2008 Scion xB Starts at $15,650...Does it Still Have the Same Appeal?

The new xb is bloated, over powered,has terrible site lines and visibility and gets worse mileage. Doesn't seem to be a winner to me.

I have a 05 scionxb i love it great mielage.With gas as high as it is i would think they would try to get BETTER MILAGE in there newer line?I guess they figure Americans will go for a compact higher in price and not as good on milage.But wow a little bigger.American have better wake up.Smaller better mileager.Demand it!

I believe Toyota misunderstands the successful formula of xB is not really its style. Roomy + high gas mileage + flexible interior design + short and easy to park + affordable price= xB. The next xB should maintain its dimension, have more smart interior design, more powerful yet higher mileage engine and the same price + $50.

I am extremely disappointed with Toyota's redesign of my favorite care on the market: The great and efficient Scion xB. I was planning on buying one a year from now until this disastrous makeover.
1. Less miles per gallon? Who are we kidding here? I drive a 2001 Toyota Echo with the same engine as the 06 xB's and I can zip right along with freeway traffic. I also get 35 mpg on average. I will not buy the new xB and take my mpg down 10-15 mpg. Shame on Toyota.
2. The xB has lost it's unique style. My favorite thing about the old xB's (before I had the pleasure to drive one) was the unique and funky style. The '08 is a watered down, dull, inefficient '06 xB.
3. Shorter??? I loved the headroom in the '06's.

I love the '06 xB because the combined the efficiency of a small car with the amazing versatility of a small SUV. And I loved the 'upright' sitting position.

Shame on Toyota! They have lost this Scion lover to the HONDA FIT. Eric

toyota was not going for gas millage on this one for one simple reason. the same reason i got rid of mine. it had no power under weight. if you have any more than 2 people in it and more than 40 pounds in the back, it almost did not move. i understand that everyone wants gas milage. well if u want that, buy a hybrid. toyota final gave an answer to thoes of us who have asked them for the last 4 year to put the 2.4l in the xB. it is still a great motor with great gas milage, but also the power that vehical need to carry a load.

THANKS TOYOTA!

I own an 06 XB .. release edition... this car is so green its hot. Love the visability... love height of the box... cruises easily at 80mph & still get 30mph... WISH IT HAD SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS IN FRONT & BACK -- EVEN AS AN OPTION! That's the only 'plus' in the 2008 XB - everything else is sadly negative.

the xb looks sweet!

Hi, Slightly off topic, but Im shocked that 35mpg is considered good?!
In the UK we sell cars that do 70mpg, the new turbo diesel mini for example, 72mpg on combined cycle. Emissions of 104grams CO2 emitted per kilometre, compare that to an average American car that will be more like 180-200grams/km.
I expect that kind of information isnt even available in the US, the government probably wouldnt want people to know.
Gas prices here are so expensive that we've had no option but to develop more efficient cars, a gallon of gas here is about 4 pounds, thats 7-8dollars, believe it! When I lived in the USA for a while I couldnt believe people complained at 3dollars!

Honestly, its great to hear so many people wanting to 'turn green', and since the USA is one of the biggest polluters around it would make a huge difference.
I just cant understand why diesel isnt catching on over there. The beauty is when it burns and creates a bigger 'bang' you get much more torque, so for the people like myself that enjoy power and still want to be green its the best option on the market right now.

Example, Seat Ibiza Cupra, made by the VW group. 1.9litre turbo diesel engine, 160bhp, but 243lbs foot of torque at 1900revs, more than a basic Porsche Boxster, yet 55mpg! All that torque makes for great midrange useable power.
Imagine one of these Scions with those figures, now that would sell.
C'mon American, get on to the diesel thing!

That's just soooo fugly.

The comment about Toyota following GM's path to mediocrity... Well I not only agree but I predict that what we have been seeing in the last few years is a clear indication of Toyota's demise. And they'll fall faster and lower than GM. GM has had to eat a lot of humble pie to start turning around. The big Japanese does not know about humble pie. And I predict that their size coupled with their present arrogance will make it impossible for them to fix it.

I like the new 08 xb i hated the xb until this new 0ne came out. This has the 2.4L instead 0f that what 1.5. It has al0t m0re room its already comes tricked out. There going to be alot m0re u can do t0 this and im planing 0n t0 buy the new 08.

I bought my 2008 XB in October of 2007 after owning a 2006 XB for two years.

I have to disagree with some of the comments here complaining about this new edition. I think it has vastly improved comfort, performance and safety. I used to drive long distances late at night in my '06 XB, and I used to feel scared and vulnerable when passing trucks. The XB is too light of a car for California roads. The '08 feels solid and tight, even on windy days or when passing a truck. Like one commenter noted, this car has its sweet spot at about 80 to 85 mph. Drop it in cruise, and you're in for a comfy ride, while still maintaining 30 mpg. I've taken this car up to 100mph, and it doesn't seem to struggle. It loves RPM's!

