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.
First: The red rocks of Sedona are simply spectacular. Had the Scion xB had been a 4x4 with low range instead of a FWD runabout, there would have been miles of 4x4 trails winding amongst the monoliths to explore. It isn't, so we stuck to the pavement. The scenery still impressed, and there were plenty of foot trails.
Second: Highway 89A (aka 89 Alternate) is a fantastic ribbon of asphalt. The best part starts in Cottonwood and kinks its way up the side of Mingus Mountain to the lived-in ghost town of Jerome--a former gold and copper mining town worthy of a bit of exploration.
After leaving Jerome, 89A gets really good as it summits the mountain and winds down the other side before straightening out in Prescott Valley. But since this was Friday in high season, there were just enough tourists (like us) on a road with too few passing zones, so speeds stayed well below the posted limit. Traffic or not, this is a great driving road with a lot to look at.
While the Scion xB has been a good ride thus far, it's chassis wasn't really suited for either aspect of today's route. It couldn't go off-road in Sedona, and if 89A had been free and clear over Mingus Mountain, it wouldn't have been as much fun as a sports car or convertible. We trailed behind a 350Z droptop for several miles, and he was puttering along slowly through the best parts with the top up on a perfect spring day. Go figure.
Fuel log: at the start of the day, we'd filled-up in Sedona. The mileage we calculated had little to do with 89A, and had everything to do with cruising up the I-17 freeway and dealing with 2 or 3 serious bouts of construction traffic the previous day. Despite 70% of the route being 75 mph freeway, our average speed was only 36 mph. We added 9.55 gallons after driving 247 miles, for an average of 25.9 mpg.
Dan Edmunds, DIrector of Vehicle Testing @ 16,065 miles
cx7lover says:
07:21 PM, 03/29/08
mph or MPG?
25 mpg is atrocious.
altimadude00 says:
07:53 PM, 03/29/08
25 isn't bad for a box on wheels.
You should have seen my Dad's eyes pop out of his head when we went to the Cadillac dealer for one of their freebie deals. I read off the mileage estimates of a new DTS; 15 and 23. Now THAT is atrocious.
irba says:
09:33 PM, 03/29/08
The avg. mpg for the new xB is simply just pathetic...
a much larger and roomier Rav4 with AWD would have given you more fun out of this trip with the same 25 mpg.
firstwagon says:
09:56 AM, 03/30/08
Why?
The DTS has twice the cylinders and almost twice the power yet still gets almost the same mileage.
The new xB vs the old xB reminds me of the Hummer H2 vs the H1.
The originals were both great ideas that served their purposes really well. The replacements just stuck some styling cues on mainstream platforms for those who only want the look.
I really liked the originals, couldn't care less about the replacements.
bemanix88 says:
10:32 AM, 03/30/08
I'm not sure I like that color, it seems like it doesn't have any depth to it. Just flat.
dragonflight says:
11:21 AM, 03/30/08
I'm pretty sure our V6 Sienna gets comparable mileage. 23mpg in the city, and we've seen it peek at 26-28mpg when driving on the highway. Despite the fact that it's a minivan, it's probably still more fun to drive than a 4cyl box on wheels.
alpha01 says:
09:15 AM, 03/31/08
I think for an average speed of 36 MPH, 25.9 MPG (which rounds to 26, not 25, people), isn't all that bad.
actualsize says:
09:24 AM, 03/31/08
The 2008 Sienna is EPA-rated at 17 city / 23 highway. If you are getting 23 in the city, you must be going downhill all the time. ;-)