(Credit:
Antuan Goodwin/CNET)
Last year, Scion's booth at the SEMA Show was jam-packed with some of the craziest cars at the show. 2009 saw the continuation of that grand tradition.
This year, Scion brought out an xB with a built-in kitchen (sink and all!), another with its own dancefloor, and yet another that had been stretched into a pickup toting a matching custom scooter. Scion's other models also got some modding love in the form of a rally-prepped xD and a loud-and-low tC that seemed to have forgotten its roof.
Check out some of the wildest Scions of 2009 in our gallery.
Honda talks about bigger hybrids, Cash for Clunkers might have been a huge boondoggle, Infiniti will get an electric car, should DWT be punished harder than DUI? And we take you for a ride in the frustratingly fun Scion xB.
Listen now: Download today's podcast
Subscribe with iTunes (audio)
Subscribe with iTunes (video)
Subscribe with RSS (audio)
Subscribe with RSS (video)
EPISODE 142
SHOW NOTES• Should DWT being punished more severely than DUI?
• CNET drives the new 2010 VW GTI
• CNET review of the 2010 Scion xB
• World distance record claimed for driving an electric car on a single charge
Our time with the Scion xB was a bit of an emotional roller coaster.
(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)With funky styling and a reputation built around heavy involvement from the tuner crowd and the sound-off set, we expected our Stingray Metallic 2010 Scion xB to be a technological powerhouse. Perusing the spec sheet before embarking on the first of many test drives, we were excited to see features such as Bluetooth hands-free calling, standard iPod connectivity, premium audio with navigation, and rear-seat entertainment. Yes, we were all grins.
However, by the end of that first test drive, we were ready to drive the xB off of a bridge. Nearly every bit of cabin tech was a source of disappointment, from the tacked-on and overly simplistic Bluetooth system to the crappy sounding "premium" audio system with its maddeningly slow iPod search. We're glad to see Scion even offering these options, but infotainment should have been the xB's strongest asset. Instead, it turned out to be the weakest point.
So, should you avoid the xB? Of course not. It's still a very cool little ride. It's a small car with a lot of interior volume for your friends and your things. While the xB is nobody's sports car, it handles quite nimbly at city speeds; and its Camry-sourced 2.4-liter engine should provide thousands of miles of peppy acceleration. Oh, we like the xB; we just hate the tech.
But the xB isn't a tech car. It's a low-cost blank canvas on wheels. Skip the crappy, overpriced dealer-installed tech and pick up a nice aftermarket all-in-one receiver (like our Editors' Choice-winning Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT or the Eclipse AVN726E) and at least a powered sub and the xB begins to make more sense.
Check out the full review of the 2010 Scion xB for more details and driving impressions.
We've seen some thrilling police chase videos this week thus far. Today, I've decided to inject a little humor into this week's blog theme by bringing you video of an indecisive driver who can't seem to make up his mind about how to escape the Omaha police.
The driver of this box on wheels goes from driving opposite of incoming traffic (yikes!), does some circling around, and at the 1:28 mark (or so), this jackass stops the car and gets out in the middle of the highway for some unfathomable reason. Eventually, the police manage to trap this foolish driver as he exits the freeway. This video is hilariously awesome, and it boasts "Yakety Sax" by Boots Randolph as the soundtrack to boot (a song that many of you may recognize as being the theme music for late British comedian Benny Hill...rest in peace, funny man).
Scion announced today that its final limited-production vehicle for 2009, the xD Release Series 2.0 (xD RS 2.0), will be available at dealer showrooms later this month.
The 2009 xD Release Series 2.0 comes in Electric Wasabi green exterior paint with unique interior modifications. The xD features a touch-screen Pioneer Audio Visual Navigation (AVN) head unit with flash memory, voice recognition, and Bluetooth. For media player flexibility, the AVN unit comes with USB, SD card, and iPod connectivity. The Pioneer AVN head unit is also satellite radio, rear-view camera, and HD Radio ready, and will play iPod videos when the parking brake is engaged. In addition, people can select from more than 32,000 colors to customize the 5.8-inch high-resolution WVGA LCD touch-panel display. You can plan the perfect roadtrip at home by downloading the freeware application AVIC Feeds to a computer, making a personalized destination directory and then transferring the data to the headunit using SD card or USB memory device.
Release Series wheel covers also distinguish this limited production xD. A color-keyed rear spoiler will be available as an option.
