2005 Scion xB Review
Fuel Economy
28 - 29 mpg
Summary
What Edmunds.com says
The 2005 Scion xB looks like nothing else on the market and it can haul serious amounts of people and cargo. A must-drive if you're light on cash but don't travel light.
Pros
Massive interior for its size, unusual mini-truck styling, long list of standard equipment, comes with standard stability control, handles well for a budget-priced vehicle.
Cons
The cool stuff costs extra, modest passing power with automatic transmission, can't get xA's side airbags.
What's New for 2005
No changes for the ultrahip 2005 Scion xB, other than nationwide availability.
Consumer Ratings & Reviews
Rode hard...
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 8 | Fun-to-Drive: | 9 | Build Quality: | 10 |
| Comfort: | 9 | Interior Design: | 8 | Reliability: | 10 |
| Fuel Economy: | 9 | Exterior Design: | 8 | ||
Vehicle
2005 Scion xB 4dr Wagon (1.5L 4cyl 5M)
Review
Currently, my xB is totally caked in dirt from this past weekend. The windshield has dings and a crack almost as wide as the glass itself, collected over 5 years. A couple of dash lights are fading. I put wider tires on the OEM spoke rims and am having trouble getting the front two balanced correctly. All that said, when it's cleaned and shining, the Camo Green Box is beautiful and I really have no complaints at all. I have no problem without center armrest. My prev car, a Saab 9.3 didn't have one as they want you driving with both hands on the wheel as a safety feature. BTW, this bought-new xB replaced a run of two Saabs that I loved.
Favorite Features
Fun driving. Surprising people off the line. Tight turning. Fit and finish. Reliability. Completely trouble-free at 88K. Interior room (I'm 6'5" and very comfortable driving.) Stereo performance. Cold-air intake and upgraded exhaust. The overall design inside and out.
Suggested Improvements
A 6-speed manual. More sound insulation.
Bought a 4 y/o Scion
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 9 | Fun-to-Drive: | 10 | Build Quality: | 9 |
| Comfort: | 8 | Interior Design: | 10 | Reliability: | 9 |
| Fuel Economy: | 10 | Exterior Design: | 10 | ||
Vehicle
2005 Scion xB 4dr Wagon (1.5L 4cyl 4A)
Review
I have been driving minivans for years. A few months ago, lost one because it was totaled. My wife was tired of mom-mobile and wanted something "cute." After reading a lot of reviews, we narrowed it down to used xB or a new Cube or Soul. I found a nice xB on Craigslist and bought it last week in Dallas, drove it home to Atlanta. First thing I love is the fuel mileage. In traffic, I got about 30MPG. Cruising at 70mph on highway, got 40MPG (240 miles/ 6.2 gals). Interior is roomy and comfy. Cool, or "cute" factor is incomparable. Yes, it is square shaped, and yes, wind noise is slightly louder than minivans-but, it is not bad.
Favorite Features
The Pioneer stereo has an option that lets you change the background color on screen-very cool. Favorite "real" feature is the cargo room. Fold the seats down and you can fit lots of stuff back there (I use it to deliver cakes). When I have no deliveries, it goes around corners like a sports car!
Suggested Improvements
The new body style is nice. But, I am much happier with this "older" version. If Toyota did it all over again, I would say they should do something about the body noise and the wind noise.
2005 Scion Xb
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 7 | Fun-to-Drive: | 10 | Build Quality: | 9 |
| Comfort: | 9 | Interior Design: | 10 | Reliability: | 10 |
| Fuel Economy: | 10 | Exterior Design: | 10 | ||
Vehicle
2005 Scion xB 4dr Wagon (1.5L 4cyl 5M)
Review
With the gas prices on the rise, I quickly got tired of spending so much $$ on gas.. As I was researching used cars with good gas economy, I had found 2 cars that I liked. After doing more research on the Xb and finding out this model was first sold in Japan in 2000, it became a popular car. Saw all the great reviews and finally went for the plunge. The unorthodox design of the car reminds me of the compacts you would normally see in Japan. I test drove both auto and manual and was surprised that this compact had decent power. The manual transmission which has a high gear ratio which helps tremendously for acceleration. I ended up picking up a nice used one from a local Toyota dealer.
Favorite Features
Exterior look of the car, reminds me of driving through the streets of Japan. Interior is great with a lot of room and head space. Factory audio isn't too bad. You can't complain too much when you can crank the AC and still get 28MPG+ whether on street or highway and spend <10gal of gas to fill up
Suggested Improvements
The two main complaints I have is no factory cruise control and sunroof. Both of these options would of made this car even better. All that headroom and no option for a sunroof? For something so small, they couldn't of added cruise control? Last, an arm rest that you can put items in.
Over 100K Miles on My 2005 xB
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 8 | Fun-to-Drive: | 8 | Build Quality: | 8 |
| Comfort: | 8 | Interior Design: | 8 | Reliability: | 9 |
| Fuel Economy: | 8 | Exterior Design: | 8 | ||
Vehicle
2005 Scion xB 4dr Wagon (1.5L 4cyl 5M)
Review
I am very happy with my 2005 xB and would buy another. There have been no problems in over 100,000 miles. I hope the next 100k miles are as good.
Favorite Features
reliability, economy
Suggested Improvements
I removed the back seats to provide more room.
OLD AND NEW
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 3 | Fun-to-Drive: | 10 | Build Quality: | 6 |
| Comfort: | 8 | Interior Design: | 8 | Reliability: | 10 |
| Fuel Economy: | 10 | Exterior Design: | 10 | ||
Vehicle
2005 Scion xB 4dr Wagon (1.5L 4cyl 5M)
Review
Well in 2006 I decided I was going to break down and buy a small cheap commuter again. Having lived in Japan I remembered small mini trucks and vans people use to modify and drive around town in fact the scion design is a copy of Toyota older Japanese model not available in the usa. So I bought one used and absolutely love it even though a lot of things were changed for the American market it still has the BASIC car coolness to it looks good drives good and reliability and the gas mileage at average 35 mpg no bad. As far as performance I don't think your gonna go to the racetrack anytime soon, at least in a factory version, and the ride for someone who lives in an area like NYC is a bit bumpy...
Favorite Features
The looks and styling, factory stereo is awesome for the money, and endless aftermarket support oh yea gas mileage!
Suggested Improvements
Factory ride quality,performance is terrible it cant get out of its own way but looks good going SLOW. Front and Rear Bumper clips need attn. hit a hard enough bump and they will come off simple click back together but a pain in the A**
View Pricing for Other Years
- 2010 Scion xB
- 2009 Scion xB
- 2008 Scion xB
- 2006 Scion xB
- 2005 Scion xB
- 2004 Scion xB
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