Drivers Log.(News)

2006 Scion xB

Date in fleet: Jan. 9-23 As-tested price: $16,487 Powertrain: 1.5-liter I4; fwd, four-speed automatic Output: 108 hp @ 6000 rpm, 105 lb-ft @ 4200 rpm Curb weight: 2450 lbs Fuel economy (EPA combined/AW observed): 32.3/25.2 mpg

ROCA: I wouldn't want to drive the xB on a full-time basis. It has its good points, no doubt: great visibility, command seating, lots of storage shelves and ledges on the dash (though I'd prefer a proper console area). The satellite radio is nice, especially because its functions are not enveloped in confusing, complex controls that distract from the driving experience.

Ah, the driving experience. Maybe a better word would be ordeal. That 108 hp just does not cut it. Even with overdrive, the engine struggles to maintain decent freeway speeds, at which this little bus feels like it's bursting at the seams. I wouldn't mind driving the xB if all I was doing was grocery-getting and other errands. But because the turn signal indicators are in the center of the dash, even the left signal is in your right peripheral vision, and that can be disconcerting.

GRITZINGER: This is one odd duck on the American automotive landscape, a breadbox on wheels that could be viewed as stylish only by the seriously warped-or anyone under 25. My kids love it, but I just feel out of place in it.

The xB strikes me as a fine vehicle if used for its intended purpose: to provide a rolling, urban living room. It's short and easy to park in tight spaces, makes maximum use of its overall length and width in the interior, and carries Toyota's reputation for bulletproof quality and reliability. But here, where wide-open spaces (usually accompanied by strong cross- or head- winds) are the rule rather than the exception, it feels underpowered and out of its element.

I could put up with the quirky off-center speedo, the center turn signal indicators and stubby visors that barely reach halfway across the massive side windows if I could get the seat into a comfortable position, one that doesn't feel like I'm either sitting in a formal straight-back chair or laying ...