2004 Scion xB: The Oppositelock Review

"PanchoVilleneuve ST" (PanchoVilleneuve) 07/05/2014 at 18:33 • Filed to: Oppositelock Review, Scion xB

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Back in 2004, Toyota had a plan: Sell a pair of Japanese market Echo derivatives under a new brand to young Americans by setting no-haggle prices and making every option besides color and transmission dealer installed, so that they'd grow older and wiser and buy a Toyota and hopefully grow older and wealthier and eventually buy a Lexus. It was an interesting experiment that didn't really pan out. They figured that people over 40 would take one look at the xB and shake their fists in the air while complaining about kids these days and their rap music. Instead, old people looked at the xB and saw this car that's just so easy to get in and out of with that troublesome hip of theirs. A car that's good on gas and is so very practical and just the perfect thing to drive their cockapoo to Boca Raton to visit the inlaws. That's who bought the bulk of them, and no amount of mixtapes and graffiti art shows could change that. Your cars were selling to the old people you'd hope you scared away. And a 22 year old me.

( Full Disclosure: I read an article in one of the mass-market car magazines on an airplane about how Toyota had this weird boxy car called the Bb and they were going to sell them in the US. I wanted a piece of that Japanese strangeness so badly that I walked into a dealership that was so recently chosen to sell Scions that they didn't even have business cards with the logo on them yet. I took a 15 minute test drive and about half an hour later an order was placed to ship one over from Japan. Also, my car is currently way too dirty and full of crap to take my own pictures so I'm just going with the official photos from the press kit because I'm lazy.)

Ten years ago, I began driving the squarest of cars. It has been my sole mode of personal transport for almost 100,000 miles. And now, thanks to my late grandfather and his will, it's just about time to get something new. So I guess a review in Oppo is as good a sendoff as any.

Exterior: 8/10

It's square. It's really, really square. It's a whole bunch of styling work done with the end result of a design with the least possible styling. A friend once told me that it was the box his MINI came in. I agree. I also think it looks fantastic. It's one of those designs that were so out there that they'll never really age. I mean, what can possibly look dated on it? It has no styling features at all. It looks like the first car you built out of Legos when you were 6. It's a car you can't help but have a strong opinion on. It's one of the only cars to be called a "love or hate design" that actually is. There's no getting around it, there's no hiding it, it's just there in all its boxy glory. I actually got pulled over driving it home from the dealership by a cop who just wanted to take a look at it.

It's a unique design that only looks like itself. Will that stop people you meet who know nothing about cars from asking "how do you like your Element?" No. It won't, but that's not it's fault. It can't help it if those people are blind or stupid or god knows what to confuse the two.

Interior: 7/10

The interior is the reason why boring cockapoo owners bought this car. It's brilliant. It took the whole tall box thing that has been going on for years in kei cars and just scales it up a bit. The xB is a small car with a huge interior. It's like driving around in the House of Leaves. It's a big roomy airy open space with which to fill with stuff. With the rear seats up, it's like you have a sofa. Full-size adults sitting back there would be totally comfortable for a long drive. With the seats down, it's like having a van. I've fit a twin mattress and box spring in this car and was able to close the tailgate. This is one of those cars that doom you to a life of helping people move.

As for the parts of the interior that aren't air, the seats are decently comfortable yet lacking in any functional bolstering, with simple yet durable fabrics. The plastics are chintzy by 2014 standards but perfectly average for 2004. And even though everybody hates it, the center mounted instrument cluster is great. You want to know the quickest way to tell if somebody has never driven a car with instruments mounted high in the center of the dash? They talk crap about it. Putting them up there means all you have to do is give a slight glance to the right to see them. It puts the speedo and tach in a place were you only need to take your eyes off the road for the briefest of moments. And no, it wasn't done in this car to save money on the right-to-left hand drive conversion, since the dash is a single molded piece of plastic and a mirror image of the one they used in Japan.

Acceleration: 4/10

It has 108 horsepower. It only weighs around 2400 pounds, but it has 108 horsepower. It's slow. It'll get you up to speed and onto the highway without any problem, but still, it's slow. Even though the 1NZ-FE engine loves to rev and shouts out an engine note akin to a guy in the gym who saw a hot girl and put more weight than he can handle on the barbell before doing a bench press, it also performs like that guy and ends up putting forth a ton of effort for zero result.

