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. The electric power steering gives good feedback to the steering wheel, and the extra 12 inches of length is not an issue.
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. The rear brakes on the former xB were drums, so four-wheel discs are an upgrade. They're equipped with ABS, of course, and with EBD, which balances the front and rear forces, and Brake Assist, which gives more braking than you asked for. Basically, sensors read your foot and overrule your brain.
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 doesn't listen to the driver. Also, if you plan to drive the corners hard, you'll 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. There's a stretch we often drive that has a row of steel expansion strips over some uphill-downhill curves, and at 75 mph the xB had us going oomph over the worst of them. These sharp jolts occurred in other places. It wears on you, in short order. Next Page