Scion xD and xB

Scions xD and xB: Bigger and Bolder
In a nutshell: The Scion xD replaces the Scion xA. It is larger and more powerful. The Scion xB has also been restyled and given a larger engine. They are similar in appearance but quite different in use. They have different dash arrangements as well. Unless you love to shift get the automatic version as there is no gas mileage penalty Finally the dealer has hundreds of customizing options to make your Scion toaster look different than others. Fun responsible and affordable the new Scions may appeal to the youth market but we feel they are for the young at heart as well.
Scion has abandoned the shoe looking xA in favor of the shoe box looking xD and the result is a bolder new little brother for the xB. We drove them both and found that the xD was the most cost effective?It was not as quiet and certainly not as powerful or roomy as the larger xB but we liked its good-natured tossability pricing and fuel mileage. If you need a bigger box the xB is a good choice but its pricing not places it against the much larger Honda Element Chryslers PT Cruiser the HHR from Chevrolet and even Toyotas own Matrix all which are dandy economical family oriented vehicles.
The big news pun intended is that the xD had its wheelbase stretched nearly four inches longer than the car it replaced the xA and a it is also a bit wider. A more enthusiastic powertrain comes from the well-proven Toyota 1.8-liter inline four-cylinder that has 128 horsepower and 125 pound-feet of torque. We tested both the four-speed automatic and the five speed manual and found them plenty playful but neither could be classified as spine tingling. We would go with the automatic as the fuel mileage is the same and it is more comfortable in day-to-day commuting.
Handling is better than we expected seeing the box like physical dimensions of the xD and the 16 inches 195/60 tires. Braking was pretty good too as the ventilated front discs and rear drums were up to the task of slowing this toaster on wheels.
We like the interior of the xD better than the xB. The gauge cluster is now in front of the driver instead of being mounted in the center of the dash as the latter. The xDs cluster isnt all that easy to read but at least you dont have to take your eyes off the road to check your cars statistics.
Being slanted toward the youth market means being unique and having a good stereo. Thus the xD has a lot of storage spaces and the Pioneer stereo works well. However we suspect this will be the first item replaced by owners. There are also two input jacks; one for IPod and another for an MP3 player. The sound quality for both units was average despite the well-regarded Pioneer stereo with a single CD player in the dash and six speakers with 160 watts of power. There are a lot of adjustments on the stereo but we doubt that any buyer is really going to be happy with it as the sound of the tires and wind make a better quality unit almost mandatory.
Moms view: Very nice. Handy easy to maneuver enough power to stay out from under the wheels of the illegal to drive in residential wheels of Hummer H2s Lincoln Navigators and Ford Excursions. Yep that is right. These road destroyers weigh over three tons which is the limit on most roads. Personally I find them offensive but if you have a large ranch and need to tow everyday they have an off road reason to exist.
Anyway there is plenty of standard equipment with the Scion xB especially safety wise. There is ABS front-seat side airbags a full-length head curtain airbag system and optional stability control.
What I also liked about the xD is that is has become invisible. Thanks to the ubiquitous xB the boxy xD no longer generates much visual interest?That is a real plus but also gives dealers who sell a myriad of options a real pathway to profits as there are so many ways to make your xD your own the mind boggles. I found that they confused most people as they do look similar now that Toyota has redone its exterior treatments. However the xD isnt nearly as large as the xB. For a bit more the xB offers a lot more car. It is wider taller and over a foot longer?That shows up in the interior with the xB having considerably more front shoulder room and more rear headroom. However with either the xD or xB there is an abundance of headroom with 30 and. 40 inches for each respectively. Cargo space is dramatically larger in the xB with more than the double the room available in the larger xB at about 22 cubic feet.
I quite liked the xD. The electric steering was well weighted the brakes felt firm and linear and the front seats were comfortable. On the road there was a bit much road noise especially offer roughed up roads. The Nissan Versa that costs less has a quieter ride but than again it isnt a box on wheels?Acceleration is in the 0 to 100 km/h in over ten seconds category as the 1.8 liter four cylinder and its l6 valves are kept busy by double overhead cams that help make 128 horsepower at a high 6000-rpm. When loaded and traveling against a stiff wind the 125 ft-lbs. @ 4400 rpm of torque is tested. However it is much better than the xA that it replaced. The xB has more horsepower but it doesnt feel that much more peppy due to the extra weight it touts.
I like the ride of the large xB better but I felt in control at all times in the xD. In either car the ride is not soft and you have to work the engines hard to get thrust due to the fact they both need a lot of revs to produce propulsion. That is also why the gas mileage isnt as great as one would think based on their compact size. Id take the xD keep it to a minimum of options and scoot around town with aplomb taking parking places those owners of those horrible large SUV drivers cant even get their pollution mobiles into.
Dads view: The ride quality of the xD isnt up to the standards of the xB and rugged roads can clearly give you the shakes but it is ready to romp and playful in both appearance and utility. I enjoyed my time with the xD and it would be my choice of all the Scions based on its pricing and extensive standard feature list that includes air conditioning a trip computer and rear seats that can slide forward or back. Very creative packaging.
We tested both the manual and automatic transmissions and see no need for the stick shift unless you want to feel you are in control. The linkage for the manual transmission has a very amount of twists to go though but feels tight and the throws are easy to make. The clutch is soft with a low take up and youll need it because both engines need to be kept on boil to gain an advantage. The four speed automatic transmission works just fine.