Braking: 6/10

Despite having drums in the back, it stops surprisingly well. No difficulty, no drama, no fear and panic. They do the job they are asked to do, and they do it admirably. You're not going to rear end the guy in front of you who is totally lost and just realized Google Maps says he needs to turn onto this road, but you're also not going to save precious seconds at those chicanes they added to the Mulsanne to make it safer and more boring.

Ride: 6/10

I'm not going to pretend it's good. It's rough, but it is an econobox, so I suppose it can be forgiven. It's not break your back hard, but it leaves no doubt in your mind that this was designed as an economy car. I'm sure it would be much worse if the seat bottoms weren't so perfectly squishy. So basically, it's firm, but not sporty firm. More like "these harder shocks were cheaper and last longer" firm.

Handling: 10/10

This is where the xB transcends its cheapo-econobox roots and becomes more than the sum of its parts. This is also where I'm sure people are going to roll their eyes and then get that special kind of hyperbolic angry that you only see on the internet. "How can you give this stupid boring too-tall Toyota Echo a 10/10", they'll say. And they'll be wrong, because the fact that this is easily one of the most entertaining cars I've ever driven is a hard one to sell to the boring people of the world. The ones who see numbers like skidpad G ratings and 'Ring times as a measure of automotive quality. The first generation xB is the kind of car that separates true Jalops and enthusiasts from people who merely like cars.

The modern automobile has reached an unprecedented level of uniformity. The vast majority of cars sold in the past 15 years or so all feel roughly the same to drive. The xB, however, does not. It offers the rarest of things in this modern age: a truly unique driving experience. It achieves this through a combination of things that most people would see as a negative in building a driver's car.

The seating position is upright in a way that is beyond van-like. It's like sitting at the dinner table. You're way up there in the sky, level with the drivers of SUVs. You're constantly feeling like a turn taken with too much vigor means you'll end up on your roof, but you won't. The center of gravity is still low enough to mean all that body roll is just a new, unconventional way to make driving fun. The steering wheel is just slightly too big and the steering rack is just slightly too tight, making any input into the barely-assisted steering translate into big movement. And while we're talking about steering, 30 seconds behind the wheel of one of these will totally change the minds of those people who think that Toyota only makes numb, boring cars. There is a ton of feel transmitted through that wheel. The kind of feel you only get when making the car more numb would cost more money. Combining that with the huge windows all around giving you more visibility than pretty much anything, an engine that needs more work than should ever be needed to get going and that awesomely stupid gearbox (more on that later) creates a driving experience that could best be described as "a hoot".

This goofy little square car is a huge amount of unusual, yet wonderfully simple, fun. I checked the car out because of how it looked. I bought it because of how it drives. Nothing in the world feels like an xB to drive, and 10 years later, it still makes me smile.

Gearbox 8/10

This is a big part of the fun. The original JDM Toyota Bb was only sold with a 4-speed automatic, with a column shift, while the Scion version was blessed with a 5-speed manual. I have a Japanese magazine for Bb enthusiasts that has a page on the Scion version of their beloved car, and the close-up of the manual shifter was annotated with an exclamation mark and nothing else. And that's about right. It's awesome.

And when I say awesome, I don't mean in a Honda S2000 super-short laser-precise mechanical perfection kind of way. To people who dislike shifting, it's one of the worst ever made. But for people who do, holy shit, it rules. The fact that the seats are so high and upright paired with the shifter being mounted on the floor means throws are long. Like, really long. I'm pretty sure there are gas giants in our solar system that travel a shorter distance than the throws in this car. You don't shift this transmission. You SHIFT it. You don't move the lever with a flick of the wrist. It takes your whole damn arm. Those of us who enjoy the dance that is shifting will love the gearbox in this car. Pair that with a clutch that is easy to actuate and engages in a smooth, linear fashion, and you have a real winner.

Audio 5/10

It has a Pioneer 6-CD changer that pumps out 160 watts! Remember CDs? They were those shiny round things that had music on them. It also sounds like that Aiwa boombox you got for Christmas when you were 12. Moving on...

Toys 2/10

Besides the car itself, it has none. Navigation? Like with a map? Also, why would you want blue teeth?

Value 10/10

You can't get this level of "essence of car" for the money, and you can't get this level of pracitcality and economy, either. The xB is the definition of bargain.

I love this thing. I love it deep down, in the way you love a childhood pet. Every way I feel in my heart that it's great, it truly is. Toyota made something truly, truly special with the xB. I can't recommend it enough.

