when i first looked at the new xb online i was a bit dissapointed, found it unphotogenic, the snout from profile looked too long and narrow a bit too chevy hrr-ish or pt-ish and not enough xb. SO i had to go take a look at it up close for myself.

well i had some time available this afternoon and so convinced a buddy to take a drive up to the local dealership with me. After seeing it up close, i gotta admit it's not that bad. in the time it took me to chainsmoke 2 camels and after a pacing a few laps around the car, i found that it grew on me and i like it now. it does look different up close somehow, in a good way, and i think i could really see the difference in size and appreciate the the bigger xb and even odd looking front end.

so anyways i had to test drive it , and well now i want one. as far as handling goes, in my opinion and i'm no expert, the only vehicles i drive are a 03 camry and xb 1st gen, which i traded in to get the camry , no fancy sports cars. (traded an older camry to get an 04 xb1st gen, then traded that in for an 03 camry, which i'm now considering trading in for another box) compared to the 1st gen the acceleration as expected is much improved as well as road noise and ride smoothness. it felt a lot like my 03' camry just higher and roomier which i miss. i personally liked the armrest and even the dash mounted shifter, also i didn't have too much problem reaching for any controls though i do wish it had a telescoping steering. When driving it on the road and changing lanes, it did not feel much bigger than the 1st gen, but maybe because its about the same length as my camry which i'm used to. I didn't really notice any blind spots, which i thought i would because the windows on the new xb don't go all the way back. the new xb also had an auto shift thingy which the sales person insist i use, and which i did, and i think it worked fine, i've never used one on any vehicle before so i don't really know what to compare it to, but it was fun.

anyhows, ac cranked up and still being able to accelerate comfortably with 3 people in a box, ok maybe semi-box was DEFinitley nice. the ceiling does seem a little lower than 1st xb, but it wasn't too noticeable maybe because the seats feeling wider distracted from it. and i'm 5'7. (in the 1st gen xb, the taller roof distracted me from the narrower inside i think). leg room in front and rear even with the seats moved all the way back seemed about the same to me as the 1st gen xb, BUT the 1st gen xb did seem a bit roomier. There did appear to be a difference but it wasn't That noticeable to me. both xb's got my camry beat as far as rear roominess goes. i know the mileage isn't going to be as good as the 1.5 was, but i guess there's always some give and take and i'm willing to give a little in that dept for better acceleration and less road noise and an all around perfect car for fishing trips which we usually took the 1st genxb for, but ain't that great with when merging on the highway with 3 people cooler and a few poles (took forever with 4people) , but is great for fitting all of that into one vehicle comfortably. then again i'd sacrifice a little power and turn up the volume for a bit more mileage from my tank considering the $3/gallon, and considering i could probly save a few thousand now on a good used 1st gen? i dunno, i'd be happy with either really.

and the funny bloated tc snout , well, it's still weird lookin the 1st gen has it beat hands down IMO but after looking at a few pics with body kits it could grow on me especially with a nice fat lip on it , adds some much needed substance to thicken up the overbite and it would make it much more appealing, kinda like a stock 1st gen looks goofy without some proper shoes to fill in the funky gap. i just wish there was a front lip for the new box that went all the way around as opposed to leaving that toothless grin lip that i see on corollas and camries and the 5 axis front end. - which is still a nice kit -

so for the people that don't like the way the new xb looks and have not yet seen one up close, i suggest checkin it out in person. makes me wanna get bak into either xb.

 

I just saw one at the dealer and totally agree, looks much better in person. I want one too

 

I saw one this past Saturday and drove it last night. I really didn't like them at first, now I'm trying to find best trade-in value on my 06'. The new one is MUCH better built, drives better, rides better, sounds better. Better all around! I'm getting an auto this time and being able to still shift is awesome! Extra lights in headliner, more trunk space, adjustable seat, etc. I'm a big girl and it is more comfortable, even w/ someone sitting next to me in passenger seat. I am very impressed, Scion listened to all of us! Front clip is still weird to me, but the rest over powers it!

L~Viki

 

yeah the one i test drove was an auto, and gotta say, that auto shifty thing was pretty fun... and it was also nice knowing that i could get auto and still get decent power.

 

I actually saw one up-close during a focus group many months before the reveal. My initial response was very positive, but I quickly grew to hate it. I still think it's ugly, but it really does looks decent with the 5Axis kit... It really sucks that it's not standard. (Can you imagine if the OEM lip kit on the xB1 was optional ?! lol)

Thanks for the review, I really want to like it. I'll think I'll give it a second chance this weekend and go for a test drive

 

-----------------------------you've probly already seen these pics on this site but if you
haven't yet, chek em out in this thread:


https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...r=asc&&start=0