more rear overhang.

toronado

Or get a Prius. There is nothing crappy about that.

amdforever

I understand what your saying about Americans not caring too much and finding excuses to justify things, but to me, what you said was not nessarily called for. Everyone that got a tC knew about it being less gas efficent and etc. If you look at it in the "American" view, Scion did the same thing that all car manufact. do. They created an image, unique styles, and most importantly brought out something to cover a majority of the market. You've got the xA for those that just want a little get around car. The xB if you have kids or need something to transport items. The tC if you want a fun daily driver. The tC was not designed to keep the brand alive, it was to cater the market. They did a great job, and I personally don't consider the new xB the same as the old xB. I think its a new car all in itself. That's why I like Scion so much, they keep the car lines fresh. You don't get that with American manufact. They cheap out the lines they have, they notice failure and try to bring back and modernize dead models from decades ago.

uberscionofglendale

the tC was not the replacement for the celica. It was made specifically for the US market, and specifically for scion. it is, actually the first true scion (as the xA and the xB are rebadged toyota's brought from overseas).

c_rowe

Ah yes, the tC was a fluke to help keep a dying brand alive. The same car that accounts for over half of the sales of a brand that, in only three full years eclipsed the annual sales of established brands like Volvo. Right.

I know that you are frustrated with the dip in fuel economy. The fact is that the xB is still remarkably efficient for its size and still an incredible value considering its content and capability. Predicting the downfall of a model that is already destined to be successful based on waiting lists and positive press simply because of a 2-3 MPG dip is absurd.

If you follow the Scion brand, you are aware that Scion is seeking to lower its sales by chipping away at the outliers of its target market. Some of those outliers prioritize fuel economy over style and customization; these are customers Toyota is happy to have, but that the Scion brand can do without.

Consider also the fact that many buyers of the xB2 will be passing up far thirstier cars like the Element, RAV4 or HHR (even though many xB buyers would've never thought to even consider them).

And not to bust out a massive logical fallacy here, but remember the Prius? Cut Toyota some slack.