Scion will only build 1,600 units of the xD RS 2.0. The xD RS 2.0 model will sell for $1,270 over the base price of the xD. The base MSRP for the standard xD with a manual transmission is $14,650, and the standard xD with an automatic transmission model carries a MSRP of $15,450. The available Electric Wasabi spoiler will be $285, not including installation.
(Source: Toyota)
Scion's new stereo looks well-designed for iPod browsing.
(Credit: Scion)In a response to tough economic times, Scion announced a new stereo for its 2010 xB model and a price unchanged from the current model year. The new stereo head unit is by Pioneer, and comes standard with the xB.
We've been impressed by Scion's early adoption of standard iPod connectivity, which continues in the 2010 model. The new stereo features a redesigned interface to the one it replaces, with controls that seem more appropriate for browsing music on an iPod and a better-looking display.
The outgoing xB stereo looks drab compared to the new one.
(Credit: Scion)The sound system output, 160 watts, remains the same as the previous electronics. Beyond the improved interface, the major change seems to be new sound processing technology from Pioneer called Advanced Sound Retriever, which tries to restore depth to compressed audio tracks.
Scion also offers a new premium audio system, this one from Alpine, with an optional navigation component. The 200 watt Alpine stereo offers HD radio, Media Expander sound processing technology, and a 4.3 inch color touch screen.
Unlike other automakers, Scion's reliance on aftermarket stereo makers gives it an edge in upgrading its model line-up. Instead of major changes on the production line, a new, standard double-DIN stereo can be swapped in more easily.
Scion announced that the base price of a manual transmission 2010 xB will be $15,750, the same as the current model. With upcoming competition from the Kia Soul and Nissan Cube, Scion needs to keep up. But the new technology availability gives prospective buyers an incentive to hold of on an xB purchase until the 2010 models come out.
Scion concepts are few and far between, so we looked forward to the new one set to drop at the 2009 New York auto show. And drop it did, lowered from the ceiling during the press conference--a hot-looking little car with big wheels. But in this case, the concept was merely a Toyota iQ--a microcar launched a year and a half ago--customized by tuner company Five Axis. If it does come to the U.S., it will probably still be a Scion, but don't expect 18-inch wheels.
The tC Release Series 5.0 can be had in both real and virtual versions.
(Credit: Scion)In conjunction with the launch of its tC Release Series 5.0, a Scion tC featuring racing components, Scion is offering 2,000 virtual versions of the car for the online drag racing game Nitto 1320 Legends. To get the car, you will have to register for and download Nitto 1320 Legends, a free game, and poke around the Scion tC Release Series 5.0 Web site to find an Easter egg. Once found, enter your username for the game, and the site will let you know if you've won the car. Scion is giving away the virtual racers every 15 minutes from March 17 through mid-April.
The real Scion tC RS 5.0 looks pretty good, with a black paint job and red pinstripes on tires wrapped around 18 inch wheels. The car is fitted with parts from Toyota Racing Development, including lowering springs, a rear sway bar, and a sport exhaust. The car doesn't have any engine mods, but at $19,970, you can probably afford the TRD supercharger.
Probably the only race that Buick and Jaguar would finish in a tie is the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Vehicle Dependability StudySM (VDS), but both are on the top of the leader board this week. Each rank highest in vehicle dependability in a tie. Buick improves from a sixth-place ranking in 2008, while Jaguar improves from 10th place. Following in the top-five rankings this year are Lexus, Toyota and Mercury.
Toyota garners five segment awards for the Highlander, Prius, Sequoia, Solara, and Tundra. Lexus follows with four segment awards for the ES 330 (in a tie with the Acura RL), GX 470, LS 430, and SC 430. Lincoln captures two awards for the Mark LT and Zephyr. Models by Acura, Buick, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Mercury, Nissan, and Scion each rank highest in one segment.
The Buick LaCrosse was also ranked first in the midsize car segment, beating the Toyota Camry, while the Buick Lucerne came in second in the large car segment.
It's quick, versatile, roomy, and looks like a box on wheels. This road test of the 2009 Nissan Cube S popped up on YouTube yesterday. The cute Cube isn't trying to be a sport compact, the reviewer says, but it can hold it's own on the track. And it can go 0 to 60 in just less than 10 seconds.
Similar to the Scion in shape and size, this box-on-wheels is also affordable. The cube offers more than 50 cubic foot of cargo room and comes in eight colors. It also has a cool wrap around rear window.
