You can't say the 2008 xB is much of a Scion, really. There's just too much of it. It's outsize and overstated, a kind of self-conscious imitation of itself. It drives a bit like a Camry, carefully insulated from the roadside world with a smoothly spinning Camry 2.4-liter engine and spongy Camry suspension, only with these narrow bunker-style windows.

There's none of the previous xB's authenticity to this car. None of the simple mechanical honesty. This is what happens when you spend too much time asking people what they want (which is the Toyota Way), because they'll just be asking for something the size of a Chevy Tahoe with a Corvette engine, only it has to get Prius-like fuel economy. So they asked for a fake xB and this is what they got.

Of course, maybe a Camry-style Scion is a good thing. America is crazy for small cars at the moment. During March, four-cylinder engines made up 40 percent of the mix of cars sold during the month, the first time since 2002 that four-cylinders composed the majority of the engine mix. We're living in a world where sales of the Ford F-150 are down 23.8 percent and sales of the Ford Focus are up 24.0 percent.

Think of the 40,000 people who bought a Camry in March. Maybe what they're really after is a sedan that's as cleverly packaged as this car, and yet still offers that Camry-style isolation from everyday motoring. The 2008 Scion xB is really the Camry that Camry drivers want.

Michael Jordan, Executive Editor, Inside Line @ 17,495 miles

Apparently, the cute little xB is very inviting. My son wanted to just sit inside and hang out - it was all his idea. Of course little sister has to follow along. Hey Scion, here's your lower age demographic.

In the 12 plus years I've been bringing different cars home, I'm always amazed at which ones get lots of attention and which are essentially invisible. My kids were especially fond of our Scion but I can't say exactly why. Only four other cars have been more popular with kids, neighbors and strangers - Honda Insight, Bentley Flying Spur, PT Cruiser Convertible and our long term Ferrari 308. What car would you stop and gawk at if you saw one on your street?

Brian Moody, Road Test Editor.

So last weekend I'm in a parking lot unloading a bike out of the xB when...

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There's been some grumbling here and there about the second-generation Scion xB's styling. "Too mainstream," I've heard. "Not as boxy-cool as the old one."

I say poppycock.

First of all, the original xB had one of the gnarliest automotive underbites I've ever seen. It would have fit right in at a county fair bumper-car ride.

But more to the point, I think the current xB has some of the most mobster-pleasing styling this side of the Chrysler 300C/Dodge Magnum siblings. To my eye, it actually looks kind of like a pint-sized, upright version of the Magnum. I'll take that over the first-gen xB's shoebox aesthetic any day. (So would my esteemed colleague Warren.)  

What do you all think? Current xB styling -- Yea or Nay?

Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 17,048 miles

For our last day of our spring break trip to Arizona in the 2008 Scion xB, I thought we'd cruise back in search the elusive 30 mpg mark. That would be an accomplishment, as the EPA rating for the 2008 xB with an automatic transmission is 22 city / 28 highway. We'd equalled the highway rating while cruising to Arizona at 75 mph along the interstate. Could we beat it by staying closer to 65 mph on the way back to SoCal?

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Day 4 of our Arizona tour in the 2008 Scion xB was another short one, as the Arizona towns of Prescott and Wickenburg are only a scant 59 miles apart. The regular way, the way any navigation system will route you, is a sinuous, low-speed affair, especially the first 20 miles. It's the obvious choice in the right kind of sports car. But traffic can bog things down and my cohorts get carsick easily.

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Day three of our Arizona tour in the 2008 Scion xB was a short one, as we spent the entire day covering just 64 miles. But they were a spectacular 64 miles, in more ways than one.

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No, we weren't on a mission to see a Korean-made minivan. We left Phoenix in our 2008 Scion xB and headed north on Interstate 17 to Sedona, Arizona, otherwise known as red rock country. This freeway climbs up several grades, so we weren't expecting to set any fuel economy records.

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Day one of our Arizona Spring Break tour ended with a bang and an expletive. We were travelling North on Loop 101 in Glendale, Az, within 5 miles of our first stop, when a loud "crack" sounding like an over-enthusiastic billiard shot startled the four of us.

A plumber's van a car-length ahead in the next lane had kicked up a stone. There was no avoiding it. I guess now we'll get to see how much a new 2008 Scion xB windshield costs.

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I'm on my way home from the office, about to spend the next few days on vacation with my family in our 2008 Scion xB, when I notice the "Maint Reqd" lamp was on. Oh dear. I hate it when my maint gets reqd.

A sticker in the top corner of the windshield indicates the next oil change is due at ... the exact same mileage now displayed on my odometer. What a co-inky-dink. Too late to turn back now. I guess I'll do it myself.

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