Scion’s xB is square but still lots of fun

Four years ago, when Toyota introduced Scion — its experimental, youth-oriented brand — the question was whether American buyers would embrace the funky, low-powered and budget-priced cars because they were little more than cobbled-over models originally designed for the Japanese.

The answer was not long in coming. Buyers showed up — if not in droves in numbers substantial enough to make the new cars more successful than anticipated.

Surprisingly, the customers were not only youths. Geezers, as well mid-life suburbanites, could be seen tooling around in the xA, a small four-door hatchback, and the xB, which had all the streamlining of a toaster oven.

The xA and xB were followed by the tC, a slick coupe aimed at the so-called tuner crowd, who enjoy hopping up and customizing their cars. In 2006, Scion sales totaled 173,034. The biggest seller was the tC, followed by the xB and the xA.

For 2008, Scion introduces a new-generation xB, along with the all-new xD, which replaces the xA. Although the xD is a four-door hatchback like the xA, it is larger and more powerful.

Both new cars, in fact, are way more powerful than their predecessors. The new xD gets a 128 horsepower, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine with either a five-speed manual gearbox or a four-speed automatic transmission.

The extra power and increased interior space substantially broadens the appeal of the little hatchback, which is an inch shy of 13 feet long but can seat five people in reasonable comfort with plenty of headroom and kneeroom in back. There’s also almost 11 cubic feet of cargo space, which expands to 36 cubic feet if you fold the rear seat backs.

With either transmission, the xD is a worthy urban jousting vehicle, with enough power and responsive electric power steering for rapid thrusts in traffic.

Both the xD and its garage mate, the xB, come with a full complement of safety equipment, including side air bags, side-curtain air bags, traction and stability control (optional on the xD), antilock brakes with brake assist and brake-force distribution, and active front headrests to help prevent whiplash.

The xB and xD now also come with standard cruise control, which was not offered previously — a response to owners’ demands. Also standard are air conditioning, remote keyless locking and an AM/FM/CD audio system.

The new XB is a departure from its predecessor. Although it retains the tall shoebox look of the first-generation model, it has lost the sharp edges and toy-like personality. The new vehicle has rounded, softer lines and has a more substantial feel overall. In fact, it has the heft of a much larger car, and could serve a small family just as well as an SUV or midsize station wagon.

As before, the xB has gobs of passenger space, fully as much as a midsize car, along with 22 cubic feet of cargo space. All this comes on a wagonlike vehicle less than 14 feet long.

The rap on the earlier xB was a shortage of punch — just 103 horsepower. With a new four-cylinder engine similar to that on the Toyota Camry, the new xB now has 158 horsepower, which easily moves its 3,086 pounds.

City/highway fuel economy of 22/28 miles per gallon is down from last year. But that’s because of the EPA’s new way of calculating, which is designed to better reflect real-world mileage.

The automatic transmission is an easy-shifting four-speed. For the first time, it comes with a manual-shift mode — a dubious benefit, but one that could appeal to youthful enthusiasts.

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