Scion XB

Brandon Rice

Brandon Rice

Distributed Producer
I REALLY want to get into one of these... I have a Tc now, and think an XB would be way more practical for me.

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So you like the toaster huh? :) I had a fase wanting to get one of these until I took a look inside and noticed that there realy isn't as much room as I would need in a production vehicle, It's decievingly small inside.
 
The AWD uses a tiny bit more gas, but if you want to get kuh-razy with the manual version you can modify it to add in a sixth gear, and get 30mpg out of it. I was looking at the Ford Escape Hybrid but it's seven grand more, and with the sixth gear trick on the Element you get close to the same mileage without the cost and you get all the functionality of the Element.

The Element is the ultimate production vehicle, with an absolutely absurd amount of room inside. Pull out the back seats and it feels like a small cargo van. Plus if you get the AWD version it has a sunroof in the back; not so useful for cruising the California beaches, but perhaps more useful for hauling palm trees or whatever crazy long dolly track or whatever you might find sticking up out through it. Plus the interior's meant to take a beating; no carpet in the back or along the sides, it's meant to store surfboards or mountain bikes or Labrador Retrievers or what have you, so a few c-stands and some HMI ballasts won't rip up the carpet (that's not there) or tear the vinyl trim (which isn't there).

Xb will get better gas mileage and is cheaper, but in any other comparison I think the Element comes out way ahead.

I sold mine when I moved across country; it would have cost $2,000 to ship it here; instead I'm putting that cash towards getting a new one. This time the 4WD version.
 
Element is truely amazing. I don't sweat gas mileage too much as I really don't drive like folks in the rest of the country. But like Barry says, it fits EVERYTHING you own for a shoot.

Plus, it's the funnest camping car I've ever seen. Good dog car too, due to the rubber mat floors and water-proof seats.

I gotta say though, on the 2006, they seem to have taken away the grey quarterpanels. I LOVE those.

Oh yeah, that's the other thing, those quarterpanels are very cheap to replace, so if you get into fender-benders, it's not crazy money to fix.
 
I agree 100% with Barry. I think Honda is missing the beat by not marketing this vehicle to Indie film producers. When I shot LEAP OF FAITH I had to transport a lot of gear to another town for the shoot. I took out the back seats and crammed it full of everything I needed, and my wife and I still fit comfortably in the front.

And since there is no carpeting, it doesn't get torn. And if you get dirt in there, simply hose it out :)

I have had the vehicle for about a year and a half and I am still amazed at how much room there is. The back seats are what they call theatre seating because they sit higher than the front seats (allowing the rear passengers a clear view out the front window rather than a view of the back of the front seats). I am 6'1" and when I sit in the back there is still about 4-6" clearance above my head (I never have clearance like that in a vehicle).

I got the AWD automatic and I get roughly 25mpg. And I got 65,000 miles out of the original tires.

And by getting the AWD version, I have the sunroof in the back. The cool thing with that is I can remove the glass and stand up through it with the camera while my wife drives...voila, instant dolly :)

Definitely worth considering if you want a comfortable fun car that can double as a useful production vehicle.

Regarding the quarter-panels. They did remove them for 2006, but they still offer a variation of each model that includes them. I think it's dumb, the vehicle looks MUCH better with them, but I guess there was a market for removing them.
 
Wow... after hearing your great reviews, I am thinking about jetting over to the Honda dealership to take one for a test drive and see what it's all about!
 
Brandon-
I test drove the Element. I dug it. But, I am a HUGE Honda fan. I just love they way the feel, run, and drive. But, I wound up going with the CR-V. And I LOVE it. But for you, to cart stuff around, the storage space inside of an element is SICK.

My friend bought one. And when her brother or dad opts to drive it (when they go on road trips) she always wants to sit in the back seat because the leg room is insane.

Rick
 
Larry R said:
And if you get dirt in there, simply hose it out :)
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NONONONONO. No hose. Hose = disaster. That's a myth perpetuated by salespeople. You can use a damp rag to wipe it out, but a hose will damage the vehicle.

And by getting the AWD version, I have the sunroof in the back. The cool thing with that is I can remove the glass and stand up through it with the camera while my wife drives...voila, instant dolly :)
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Yep, another little bonus about the odd positioning of the sunroof!

Regarding the quarter-panels. They did remove them for 2006, but they still offer a variation of each model that includes them. I think it's dumb, the vehicle looks MUCH better with them, but I guess there was a market for removing them.
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Cannot stand the painted-panels look. That's why with my new one I'm going with the LX version, which still has the unpainted gray/black panels. The "EX" has painted panels, but the LX has just about everything important from the EX (including side-curtain airbags, antilock brakes, etc); the EX upgrades are primarily to the radio and the wheels.

But, when shopping, I highly recommend the manual transmission version. It's a veritable sports car compared to the automatic; the difference in 0-60 times is about 3 seconds... plus with the trick to plug in a sixth gear, you can get better mileage and way faster performance out of the manual.

The automatic is now a five-speed this year though, if someone insists on getting the automatic.
 
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