2005 Scion xB Review
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
Love car, hate front seats
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 9 | Fun-to-Drive: | 10 | Build Quality: | 10 |
| Comfort: | 3 | Interior Design: | 8 | Reliability: | 10 |
| Fuel Economy: | 10 | Exterior Design: | 10 | ||
Vehicle
2005 Scion xB 4dr Wagon (1.5L 4cyl 5M)
Review
Bought car 1 month ago. Former car Toyota tercel 4wdr which I loved but it got rear-ended. Love the look & mileage. Have a stick and do not have any power problems. Daughter and friends love all the room in the back. 1 BIG COMPLAINT: My husband & I both have backaches after riding more than 1 hr in either front seat (we are 5'6" and 5'10"). Nobody else has written about this and it worries us. Any suggestions?
Favorite Features
storage, styling, mileage
Suggested Improvements
map light, deeper cup holders, more comfortable front seats
2 xB family
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 10 | Fun-to-Drive: | 10 | Build Quality: | 9 |
| Comfort: | 10 | Interior Design: | 10 | Reliability: | 10 |
| Fuel Economy: | 10 | Exterior Design: | 10 | ||
Vehicle
2005 Scion xB 4dr Wagon (1.5L 4cyl 5M)
Review
I purchased my '05 xB in 2006 and love it. Can carry anything, even a kayak! (Bungeed the back shut about 6") I have since added a roof rack to hold both my husband's and my kayaks and still get 36-38 miles per gallon with an empty roof rack. Last year my husband's Camry was totaled and he was lucky enough to find a used "05 xB. His had 30,000 miles on it and is still like new. We live in NH and had record breaking snow last year. We did have snow tires, but could go anywhere. Never had a car this good in the snow! Both boxes are standard transmissions, very easy and fun to drive. Can't imagine driving anything else. We plan on keeping these boxes forever.
Favorite Features
Gas mileage! If driven conservatively will easily get 36-38 miles per gallon. Very comfortable, great visibility, very reasonably priced. Great value.
Suggested Improvements
Like everyone else, would love cruise control for trips, too much road noise, and it does have lousy cup holders. Good far outweighs the bad.
Fantastic little gem
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 10 | Fun-to-Drive: | 10 | Build Quality: | 10 |
| Comfort: | 10 | Interior Design: | 10 | Reliability: | 10 |
| Fuel Economy: | 10 | Exterior Design: | 10 | ||
Vehicle
2005 Scion xB 4dr Wagon (1.5L 4cyl 5M)
Review
I cannot believe I found a used XB. We had looked for the last several years at the local car shows and fell in love with the XB. We were ready to buy a new one this year. We did not like the new design because it has really cut the gas mileage with the improvements. These cars never show up used here. No one wants to part with them. We got a great deal on a 2005 with only 40,000 plus on it. It is silver with a cute red thunder bolt along the sides & air scoop on the back. We love the room the handling and the gas mileage. We had cruise added it really enhances the over the road mileage. We are nearing 60 and enjoy the nice firm seats. Great for us and so much fun to drive.
Favorite Features
Love the seats and the great window views. My husband gave up his AWD Astro for this. We like to sit up high. Great for our three dogs, luggage etc. Has enough power for us. A bigger engine & you get less gas mileage. Very nice radio. Really like the way the side mirrors give you that extra site line
Suggested Improvements
better inside lighting would be nice.
Boxes can be fun
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 8 | Fun-to-Drive: | 9 | Build Quality: | 9 |
| Comfort: | 10 | Interior Design: | 9 | Reliability: | 10 |
| Fuel Economy: | 10 | Exterior Design: | 10 | ||
Vehicle
2005 Scion xB 4dr Wagon (1.5L 4cyl 5M)
Review
I fell in love with my box (aka XB) when I first saw it. It was unlike anything else on the market at that time or really since then. I bought it for three main reasons. 1) I loved the way it looked. 2) I loved the mileage it was reported to get. And 3) It was more customizable and had more personality than any vehicle I had ever encountered. Now three years and almost 40,000 miles later I still catch myself with a smile on my face as I drive down the interstate to work. I have owned many cars in the past but never one that I have truly loved. This year I am considering on trading in my Box. What will I replace it with? The next generation XB. I love this car and the Scion experience.
Favorite Features
My favorite features of my XB would have to be the unique styling, yes its boxy but the new XB's have refined the styling and in turn have gave the XB a more contemporary less toy like feel. I also love the display layout. The heads up design has truly spoiled me for more central layouts in cars.
Suggested Improvements
Improvements can be summed up in one word, "HORSEPOWER". Don't get me wrong the older Xb's perform well. It's just at times they can get sluggish. Especially if you have the car loaded and going up a steep grade. But the new engine in the next generation Xb sounds like the ticket for a great car
my BOXkar
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 9 | Fun-to-Drive: | 10 | Build Quality: | 10 |
| Comfort: | 10 | Interior Design: | 10 | Reliability: | 10 |
| Fuel Economy: | 10 | Exterior Design: | 10 | ||
Vehicle
2005 Scion xB 4dr Wagon (1.5L 4cyl 5M)
Review
Had my car 3 yrs now and I still love it. Will be driving more now that I'm retired. Great gas mileage. Do wish it heated up faster. Took over W VA mountains, made them all, just keep the medal to the pedal. I have allowed three strangers (older individuals) who ask about car to sit in it. They were impressed about the ease of getting in and out. Two I saw another time at store and they told me the did indeed buy a Scion xB, on man traded his cat for one. Told me he laugh every time his fills up his xB and takes money to back. I'll never own another car except for the Scions.
Favorite Features
Roomy and solor heat. One of my son's 6ft 4in rides in back and no problems, lots of room.
Suggested Improvements
Heat up sooner and maybe cruise control now that I'm going to be traveling a lot.
View Pricing for Other Years
- 2009 Scion xB
- 2008 Scion xB
- 2006 Scion xB
- 2005 Scion xB
- 2004 Scion xB
Research the 2005 Scion xB
Buying & Selling
Vehicle Details
Multimedia
Ratings & Reviews
- Model Review
- Road Test Ratings
- Road Test Reviews
- Consumer Reviews
- Awards History
- Reliability
- Consumer Discussions
Payment Calculators
Helpful Tools
