Any Scion owners.....question for you.

[B Bent]

I am a long time Toyota fan. I have owned 3 Tacomas, 1 FJ Cruiser and a 4 Runner, but have never owned a Toyota car. What's the deal with the Scion thing? Are these really Toyotas or some sort of Toyota spin-off? Most importantly are they as reliable as a Toyota?

I'd love to hear some first hand input from actual Scion owners. My wife's 2005 Chevy Cobalt has 80,000 miles and even though the interior has been falling apart since day 1, I am starting to get nervous about the powertrane. (ridiculous BTW) She likes the look of the Scion XB, so that's why I am asking here instead of a Scion forum. Guitar bros will likely be more transparent than a Scion forum.

[Amp360]

Scion is a marque (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marque) of vehicles produced by Toyota Motor Corporation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota) for the North American (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American) market. Founded in 2002, Scion's long-term goal is to appeal to Generation Y (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennial_Generation) consumers. The first Scion models, the xA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scion_xA) hatchback and xB (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scion_xB) wagon, went on sale in California (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California) in 2003,[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scion_%28automobile%29#cite_note-sci-0) followed by a sports coupe, the tC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scion_tC), and a nationwide U.S. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S.) launch in 2004.[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scion_%28automobile%29#cite_note-sci-0) A successor to the xA, the xD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scion_xD),[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scion_%28automobile%29#cite_note-view-1) premiered in 2008, and the Scion marque expanded to Canada (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada) in 2010.[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scion_%28automobile%29#cite_note-2) The Scion lineup uses a one-trim, simplified purchase process,[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scion_%28automobile%29#cite_note-view-1) and the marque has relied upon guerrilla (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_marketing) and viral marketing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_marketing) techniques. The Scion name, meaning the descendant of a family or heir, refers both to the marque's cars and their owners.[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scion_%28automobile%29#cite_note-sci-0)

[Travst]

I had a couple of XBs for business use. I heavily customized one of them for advertising purposes. Mine were first-gen models and the overall impression was very positive. They ran and drove very well and the interiors were comfortable. They are not powerful, but the mods I did (lightened pully, exhaust, cold air intake) pepped the one up quite a bit. I think they're a solid car. Now, I didn't own these cars over three years, so it's hard for me to vouch for long-term reliability. I suspect they're every bit as good as low-end Toyotas.

[CharAznable]

We have a Scion xD that's a good little car. It's a Toyota in everything except name. In the interior you can see some shared parts with other Toyota models. It feels like a Toyota. I'd say it's a bit nicer than a comparable low end Toyota. We've had it for two years and it's been problem free so far.

[John C]

Scions are sold and serviced alongside the "regular" models at Toyota dealers; I would consider them to be just additional models alongside the Yaris, Corolla and Matrix.

[fatcontroller]

My wife has had two xB's: a deer crashed into her first gen Scion. Repaired and sold. Purchased a second gen xB. It is her main communter vehicle (80 miles/day). She's going on 70k and hasn't had an issue. Didn't have an issue with the first one until Bambi came a-callin'.

I liked the stripped-down boxiness of gen1, but it was a bit sluggish and tight on space - really an economy car, albeit a neat and reliable one. The gen2 feels like a real car, with a juicier engine (better acceleration for two-lane passing), a wider stance/more legroom and a more substantial overall feel and better interior appointments. That said, it's not as cute ;) Gas mileage is mediocre for a car of its size - it's no Civic at 28/30 mpg.

I think of it as a Toyota, FWIW.

[partytrain]

Just about to turn over 100k on my '05 TC...I've really enjoyed the car, it's been very reliable. I'm thinking i might be turning it in soon for something a little more family friendly (kid on the way), and I'm thinking XD might be on my radar.

[bluegrif]

My 06 XB has performed flawlessly. It's not my first choice for longer trips (over 4 hours), but it's just great for local stuff. Lots of space for gear, good gas mileage, and problem free. It is built to a price point though. Quite a bit of road noise at higher speeds. But overall I've been very happy with it for an in town car. And it came equipped with everything I could have asked for.

[ceyuh]

I had an '05 xb 5 speed that did everything I ever asked of it. Lots of room, trouble free operation.... I had it for 75k before moving on to my current ride. My fuel economy was pretty good when I was paying attention, usually in the mid 30s.

[B Bent]

This thread is very encouraging. I am a HUGE Toyota fan and wont buy anything but Yotas for myself. Of all the ones I listed in my original post, I have never had ANY problems. I didnt even have rattles to take the back for or anything. My wife had the 05 Chevy long before we were married so I had no choice on that one. I feel America is great at big vehicles, but our small cars are rubbish. I hope some of the new Ford and GM stuff changes that, but for now you couldnt give me a car in this class made by one of the big 3.

[andrekp]

Scions are as Toyota as a Camry. As someone noted, they were meant to appeal to young people (but ironically, the XB ended up being a hit among seniors - due to its headroom and easy access).

Here's a piece of trivia: Anybody know what TC stands for?


Third car. That's the truth.

[KT66]

I have a XD and like it. The problem I do have with this car is with replacing tires so far............. it's cost me around $630.00 to replace them (for an economy car). I got estimates from numerous tire places and ended up going with the dealer which is absurd, availability dictated price.Everyone else's price was the same. Even considered online buying ...... but after shipping and mounting it was all a wash. Next was it needed a ABS wheel sensor....... it took three weeks to get the part in to the Toyota dealer in Nashville. Unless parts, tires become more available......... it's kind of a red flag IMO.

[fatcontroller]

My 06 XB has performed flawlessly. It's not my first choice for longer trips (over 4 hours), but it's just great for local stuff.

Agree, though I will say that my minivan's seat belt took a dump on me the day before we were to haul our family to St. Louis for Christmas (a 6-7 hour drive). Since the seat belt was warranty work, we packed up the Scion with two adults, two kids, all the luggage and Xmas immodesty. We didn't have to leave anything behind and the kids survived! The adults, well.... that's another story ;)

[bobgoblin]

I've owned an '08 Scion XB since December of '07. Bought it brand new, have put 50k miles on it since. No issues at all that weren't acts of nature (hail) or stupidity (hit a curb & destroyed driver's side front rim/tire).

The gas mileage is not great (avg. 23-4 city, 28-9 highway with automatic), but it is comfy, has great standard features, and can haul a lot of gear (last time I needed to it was my head/2x12/6sp rack, 4 guitars in hard cases, cooler with refreshments, 3 guys, and miscellaneous drum accessories like pedals, snare, cymbals, etc).

Nice ride, I have no regrets buying it other than I should have gone used for the lower price.

[silencer eleven]

Here's an article that says according to consumer reports Scion brand has been the most reliable car for three years running.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/26/most-reliable-cars-honda-_n_774293.html

[Jimmydeez]

Just traded my '07 VW Rabbit in for a 2011 xB this passsed weekend. I'm loving it so far. It is back at the dealer today getting the upgraded radio/nav.

First impressions - It isn't as nimble as the VW but it isn't as sluggish as my wifes Nissan Versa. It has way more room then both of the other cars. You drive in a more upright position in the xB then the VW which will take some getting used to for me. Visibility is great in the xB compared to the VW. Overall I think I may like it better but the VW was soooooo much fun to drive.