CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 06/08/2005
Roomy, with a view
The xB's airy interior is a welcome place to be, with high, supportive front seats and lots of room in all directions. The view out the front is excellent, with the center-mounted gauge pod allowing a low, sweeping dash that further enhances the feeling of roominess in what is a relatively small overall package. The gauge cluster itself, with multiple dials in a single circular binnacle flanked by the clock and warning lights, takes some getting used to, and the tachometer should either be larger or closer to the driver to be readily visible. The rear seats, with three three-point seatbelts and three headrests, are split 60/40 and fold flat to maximize load space. Rear-seat leg room is excellent even with the front seats all the way back, allowing use of the thoughtful small-bag hooks on the backs of the front seats. The comfortable seats in the limited-edition Release Series 2.0 we tested sport special color-keyed fabric inserts matching those in the doors and the exterior paint. As with the balance of the interior, the materials aren't exactly top quality, but they feel and look good enough for a car in this price range. The climate controls and the MP3-compatible CD stereo are laid out logically, and the six-speaker setup provides rich sound through Scion Sound Processing (basically, three preset equalizer settings). XM Radio is a $695 factory option, plus subscription.
On the road, the xB feels light and handles predictably, our test car no doubt helped by the seven-spoke alloy wheels included in the Release Series 2.0 package and the addition of an optional $225 front strut-tower brace from Hotchkis Performance. Sprouting from the center console, the manual transmission's shifter seems lengthy, but the grip falls readily to hand and, despite long throws, feels natural, finds its slots readily, and makes keeping the engine in its peak power band a welcome task. A tilt wheel makes getting comfortable easier.
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