Scion is the best kept secret in Canada, but I’m willing to take a stab at guessing the youth-oriented brands’ parent company,

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Toyota, would rather it wasn’t so obscure.

The xB, for instance, is a great car. It rides on the same New MC-platform architecture as the latest Toyota Corolla, a more recent design than the outgoing Matrix wagon, yet offers more power than either from a larger four-cylinder engine as well more interior space. It comes standard with more features too, while its base price point of $19,110 plus $1,695 for freight and pre-delivery preparation is less than what you’d pay if you added similar content to the aforementioned cars, while Scion has a cool and, as mentioned, exclusive cachet.

To give you an idea of just how exclusive it is, Scion sold 651 xB models in Canada last year, while Toyota sold 48,881 Corollas and 7,130 Matrix models, and being that the Matrix was discontinued it wasn’t even available for the full year. The

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previous year Toyota sold 10,689 Matrix wagons, whereas its best year, 2005, it delivered 24,048 units. The xB’s best year was 2008 when it achieved 1,529 deliveries. So how do they get the word out? Short of spending hundreds of thousands on advertising or simply rebadging it as a Toyota Matrix (although that model will be the upcoming Scion iM), I really don’t have an answer to that. It’s a great car from a brand that most people don’t recognize, causing some would-be buyers to pass on by because it doesn’t wear the trusted Toyota nameplate, at least not here.

Outside of North America the first generation model was sold as a Toyota bB and this second-gen design as the xB, Corolla Rumion and Rukus, albeit all featuring slightly different styling, while it also gets Daihatsu Coo and Subaru Dex badging in

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other markets. Along with its roominess and extra zip off the line, I also like the xB’s unorthodox styling. It’s a design that’s about as far from streamlined as cars get. Call it a box if you want to (the first generation was even boxier), as the folks at Scion won’t be offended. Creating a rolling box was the base idea. The original xB arrived on the scene in 2003 when Scion was a fledgling brand selling just two models (the now-defunct xA being the second) in one U.S. state, California. It rode in on an anti-culture alternative Asian wave along with other cubist cars like the Honda Element and Nissan Cube that struck a chord with youth buyers, the xB especially resonating with young Californians due to its readymade customizable design

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and Scion’s full catalog of reasonably priced show and go accessories. Each specially chosen Toyota dealership featured a designated Scion section with the cars as well as in-house and aftermarket gear on display, allowing a buyer to personalize their ride right on the spot. The chance of spotting another xB in the same colour with the same wheels and features was improbable, which worked well for the highly individual youth market Scion effectively targeted. In a nutshell, it wasn’t your mom’s beige Corolla. Not even close.

The same setup and philosophy drives Scion now, whether in California, the rest of the USA (Scion went statewide in 2004) or Canada (the brand was introduced here in the latter half of 2010), and while the xB isn’t as boxy as it used to be it’s still

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as distinctive, and one of the most exclusive, or should I more accurately say rare rides available today. Drive one down the street and heads still turn despite being an eight-year old design. Yes, that’s a bit long in the tooth as far as car lifecycles go, four to five years being the norm, but like I said the xB still gets noticed due to its unusual lines and overall scarcity.

I initially drove the xB back in 2010 at the national launch program for the entire Scion brand here in Canada. That was a 2011 model done out in Classic Silver Metallic paint, while this latest 2015 xB is a lovely shade of Sizzling Crimson Mica, or what I’d call a dark burgundy or plum. Scion has given the xB some updates over the years, most noticeably a great looking set of vertical LED DRL/fog lights at each corner of the lower front valence, but it’s the same basic shape as back then.

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Scion did up the launch car with fabulous looking 19-inch TRD alloys encircled by 235/35 ZR19 Toyo performance tires to help us imagine what could be done if we were to personalize one on our own. Large cross-drilled front rotors made those wheels look even better, while the 2011 tester’s rear rooftop was decked out with a big spoiler. Since that initial car I’ve tested two other xBs, the second a 2012 Release Series 9.0 with a unique coat of burnt orange paint and additional extras, while last year’s xB was a completely stock version done out in Alpine White. I called it a “blank canvas” because it was perfect for an artistic re-spray. This year’s xB is much the same other than the colour. Even the wheels are identical steel rims with covers riding on 205/55 Goodyear Eagle RS-A 16s.

