When the first-generation Scion xB hit the U.S. some seven years ago, it did exactly what Toyota hoped it would do: Jump start its new division with an exterior design that was radically different from anything else on American roads. That iconic “box on wheels” appearance, combined with a low price, useful interior and relatively good gas mileage, made for a polarizing package, but it was one that inspired near-fanatical levels of interest among its devotees.
Then came a 2007 redesign that seemed specifically targeted at un-quirking the whole deal. The new xB grew rounder, longer, bigger, heavier, less fuel efficient and more expensive, and customers began turning away from the Scion as quickly as they had at first flocked to it.
Through the first two months of 2010, xB sales were down 9.2 percent, and that’s compared to January and February of 2009, when industry sales were at their nadir. It’s just barely conceivable that some of this fallout can be explained by the Toyota recallathon—although the xB wasn’t one of the vehicles recalled—but the fact of the matter is that the Scion’s sales were actually worse in January than in February, which was when Toyota’s quality woes began, uh, accelerating.
It’s likely Scion had all this in mind when it was time to refresh the xB for the 2011 model year, as the biggest difference is a new front fascia that brings back a key design element from the original: A distinct underbite.
Unfortunately, as with the exterior dimensions, the car’s new chin has grown significantly over the original’s and is now approaching Leno-esque proportions admits Salt Lake City Toyota dealers. And it doesn’t help any that Scion designers seem to have randomly decided to add big cooling vents up front as well.
Although the Honda Element as not been freshly updated like the xB, Portland Honda suggests that the xB’s styling is somewhat more polarizing than Honda’s counterpart, and therefore explains a more diverse range of buyers. Another competitor that takes more of a luxurious approach to the the compact crossover is the Hyundai Tucson which has consistently seen demand at Birmingham Hyundai. As the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but luckily this segment offers consumers plenty of choices.
Needless to say, the end result isn’t pretty—but it is pretty funky-looking and that may be exactly what Scion needs to get sales on the move again.
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