2008 Scion xB First Drive

Introduction

Scion xB – 2008 First Drive: Before the advent of Atari and the subsequent proliferation of Nintendo, not to mention MP3 players and remote-controlled televisions in every corner of the house (including the hopper), kids made due with little more than imagination and whatever might be lying around the house. Like the big box Mom’s new stove came in. With four walls and functioning doors/windows/escape hatches on each end, an open mind suddenly had access to a fort, house, ship, hideaway, or maybe even a cool vehicle.

Fast forward 20 years, to a time when it’s not socially-acceptable for adults to spend time in recycled Maytag hot rods. The neighbors and police would surely take notice. Instead, there’s the 2008 Scion xB, which with its boxy shape and open interior offers one of the best automotive solutions to the quest for inner-child satisfaction. This newest version, sporting greater overall dimensions wrapped in less square-edged styling, carries on with Scion’s blank-canvas approach – the dealer will deliver a nice starting point, but creating a showcase for one’s imagination is the task of the buyer, who will find more than enough ideas through the aftermarket or at the Scion parts counter. Some concessions have been made, as most adults would agree that tested and functioning air conditioning and airbag systems, including standard front-side and side-curtains, are better than any that could be crafted by an artistic mind and a Sharpee. And though the xB’s seats strongly hint at cardboard construction, they are actually a vast improvement over glued wood pulp.

Of course, no cool contraption would be complete without a jet engine that runs on Mountain Dew. Those are still hard to find, so Scion opted instead to amp up the ’08 xB with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that’s good for 158 horsepower, or 55 more than the model it replaces. Best of all, the base price is only $16,230, which makes the new xB realistic in one of the ways that matters most.