Once again you have the choice of sticking with the steel wheels, opting for some TRD

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rims available from your dealer or picking up a set of aftermarket alloys somewhere else. Likewise you can keep it Sizzling Crimson Mica, opt for any one of six other available colours or shades, or repaint it any colour (or combination of colours) you want, kit it out with aerodynamic upgrades, audio/video gear, TRD performance upgrades, or anything else that works for you.

The blank canvas Scion provides is not only a good place to start your artistic tuning adventure, but it’s also a great car period, as I mentioned in the beginning of this review. First off it’s a car you can live with day in and day out, with a truly roomy interior that can fit just about any body shape or size, plus its cargo hold is way

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big for such a small compact car. Behind the standard 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks are 328 litres (11.6 cubic feet) of stowage for your hockey gear, golf clubs, guitar amp and axes, antique glass collection, weekend’s worth of beverages or what-have-you, while you can drop those seats forward and fit in up to 1,979 litres (69.9 cubic feet) of drum kit, azaleas, hydroponic growing equipment, volleyballs and net, ski gear, etcetera. The xB is one of if not the most practical compact runabouts in its class, which makes it totally anti-cool, which is really cool.

Something else I like is that it’s totally non-retro. Remember the Chrysler PT Cruiser? It was a smash hit because it was different, of course, but it also had the lines of something from the 1940s. Since then we’ve had countless retrospective rides trying to recreate memories of a past that most can’t remember because they weren’t even born in any of the eras being celebrated. The xB, on the other hand,

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is very now (or at least eight years ago now). Its two-box design isn’t trying to conjure up any ghosts from the past, but rather blazes its own unusual trail that seems to put a smile on most passersby just the same.

If these folks could only see the xB’s interior they’d smile all the wider, because it follows that same modern bent with some altogether unique design elements. For starters there’s an unusually placed horizontal array of four red on black primary dials spanning the top centre of the dash. Four similarly large circular satin-silver rimmed vents dot their way across the instrument panel, at each corner and right next to the infotainment system, the stock xB getting a six-speaker Pioneer display

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audio system with AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA compatibility plus aux and USB inputs, as well as an auto sound levelizer. It’s a good stereo for a car in the xB’s price range, and more importantly to Scion’s target market can be replaced with anything that fits into a double-DIN housing – which is just about anything on the aftermarket. Back to design, under the simple but effective chrome-trimmed three-dial HVAC interface is a sweet bit of art deco kit; a silver-coloured vertically ribbed surfacing treatment surrounding the gear shifter that makes me think of corrugated tin or a ’30s era radio panel; yes a little bit of retro, but then again not really. You might look at it and think of something altogether different, as it’s just a design detail that looks great but honours no specific era.

As far as drivability goes, I don’t have a problem with centrally-mounted primary gauges,

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but that’s probably because I’ve driven so many cars (many of which were Toyotas) fitted with the setup, so if you find it all a bit disconcerting on your test drive take heed that it’ll soon feel like home. Switchgear on the steering wheel is limited to audio functions on the left spoke only, which is a shame because a phone button on the right spoke would come in handy being that Bluetooth is standard. Instead, you’ll need to press a digital “button” on the infotainment touchscreen for incoming calls. It works, just not as easily at hand. Additionally, there’s a cruise control stalk hidden in the usual location to the lower right of the steering column. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes for an ideal fit, while the driver’s seat is extremely comfortable and nice looking in its swoopy multi-coloured pattern and grey background. The driver’s seat includes fore/aft, recline,

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height, and vertical headrest adjustments, whereas the front passenger gets all of the above less a height adjuster.

