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2008 Scion xB - Comfort

Front Comfort
The Scion’s front seat has a good basic shape, which means that once you’ve found your sweet spot you’ll stay comfortable. Finding that spot is easy since adjustments are limited to seatback angle, fore-aft and seat cushion height. The steering wheel tilts but some of us thought it should telescope, too. The wheel itself is soft urethane with divots on the upper spokes for thumbs. The only real comfort drawback was the fold-down armrest on the driver’s seat. It’s too narrow to be comfortable, but it doesn’t fold completely out of the way either, annoying some drivers in either position.

Rear Comfort
The xB’s added dimensions pay off biggest in the rear seat. The bottom cushion and seatback angles are not adjustable, but they’re good enough that they don’t need to, either. The bottom cushion is a little short, but the high hip point means that it’s still comfortable. There’s plenty of leg and head room, and good foot room under the front seats, too. It’s not particularly wide, so three across would be very tight, but two fit just fine.

Interior Noise
This is Toyota’s budget division, not luxury, so we’re not surprised that the xB is noisy inside at speed. Still, it’s not bad for the class. There’s noticeable engine noise when you gun it, and it’s not particularly refined, either. Additionally, the xB’s tall, upright shape generates a lot of wind noise at highway speeds.

Visibility
One downside to the new design is reduced visibility. The gunslit windows and thick pillars look modern from outside, but once you sit down the view is decidedly pinched in every direction. The windshield is far from the driver, which means you’re looking out over a big flat dash top and that the windshield pillars intrude. The rearmost pillars are about two feet thick, creating massive blind spots to the rear. We actually found ourselves wishing for a reverse camera on this otherwise small and maneuverable car. At least the outside mirrors are decently sized.