Cars Worth Noting – 2005 Scion xB

Dan says that the xB is ugly. But my 16-year old told me more than I needed to know about the 10-in. Bazooka subwoofer mounted in the back and he even knew that the large silver Scion logo draped over the hood and passenger side door was the expensive iron-on vinyl type. He loves the idea, he just doesn’t like the styling.

You get the feeling cruising around the Detroit area that the little Scion is going to get picked on more than a bespectacled, nose picker on the elementary school playground.

But according to Jim Farley, vice president of Scion, that’s not the case. The little trucklette is putting up some impressive sales numbers. Toyota sold 6,118 vehicles in May with xB accounting for two-thirds (the other third were the xA sedan).

Farley says that Scion set sales targets for the xB at 15,000 units in the first calendar year. “We’re on target to sell 50,000,” he says. “It’s another example why focus groups are not accurate.”

Our little blue xB sported only a few of the 40-some factory options. Farley says that xB owners usually drive off the lot with an average of $1,300 worth of the stuff tacked on.

The xB isn’t particularly fast (Pastor Earl said, “If you took it out of the box, it would run better.”) but it is very well built, in usual Toyota fashion. The interior sports firm, upright cloth seats that will easily sit four adults and a precision- built dash that will surely show up as a benchmark in domestic interior design meetings. The ride and NVH is surprisingly good for what amounts to a box on wheels.

Farley calls Scion a laboratory for Toyota and Lexus. What this experiment has proven is that maybe Camry and Corolla have become boring appliances. At least Toyota isn’t afraid to add a little spice to someone’s life.