Exterior: 8/10

Interior: 7/10

Acceleration: 4/10

Braking: 6/10

Ride: 6/10

Handling: 10/10

Gearbox 8/10

Audio 5/10

Toys 2/10

Value 10/10

Total: 66/100

Wurrwulf > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/05/2014 at 19:24

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As a youth who also purchased a 2006 xB, I must agree that this car is a lot of fun. I miss mine (rear ended by a Nissan Titan in 2011) a ton. The car had to be lowered, though. It was way too high from the factory. Lowering springs, rear sway bar, and sticky tires surprised a lot of people on clover leads.

Nibby > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/05/2014 at 19:27

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You know it's a good writeup when the reader, who has never cared for the Scion xB before, now wants to drive one. Thank you.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Wurrwulf 07/05/2014 at 19:27

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Mine received a Hotchkiss rear sway in 2008. Excellent purchase. It transformed the handling from "waywardly hilarious" to "neutrally hilarious".

A first-gen xB with a beefed up rear swaybar is a great way to prove to people that independent rear suspension is totally overrated.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Nibby 07/05/2014 at 19:32

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I must warn against it, unless you are prepared to buy it. The whole driving experience is overwhelmingly charming. It's fun in a way you never really imagined cars being. You'll first smile when you set off and shift into second, and the first turn you take will make you giggle. And then you'll be ruined. They took all that lightweight simplicity you used to get in the Echo, that awesome shitbox fun that used to be a given with cheap cars, made it worse in ways you'd normally think of when an enthusiast thinks of ruining cars, but in turn made it even more fun.

It's a sensible, practical, intelligent car that is the opposite of serious. It's like a fart joke that requires you to have read À la recherche du temps perdu .

Nibby > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/05/2014 at 19:37

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Heh. They always seemed quirky to me, in a way that Subarus are quirky. I don't know anyone who has one, so I don't know when I'd get to drive an XB.

About the mattress part... Yeah. Since I'm the only one in the family with a fullsize SUV I get called upon for moving things.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Nibby 07/05/2014 at 19:41

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Well, my dad has already pledged to buy it off me when I buy my Fit, so if you're ever in Connecticut, I could probably arrange for you to take it out.

My dad has borrowed it on many occasions. My mom won't let him buy a pickup truck, like he wants to so badly, so he has taken to treating me the same way most people treat "that friend with the truck". He's not much of a car guy, but he is already planning on unbolting the rear seat permanently and using it as the world's smallest panel van.

Nibby > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/05/2014 at 19:44

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WE HAVE THE SAME FAMILY. My parents said no to a pickup truck too, so the Sequoia was the next step.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Nibby 07/05/2014 at 19:54

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I go to the New York Auto Show every year with my dad. It's a tradition going back as long as I can remember. Every time, we go downstairs first, down where the trucks are, and every time the same scene plays out. My father sitting in an F150 or Silverado or really any truck they have there, a defeated expression on his face that makes him look the same as my cat does when his food bowl is empty, softly saying to himself "when you're in it, it's just like a car. You can't tell it's a truck at all. It's got leather and a big screen in the dash and the seats are comfortable and everything."

It makes sense for him to have one. He's one of those guys the DIY bug bit so hard they know him by name at the lumber yard. But mom said no, so he goes about in his Taurus and asks to borrow my car whenever he goes to a bunch of garage sales or sees a really good deal on a table saw on Craigslist.

Nibby > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/05/2014 at 20:03

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I know that feel. Some people don't respect other people's hobbies. It sucks when you live with said people.

Pixel > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/05/2014 at 21:29

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I agree with this review entirely, though given this is what our driveway looks like, I may be biased.

The silver one I bought used in 2007 at 92K miles and currently has 205K. The black one was bought this winter for $1000 with 23k miles, and I have about $1500 into it total turning it into my g/f daily driver.

sellphones2493 > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/05/2014 at 21:35

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Nice review - I appreciate the time you put into it! The most time I spent in an xB was a 2007 that was a trade-in at a dealer I worked at. It too had a stick shift.

One thing that really made this thing age (IMHO) is the rear trim. Hopefully the idiot at Toyota who decided to make the trim on the xB and Matrix, and Corolla S two pieces should have been fired.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > sellphones2493 07/05/2014 at 21:38

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It's really, really good getting scuffed by snow banks, though. In a way that makes me think they somehow separate themselves from the car and travel to scrape themselves.

SPNKiX > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/05/2014 at 22:13

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I bought one of these back when they were "California only" cars. I think it was an 03, if I am not mistaken. Camo green. Stick. I sold it when I bought my Subaru Forester. I've never gotten over the loss. I always say that I'll get another when I can afford a few more cars. It was perfect.

