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Driving Impressions

The 2.4-liter engine might not move the xB out of econobox territory, but it certainly powers it to the front of the field.

In terms of fuel economy, our average was 26 miles per gallon over 420 miles, most of it leadfoot running on the freeway. The latest EPA ratings are 22/28 mpg City/Highway for the xB.

Throttle response is excellent and steady. You get a lot of smooth acceleration out of just a little bit of pressing down of your foot. The revs climb right up through the numbers on the tachometer, until the transmission upshifts at 6100 or 6200 rpm (even if it's in manual mode). The engine doesn't feel like it's working hard, it feels like it loves every chance it gets to leap between 3000 rpm and 6000 rpm.

Just don't forget that the Scion xB is not a sports car. We passed a truck going uphill on a two-lane, and with our foot on the floor we wished for even more quickness. Or maybe it was the five-speed manual transmission we were wishing for. Or a five-speed automatic.

The four-speed automatic kicks down a lot. This might be an annoyance if the xB weren't so eager about wanting to zoom forward. Every time it kicks down to third, it's happy. Give it a bit more gas at 75 mph on the freeway, and it kicks down to third and tries to get you up to 85, even if you hadn't quite intended to go that fast.

Seventy miles per hour in fourth gear is a comfortably low rev range, so there's lots of room for the engine to play, without screaming. The engine makes its peak torque of 162 pound-feet at 4000 rpm, and you can feel the engine come on there.

It's fun and nimble to drive around town, and the electric power steering gives good feedback to the steering wheel.

The great brakes add to the around-town fun, not because you use them hard in the city, but because they're smooth, tight and responsive, with pedal pressure that's just right. And when you need them, they'll be there. The front and rear rotors are both big for a small car, about 11 inches, and the front rotors are ventilated so they stay cooler under hard use. They're equipped with ABS, and with EBD, which balances the front and rear braking forces, and Brake Assist, which in certain panic-stop situations will increase braking and help to deliver a shorter stop.

But if you take the xB out on back roads to play, don't expect the transmission's manual mode to be very manual; about half the time it seems to be on its own program. Also, if you plan to drive the corners hard, you may want to invest in TRD suspension components from your Scion dealer. The xB wasn't made for that. The wheels jounce around on bumpy surfaces. But worse than that, the ride isn't quite up to sharp spots on the freeway, especially at higher speeds.

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