Ok, I ( meaning just me, because my wife is dead set against it) am serioualy considering taking the xB with my 3 kids (13=12=10) and wife on a 7-hour drive (each way) to stay a week in Akron. I am wondering, how is the xB for room enough for a week's worth of luggage for 2 adults and 3 children, and do you think the kids will be trying to murder each other by the end of the trip?

We made an attempt at a short trip to the beach last week. I fit 2 Aerobeds, 4 small duffle bags, 3 small beach chairs, a half-dozen towels, a milk-crate of car-care stuff and another of beach toys, a foot-square 18inch high cooler, a pair of skinny beach bag-totes, 4 hoody sweat-shirts and 2 small boogie boards. Also crammed 2 blankets under the front seats, and 4 or 5 pliiows in the back seat with the kids. Unfortunatley, there was one chair left that just wouldnlt fit anywhere, as well as another air mattress that we were going to borrow from a friend that we had not yet picked up, but I am sure I could have squeezed it in somewhere. I had about an inch of view out the back window. That being the case, we ended up renting a Ford van for the trip. It drove like a truck and was a lot louder than the xB, plus it only got about 18-19 MPG. Please help me convince my wife not to make me drive another crappy minivan.

 

thats a lot of stuff for a "short trip to the beach."
sounds like you guys prepare for anything and everything so for a week long trip i dont think you'll have enough room.
when i go the beach i bring towels, food/drinks, umbrella and seats (but then again the beach is 15 minutes away)

i think you'r stuck trying renting a van. unless you buy a can of fix-a-flat and remove all the stuff from the trunk. it'll give you just that much more room

 

As roomy as the xB is, I don't know that you have enough room for all of that. I've never tried to do something like that though. I just got my xB.

 

You could possibly get a roof rack and a luggage carrier. Only downside is both of those will probably cost more than fuel for the trip and back.

Otherwise, pack light and make a couple visits to the local laundromat?

 

Unfortunately it doesn't sound very workable.

I drove mine on a 2200 mile week long round trip with me, my wife and our 14 year old. It was pretty comfortable for the three of us, but I definitely cannot picture squeezing in two more kids and their stuff.

 

2 hour drive, we stayed overnight. And it ended up being a little too much anyway. Never thought about taking out the donut! That's a great idea. Probably could have fit that last chair in somewhere...

Roof rack.. I saw one at Thule for less than $300 the might be do-able. Anybody know of a source other than Thule? Is there a Toyota/Scion OEM rack available? <-although VW's OEM rack was made by Thule anyway.

 

ive done 9 hours with 5 people for a weekend trip. wasnt too horrible but i was driving

 

TEll you wife to go for it. WE did five people on my box for a a 5 day trip to vegas for Scion United. Had the luggage up to the ceiling but no problems. That was with 5 people over 20 yrs old so it should be no problem with kids. Cruised at 95 MPH with the AC on max and the outside temp gauge showing 116 degrees.

 

Did you get a lot of scuffs/scratches in the back where the luggage was?

 

Noooooooooo...........
- Don't use the xB for this mission without adding a small, lightweight,
aluminium [NOT STEEL!] trailer for your gear.

Otherwise:

Don't rent van. Rent a MINIvan.
- You're already driving a MICROvan. :D

 

I got four people ( wife, 16 y/o nephew, 15 y/o neice) in my XB on a 10 hour drive (one way) to Florida for 8 days with no problems. It all depends on how much stuff you HAVE to take. The wife and I got all of our stuff into one suitcase while my neice's suitcase weighed more than ours LOL!!

 

A hitch and cargo carrier could also help. It would probably be more aerodynamic than a roof carrier. Anybody have any experience with one of these? I wonder if it would block the tail lights...

http://www.etrailer.com/pc-CC114~TH665C.htm

 

No Scratches really just a liitle scuff on the back door. Car is great on long trips. I now have 13,500 miles on it and it is almost 4 months old.

 

That's insane. That's about 1 1/2 times the amount of mileage I put on my car in a year.

 

thats nothin, 6 months- 30,000 miles on mine

 

My box has been to 7 states and 3 countries. Now that summer is here the mileage will really start racking up. SHould be at 50,000 by the1st birthday. I gonna drive it to cabo san lucas in a couple of weeks with four people.

 

I would definetly add a rack or hitch box for the trip. And some head rest dvd players from costco to keep the kiddys happy.

 

It would honestly take me about 4 years to rack up that kind of mileage.

 

I just did a 7 hour trip to the Sierras with my wife, two teenagers, and a 4-year old. There is absoultely no way we could have done this without a trailer. I used one of those 4'x4' Harbor Freight trailers with a flat bed that I built custom for it (made it approximately 6x6 useable surface area). It carried two coolers, a tent, sleeping bags, chairs, fishing poles, and grocery boxes). Tounge weight was laughable (probably around 30lbs thanks to some strategic trailer loading) and I didn't even know it was there even while going up the Grapevine with A/C on. Granted, the Scion manual says no towing, so you are doing this at your own risk.

 

Probably won't be needing a trailer. It's not a camping trip. I will need a trailer at some point, though, to haul a trio of soapbox derby cars around next year. I am pretty confident I can fit 5 duffle bags plus a few other bags and some pillows in the back and back seat.

For some reason the rest of the family just does not want to go in the toaster.
"Where's your sense of adventure?" I say. "Oh, it'll be too squished". I guess saving around $500 is not appealing enough to my wife.