The ones I see on the road now make me sad, all the stance, missing parts and mismatched paint from repairs. I wish people cared for them better, but I guess that's what happens to cheap, old cars.

trotsky > Pixel 07/06/2014 at 00:15

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How the hell did you manage to pick up an xB with 23k miles for $1000?!

honkeytron > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/06/2014 at 02:10

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How much did that run you? I've got a stock 2005 xB and I'm trying to figure out how to spend about $1000 on upgrades to the handling and brakes.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > honkeytron 07/06/2014 at 02:39

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I spent around 125 on it on Ebay. They go from anywhere between 100 and waaayyy too much. They used to offer them as a dealer installed accessory back when the car was new.

They are definitely worth the purchase.

Pixel > trotsky 07/06/2014 at 09:31

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Typo, it has 237K.

Wurrwulf > honkeytron 07/06/2014 at 09:53

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The beauty of the xB: every part that I bought for my car, with the exception of wheels, was $200.

Want new springs? $200 Intake? $200 Rear sway bar? $200

Hell, I even bought a set of Avon Tech M500 on clearance from Tire Rack for $200.

Gibbysmalls > SPNKiX 07/06/2014 at 10:07

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We bought one of these for our daughter. When she decided to move to Portland and ride a bike we bought it back from her (I know, don't think about that too hard). It is simply the most practical car. You can fit anything inside of it. I have put 6x6s in there for home projects, two regular bicycles, a tandem bicycle! I bolted two lockable for mounts to a piece of wood and you can stand up two bikes in the back. This way if you travel somewhere with them they are safe inside the car from the elements and thieves. No need to worry. I think the inside is actually larger than the outside. It's like the "bag of holding" from Dungeons and Dragons. But driving it is actually the best part. I was driving it home from work yesterday and just laughing as it slid around corners. It has a great chassis/suspension set up. The shifter reminds me of the 915 on my old 911. Let's not let the secret get out on these. Hush hush.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/06/2014 at 11:05

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I've always wanted a 1st gen xB. The problem is I'm in Canada and Toyota foolishly didn't offer the 1st gen model in Canada... though some have been imported.

I'm 100% sure if they sold it in Canada, it would have been a runaway hit here.

Nice review.

Triumph of the Will Clark > Nibby 07/06/2014 at 11:32

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Agreed! What a fantastic write up!

Triumph of the Will Clark > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/06/2014 at 11:35

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I've always felt that these look like miniature versions of what an armored van would look like in the Tim Burton Batman movies, obviously in black. And that's a good thing!

Saf1 > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/07/2014 at 08:11

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This is an excellent review!! Really cheered me up just reading it!

gabbo241 > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/07/2014 at 16:26

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I test drove a Yaris 5 speed once. I thought the handling was brilliant and the engine sounded great. Tons of fun for 15 minutes, and a complete shocker. I still love telling people that one of the best cars I've ever driven was a Toyota Yaris.

BrainForest > PanchoVilleneuve ST 07/08/2014 at 14:48

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You want a license... for a fish...?

Reub > PanchoVilleneuve ST 09/28/2014 at 01:11

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I also got one the week they came out in CA - 6 months or so before the rest of the country. No one had ever seen them, nor did they have any idea what they were, and opinions were VERY strong in both directions. I'd have likers say "hey, cool car" - a ton even thought it was a new Hummer model, which I always found strange. The haters, though, were VERY vocal. For the first 4+ months, as I drove down the street, people would yell at me angrily from the side of the road or from their cars and tell how "how f*cking ugly" the car was. Always put a smile on my face.

I had it for 10 years and 120k miles and decided it was time to grow up. (I was 30 when I bought it.) Honestly, if Toyota had continued the 1st Gen styling, I might've stayed with the xB, but wanted something grownup, I sold it and got a 2013 Tahoe. I loved the space, I loved the power and nav, but mostly that females took me seriously. You CANNOT take a single man seriously if he drives a Scion xB. I hated the Tahoe's gas mileage, though. And the fact that I now couldn't park in any of L.A.'s 99% compact only parking. And the gas tank was twice as large and I got less than half the gas mileage. Six months later I sold the Tahoe and searched for a low mileage 1st gen.

It wasnt easy, but I eventually found a cosmetically great 2006 1st Gen with 80k miles, for a decent price, and I'm back in the xB. And I love it. I've had 69 and 70 Camaros, a 57 Chevy P/U, and few other fun cars over the years, but as a daily driver, the xB is easily my favorite.

