Our time with the Scion xB was a bit of an emotional roller coaster.
(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)With funky styling and a reputation built around heavy involvement from the tuner crowd and the sound-off set, we expected our Stingray Metallic 2010 Scion xB to be a technological powerhouse. Perusing the spec sheet before embarking on the first of many test drives, we were excited to see features such as Bluetooth hands-free calling, standard iPod connectivity, premium audio with navigation, and rear-seat entertainment. Yes, we were all grins.
However, by the end of that first test drive, we were ready to drive the xB off of a bridge. Nearly every bit of cabin tech was a source of disappointment, from the tacked-on and overly simplistic Bluetooth system to the crappy sounding "premium" audio system with its maddeningly slow iPod search. We're glad to see Scion even offering these options, but infotainment should have been the xB's strongest asset. Instead, it turned out to be the weakest point.
So, should you avoid the xB? Of course not. It's still a very cool little ride. It's a small car with a lot of interior volume for your friends and your things. While the xB is nobody's sports car, it handles quite nimbly at city speeds; and its Camry-sourced 2.4-liter engine should provide thousands of miles of peppy acceleration. Oh, we like the xB; we just hate the tech.
But the xB isn't a tech car. It's a low-cost blank canvas on wheels. Skip the crappy, overpriced dealer-installed tech and pick up a nice aftermarket all-in-one receiver (like our Editors' Choice-winning Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT or the Eclipse AVN726E) and at least a powered sub and the xB begins to make more sense.
Check out the full review of the 2010 Scion xB for more details and driving impressions.
Scion's new stereo looks well-designed for iPod browsing.
(Credit: Scion)In a response to tough economic times, Scion announced a new stereo for its 2010 xB model and a price unchanged from the current model year. The new stereo head unit is by Pioneer, and comes standard with the xB.
We've been impressed by Scion's early adoption of standard iPod connectivity, which continues in the 2010 model. The new stereo features a redesigned interface to the one it replaces, with controls that seem more appropriate for browsing music on an iPod and a better-looking display.
The outgoing xB stereo looks drab compared to the new one.
(Credit: Scion)The sound system output, 160 watts, remains the same as the previous electronics. Beyond the improved interface, the major change seems to be new sound processing technology from Pioneer called Advanced Sound Retriever, which tries to restore depth to compressed audio tracks.
Scion also offers a new premium audio system, this one from Alpine, with an optional navigation component. The 200 watt Alpine stereo offers HD radio, Media Expander sound processing technology, and a 4.3 inch color touch screen.
Unlike other automakers, Scion's reliance on aftermarket stereo makers gives it an edge in upgrading its model line-up. Instead of major changes on the production line, a new, standard double-DIN stereo can be swapped in more easily.
Scion announced that the base price of a manual transmission 2010 xB will be $15,750, the same as the current model. With upcoming competition from the Kia Soul and Nissan Cube, Scion needs to keep up. But the new technology availability gives prospective buyers an incentive to hold of on an xB purchase until the 2010 models come out.
Scion concepts are few and far between, so we looked forward to the new one set to drop at the 2009 New York auto show. And drop it did, lowered from the ceiling during the press conference--a hot-looking little car with big wheels. But in this case, the concept was merely a Toyota iQ--a microcar launched a year and a half ago--customized by tuner company Five Axis. If it does come to the U.S., it will probably still be a Scion, but don't expect 18-inch wheels.
The tC Release Series 5.0 can be had in both real and virtual versions.
(Credit: Scion)In conjunction with the launch of its tC Release Series 5.0, a Scion tC featuring racing components, Scion is offering 2,000 virtual versions of the car for the online drag racing game Nitto 1320 Legends. To get the car, you will have to register for and download Nitto 1320 Legends, a free game, and poke around the Scion tC Release Series 5.0 Web site to find an Easter egg. Once found, enter your username for the game, and the site will let you know if you've won the car. Scion is giving away the virtual racers every 15 minutes from March 17 through mid-April.
The real Scion tC RS 5.0 looks pretty good, with a black paint job and red pinstripes on tires wrapped around 18 inch wheels. The car is fitted with parts from Toyota Racing Development, including lowering springs, a rear sway bar, and a sport exhaust. The car doesn't have any engine mods, but at $19,970, you can probably afford the TRD supercharger.
(Credit:
Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)
The days of keeping a library of tapes or CDs in your car are over. You walk around with an MP3 player, so why shouldn't you be able to use it in your car? Today's MP3 players can hold your entire music collection, so you don't have to decide which tunes to bring with you. Today's cars let you easily plug in an iPod or MP3 player and have full control over the device through voice command or the car's touch screen, and that's much safer than trying to manipulate the small controls on an MP3 player while barreling down the freeway. We've picked six cars that work particularly well with iPods and MP3 players.
Scion pulls off the impossible: a boring concept car.
A number of companies showed off design concepts at the 2008 New York auto show, including the third in the Kizashi series from Suzuki, a rare one from Scion, and a coupe from Kia.
Click here for photos of concepts from the New York auto show.
Scion's Hako Coupe concept will be unveiled at the New York auto show.
(Credit: Scion)Amid all the news coming from the Geneva auto show, Scion slipped out a news release on what it will unveil at the upcoming New York auto show. The company released few details on the new concept, other than to write in the news release: "The sporty interpretation of the box concept was developed by Tokyo Design Division which studied global, youth-inspired trends." That statement could describe almost any Scion model.
We are looking forward to seeing the concept at the New York show because Scion concepts are few and far between. The picture Scion released is only a detail of the hood, but from it we can tell that this coupe has a blunt front end, like the Scion xB, with angular design cues in the body molding. LED head lights are also visible.
Look for our 2008 New York auto show coverage starting March 19.
As if the original tracks weren't dope enough, Scion Audio Visual has released Scion CD Sampler - Volume 19: Daptone Records Remixed, featuring all-star producers like DJ Spinna, Large Professor, Mark Ronson, Kenny Dope, Ticklah, and Hank Shocklee reworking classic tracks from Daptone artists Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, The Sugarman Three & Co., The Budos Band, and The Daktaris.
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Why is everyone hanging out behind this Scion xD?
(Credit: CNET Networks/Sarah Tew)Some custom car modders put in massive engines, some load cars with LCDs, but Five Axis Design put a claw machine in a Scion xD, which is on display at the 2007 LA Auto Show. Looking through the back window of this specially modified Scion xD, you can gaze longingly at a pile of little stuffed toys. Start up the claw, and you have a limited amount of time to try to drop the claw on a stuffed prize by using the joystick mounted on the back of the car. If you are successful, the claw will drop the toy into a slot, and you can pull it out of the back of the Scion.
This claw game is the big attraction.
(Credit: CNET Networks/Sarah Tew)Actually, Five Axis did a lot more than just put in a claw machine. This xD looks little like the original, as it is a wide-body design with flared rails along the bottom half of the doors. For entertainment, the car gets a Pioneer AVIC D3 navigation and stereo head unit. And, not to stray too far from show-car orthodoxy, the xD has four exterior video screens.