I love the new dashboard gauge layout, but I don't like the lack of storage space. My '06 had pockets everywhere on the dash. I also don't like the stock stereo with the round knob used as a directional button selector -- very clumsy.

Pluses are volume/song/device control from the steering wheel, electric everything, front and side airbags, signal led's on mirrors, better back suspensions, 4-wheel all-disk ABS brakes, halogen lamps.... and much more.

Motor is much more powerful and much quieter. The manual transmission has a nice gear ration setup. At 70mph you're revving at about 3100rpm. The automatic has sequential shifting -- much faster than conventional automatics. Engine has a nice roar at about 4000 rpm.

Downsides are the car is heavier. It tends to wash on fast and tight corners. Just today the front end cut loose on a tight turn. Granted, I was pushing the car, but the '06 handled better -- probably due to its lower weight. However, I'll gladly trade weight and stability for fast cornering. I'm not racing it, I'm driving around the city.

Last, I wish it retained more of its boxiness. However, there are some nice spoiler kits and rims that re-shape the car to make it look mean. I love my 2008 Scion XB. It's huge improvement over the earlier generation.

I love my 08 xb, it's comfortable, nice looking and head turning. My husband and my two kids fit perfectly on a weekend ride. It's definately great on gas mileage and the point is I love it. Oh, and did I mention the ipod connection? Buy one.

where do I sign up! All the negatives have been outweighed still by the fewer ;) positives.

-Jeff

I think the 08 XB is much improved over its ancestors. It's quieter, quicker, more nimble and has more creature comforts than all the previous models. Yes the mileage suffers a bit, but that could be compensated for with a little ingenuity, ie exhaust and intake modifications, Also you just might develop smoother driving habits, as the new engine has much more power. You don't feel you have to floor this one to get the acceleration needed. Another plus is that the car is still a great bargain compared side by side with other small suvs. Toyota seems to understand the American market better than our own car makers. I say thumbs up to this one despite the cult following the old XB seems to retain.

I likeed the scion xb at first but now that i really got to test drive on ( the 08' models) i fell in love with it!!! I fell so in love with them that i asked my mother to buy me one !!!( the new release edition) !!! I like them so much is because of all the room they have it them!!! and eventhough the newer ones dont get good gas mileage !! but it has a bigger engine so you can go faster but still get some good gas mileage 20/29 !!!

Ive own both body styles i liked my first xb very reiable good gas mileage and new style that either you loved or hated . The bad was the old xb was under power for day to day highway driveing great if you drove in the city also my old xb was totaled parkrd on the side of the road so i seen first hand how unsafe the veh. was in a major accident but no regrets buying it . When the old xb was wrecked it had over a 100k miles on it and i only replace the front brakes tires and my fluids when needed. I now own the 2008 and i love it my mileage suffered a little bit but i dont have any problems on the e way also i have a little more room a nav. system alot of new safety features and once again a great new look among other things . Im a lexus tech and the software used in the nav is the same as lexus plus a direct i pod connect that is amazeing and yes you can watch dvds on the nav screen two ways i pod or the built in dvd player .The engine performance is a huge differants from the older xb . Im not a person who sits on the computer and puts comments in message boards but i was pissed when i read the negative comments so all i can say go test drive a new xb a feel you wont be disappointed

The only reason people say these negative comments is because they've never driven it. They're being superficial and unfair.

I love the New 08 XB, I am a 29 year old mother of one and the space seems to be more than enough. I plan to buy the 09 XB in July or Angust. Thou, alot of people have tried to talk me out of it because they do not care for the style of it. My sister's think that I need a volvo, but I beg to differ the XB is more than enough.

I just placed an order with my local dealer for my XB, told him if I could get a Gold Release Series one I'd buy it today, and to my surprize, he found one on a lot a few hundered miles away! He's going to get it for me tomorrow, And I can pick it up on Friday. How cool is that!?!

As for those who are putting down the new style, you are just resistant to change. If they didn't change the style eventually, it would get stale. look at the first generation VW beetle that took about 50 years to change. ugh!

and don't let the mpg on the window sticker fool you, the EPA changed the values used for determining mpg and resulted in a lower number on the sticker than what the car actually gets. For example if you rated your 06 xb that was rated at 35mpg with the new values applied, it would now only be rated at 31-32mpg. My point on the matter is I'm willing to give up 2-3 mpg for the 55hp gain in performance. besides, if I put on a performance intake and exhaust and tweek the tuning a little I can probly gain back 5-6 mpg and maybe more with the addition of a waterfuel supplement device.

can't wait till I get behind that wheel!
oh,yea, The supercharger is available for an extra $4000.... ouch!

Basically it comes down to this:
I own a 2006 xb, and the reality is the 08 and 09 just look like half hearted attempts to genericize the body for an American Market. I'm sure the larger engine is great, but it was that distinctly foreign shape that makes the older models stand out. I think with the new models, shape wise, you get the worse of both worlds, too boxy looking for a sporty car, too round looking to retain the distinctive shape it used to have.

I think you would find similar complaints from vintage owners when the New Beetle and the New Vespa designs came out in the late 90s.