Ideally, next on my list would be a 70s Creeper Van Kei Van retroMod, but I have to figure out how to get it legal in CA. Not going to happen. Maybe the xB will last until I can come full circle back to a 69 Camaro then nod off in my sleep.

Love Sosa > PanchoVilleneuve ST 09/28/2014 at 17:20

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It's like driving around in the House of Leaves

I really appreciated that description

MarkHere. > PanchoVilleneuve ST 11/27/2014 at 23:29

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Thank you. I'm getting one now. No, really. I'm someone who has thrived on 10+ year old cars forever now... my current is a well-cared-for PT Cruiser with 187k on it, but it's time to move on. Found 2 '04 xB's that are competing for my attention right now - 122k and 152k... but the 152k has the manual, so I'm going that way.

If it's a lemon, I'm totally blaming you. :)

Seriously - thanks for writing such a detailed review. You totally sold me.

SlickMcRick > PanchoVilleneuve ST 02/13/2015 at 10:13

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I really only had one issue with it and that's that it doesn't have cruise control. It's a must have feature for me.

MarkHere. > PanchoVilleneuve ST 04/29/2015 at 14:51

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Well, it took a while, and it’s not an ‘04 - it’s an ‘05. But it’s a stick in awesome shape, and I’m picking it up tomorrow. Thank you again. :)

PanchoVilleneuve ST > MarkHere. 04/29/2015 at 15:01

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You’re going to love it.

MarkHere. > PanchoVilleneuve ST 04/30/2015 at 19:06

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I DO!

Awesome. Just awesome. Thanks, Pancho.

MarkHere. > PanchoVilleneuve ST 05/01/2015 at 22:20

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OK - last post - ‘cause this is an ancient article in internet years...

But I’ve had it for 24 hours now - and every last thing you said is true. It’s got 158k on it, is still tighter than a snare drum - the interior is spacious as all get-out, the suspension is marvelous once you learn to trust it (which took me all of 20 minutes)... it’s just a blast.

Here she is now in my possession - not too shabby for the miles. :)

Thanks again.

noise > PanchoVilleneuve ST 09/04/2015 at 11:46

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Commenting on ancient bread here,

But my xD (never owned an xB) is the most honest car i’ve ever owned. Its not pretending to be anything other than it is, it takes all the punishment i deal out, and I can fold the seats down and carry agricultural equipment like its a goddamn truck.

Its great in the snow, the stick is a blast, fuck i love these little scions

MarkHere. > MarkHere. 02/25/2018 at 11:28

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So I know it’s REALLY ancient now, but I felt the need to append this to the discussion.

I totaled my beloved Scion xB last Saturday night.

Now I have had a boatload of cars in my life, but this one was my absolute favorite... I picked it up in May of 2015, as posted here... and I LOVED it... and it was a special limited edition model from Scion. Custom alloy wheels, custom taillights, custom color and more... and though it was used, the prior owner had taken pretty good care of it, so it looked great, and drove really nicely as well.

When I totaled it, I was more upset about losing the car than I was about my slightly banged up right hand... and because it was a 2005, I knew that it wouldn’t bring much in terms of an insurance check, and finding one like it would be close to impossible.

Craigslist searches on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday bore me out - any 2005 model that was decent was going for 3500.00 easy - and, for the most part, more. And none of them were as nice as the one I had. Just plain :(

Because the accident was clearly not my fault - the other driver had pulled right in front of me - Progressive (who were WONDERFUL) had scheduled an adjuster to come to my place on Wednesday, inspect my car, and give me the bottom line as to what they would pay. I wasn’t holding out much hope of getting an equivalent, and figured I’d just have to roll with it. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m good at that.

So Wednesday morning, I opened up Craigslist and did another search for an xB...

Wellllll... on Tuesday night, at about 10pm, someone in Connecticut posted MY CAR. I mean... same year, same color, same custom wheels and taillights... I was just dumbstruck.

I contacted the owner, and asked if it was still available - with a pic of my poor totaled xB. He messaged me right back - it was available, and he and his father-in-law would drive it back here to Kingston...so I drove to Connecticut, checked it out, and it was MINE. And the insurance check covered the cost of the replacement xB. It’ll need some repairs, etc... but in the end, I actually got my car back - with some other limited edition extras my car didn’t have to boot.

Just plain amazing.

In the pic... on the left - my “new” xB in May of 2015. On the right - my “new” xB from yesterday.

One lucky guy.