Additional standard kit includes power door locks with remote access, power windows, power-adjustable heated side mirrors with premium-like integrated turn signals, a multi-information display, air conditioning, variable intermittent wipers, a rear window wiper/washer, and exterior temperature gauge. Also standard is the usual safety equipment, such as ABS-infused four-wheel disc brakes with electronic brake force distribution and emergency brake assist, traction and stability

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control, Scion’s (and Toyota’s) Smart Stop Technology that limits power to the engine during braking, as well as all the usual airbags.

As mentioned in the beginning of this review, while you might not be totally familiar with the Scion brand and the xB in particular, its Toyota running gear should put you at ease as far as reliability goes. In fact, the xB was given J.D. Power and Associates’ coveted seal of approval as the top rated compact MPV available in its latest 2015 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), beating the second-place Mazda5 and third-best Toyota Prius V. What makes this study important and unique is that it surveys real owners after three years of good, bad or indifferent life experience with their cars, with an eye focused on problems. The xB had the fewest problems of any other vehicle in its class, so if you’re not buying this Scion you’re not getting the most reliable car in the compact MPV segment, or so says J.D. Power.

The

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xB’s powertrain no doubt has a lot to do with its diehard reliability. Behind its slit of a grille is Toyota’s ubiquitous 16-valve, DOHC 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine featuring variable valve timing with intelligence (VVT-i), the same mill as offered in the ultra-popular Camry, RAV4 and other Toyota branded models as well as the Scion tC sports coupe. In the xB it makes 158 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque for plenty of off the line performance, even when equipped with its optional four-speed automatic. Four-speed? Yes, it’s hardly state of the art hardware, but the 2.4 makes sufficient torque so that this transmission’s lack of forward gears isn’t all that noticeable. A five-speed manual is standard and a bit cheaper if shifting your own gears is your thing, with an additional benefit to the DIY approach being slightly better fuel economy. Although in this case it’s an ultra close shave, the manual getting a revised 2015 rating of 10.8 L/100km in the city, 8.5 on the highway and 9.8 combined, and the automatic estimated at a claimed 10.9 city, 8.5 highway and

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9.8 combined, whereas both are given a Tier 2 Bin 5 emissions rating.

Out on the road the xB combines a nice comfortable ride with pretty decent handling, its front suspension made up of L-arm type MacPherson struts along with a stabilizer bar and rear design utilizing a torsion beam setup, the usual in this segment as it’s cheaper to build than a fully independently sprung multi-link setup plus, at least as importantly, it allows for a lower load floor and therefore more cargo room. An electric powered rack and pinion steering system gives about as much feedback as can be expected, although if you’re wanting more remember that almost everything about the xB can be modified with uprated TRD springs, shocks, rims and the list goes on.

And

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by the way, while the aforementioned xB accessories are performance or styling oriented, you can also suit up the car in leather upholstery, navigation added to the display audio system, and/or a really great sounding Bongiovi radio upgrade. It’s all available from Scion’s a la carte menu, or alternatively you can opt for a special “Release Series” car, but the last one offered was the 2014 RS 10.0; some might still be available, but you’ll have to buy a model year older. Then again, you can probably work out a pretty sweet deal on such a car if you can find one.

No matter how you create your xB, 2014 or 2015, a full-on Release Series or bone stock blank canvas model like this year’s tester, you get a brilliantly practical ride that’s about as wonderfully unique as anything else on the road. It might not be the latest fad to roll down main street,

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but as mentioned the xB still turns heads and thanks to its amazing reliability you’ll likely roll down main street without problem for years to come.

Do yourself a favour and get to know Scion, as it’s a brand that combines all of Toyota’s best vanilla, chocolate and strawberry goodness with 100 more delightful flavours of unorthodox fun. The xB should sell much better than it does, but instead of lumping it onto a list of losers in the popularity contest of life, raise it up as an absolutely brilliant way to stand out from the crowd while enjoying all the benefits of living with a Toyota. It really is a best of both worlds scenario.
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