xB’s quirky box-shape truly gets noticed. A teenage girl raced through a yellow traffic light to pull alongside her prey and scream out, ‘what is that cute car?’ A semi-truck driver took a slightly different approach. He simply refused to move at a green traffic light until getting a few details about ‘that dynamite looking boxy thing.’ That boxy thing is the Scion xB. Everything about xB reflects an exercise in simplicity. It’s a breeze to enter and exit the vehicle, which is one thing that immediately appealed to age 60-plus riders. There’s an enormous amount of head- and legroom, even in the second row as confirmed by 6-foot and 6-foot-4 riders. And, the view from behind the wheel is splendid and virtually devoid of blind spots – due to aquarium-like windows and uniquely shaped side mirrors – as experienced by this xB reviewer during a 550-mile/one-week test-drive. The xB interior spotlights a Pioneer 160 watt AM/FM/CD sound system with 6 speakers. Upgrade to a 6-disc changer and the audio display illumination – at a button touch – can scroll through 10 color choices. A speedometer and tachometer flanks the mid-point of the upper dashboard. Standard fare includes power windows/locks/mirrors, 15-inch wheels, four wheel anti-lock brakes, side impact door beams, driver and front passenger airbags, power assisted rack and pinion steering (interfaced from a wheel that is devoid of buttons), first aid kit, front and rear wipers. Per gallon fuel economy puts the xB at 31 city/35 highway, and that’s with a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder (108 horsepower at 6000 rpm) engine mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission. The front wheel drive xB, weighing slightly more than 2,400 pounds, carries a MSRP of $14, 480. Scion is a brand under the Toyota umbrella.