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the xB takes us back decades to the days of simple, light, uncomplicated cars; Fiats and Minis and Datsun 510s that were eager and frisky and inspired us to be car guys forever… Yet it seems to give up nothing… the eager-sounding engine and slick, light-to-the-touch shifter and creamy clutch make more of an impression than acceleration numbers. As in those Fiats of old, rowing the lever is fun in this car, and faster would take away the reason to row. But it’s not just the lever. The engine’s revs drop smartly as your foot lifts and the clutch takes up so smoothly and promptly once you’ve changed up to the next gear. Although the lever usually gets all the credit, shifting actually involves harmony from a control trio; this one sings a happy tune. The skinny Goodyear Eagle LS tires, like everything else about the xB, exceeded our expectations. Road grip came in at a more than respectable 0.80 g. From the driver’s seat, the glass area seems oversized, opening a joyously large view of the surroundings… Back to the theme of less is more. Remarkably, the rear seat earned our top rating for space and comfort. The chair-height bench is relatively firm and seemingly straight across from one side to the other, like a bench. But lacking the superficial contours usually built in for appearance, the rear seat gave us nothing to disrupt our comfort, particularly in the dreaded center position… the car’s simple box outline does the rest, allowing 34 beer cases to travel inside, just two fewer than in the 21-inch-longer HHR. Less is more in fuel economy, too. The Scion averaged 27 mpg over our 300-mile test trip, 6 mpg better than the average of the group, 4 mpg up on the next-best… Few cars promise so little as the Scion xB and deliver so much.

(It’s no wonder Nissan is set to send over its xB competotor – the Cube).

source: Car and Driver

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 19th, 2006 at 1:10 pm and is filed under Scion, errata.