Faults:

Absolutely nothing. I had to replace the battery because I left an interior light on for 2 days and killed it.

General Comments:

We love, love, love our xB. You can haul lumber, furniture, stoves, and mother in laws.

I have owned this vehicle for almost 2 years with about 35000 ks driven since purchase. I run full synthetic oil and change it religiously every 5000 ks. She is treated with KROWN rustrooping every year.

She has been from Nova Scotia to Manitoba and has served us very well. Never seen a hook, never seen the inside of a mechanical garage aside from said oil changes.

I love this car so much, I am going to buy my wife an xB. I have driven Toyotas for more than 40 years. I would not touch a domestic car with all their plastic manifolds and gaskets garbage. No wonder they all need a bailout.

If they could stop ripping people off as well with their garbage transmissions, they might just earn the trust of the market. But then again when you purchase anything these days, trust is a risky business.

Once upon a time, the engineers made good cars (sorta). Nowadays, the bean counters have destroyed the industry.

Toyotas are not the perfect car. However, they will outlast anything the domestics have to offer.

Faults:

One of the brake calipers was sticky, causing uneven wear

General Comments:

I bought this car to replace my Toyota Matrix that was written off. In the two plus years that I've owned it, I've only had one problem - when it was in for an oil change, the mechanic gave it a once-over and found that one of the brake pads had stuck, causing uneven wear.

The fuel economy is OK, but not great - it's not the most aerodynamic vehicle. I average 8.6L/100km in mixed city/highway driving, on all season and winter tires. It doesn't help that it came with a sport muffler that makes a nice noise when I put my foot down.

The upright seating position makes it quite comfortable to drive, and it easily fits my 6'2" frame. The ergonomics of the car are fantastic - it is far roomier inside than my Matrix was. My wife, who is 6' tall, can sit in the back seats and her knees don't touch the seat in front. No other car in its class that I test drove could match that. It's also easy to get my kids in and out of their car seats in the back. My only complaint is that it isn't the quietest car on the highway - a fair amount of road noise comes in.

It's got a decent amount of power, and I haven't had any issues getting up to speed on the highway, even when fully loaded with passengers and cargo (I don't think I'll be winning many drag races though). The 4 speed auto is adequate, but I'd be happier if it had an extra gear. I always use winter tires in the winter, and have had no issues driving in inclement weather.

Speaking of cargo, this is where the car excels. With the rear seats folded down, the cargo area is cavernous, thanks to its boxy shape.

In short, when I bought it, I was looking for a reliable vehicle that I could fit lots of cargo in for work, and that would comfortably fit myself and my family, and that is what I got.

Faults:

The belts, the exterior.

General Comments:

The car handles terrible in snow.

There are a lot of flimsy plastic parts that easily break.

The lower front bumper grille has two separate pieces that fall out if you hit a pot hole (look at other xBs on the road, and you will notice this).

The hatch release breaks easily if a minimum amount of pressure is applied (another thing you will see on other xBs out on the road, although less frequent than the lower grille pieces).

The plastic pieces on bumper front and back will crack and break easy if it is cold and you run into any snow on the road, because it sits so low.

There is no belt tensioner, you have to tighten the belt by hand. Because there is no belt tensioner, the belt loosens and you need to re-tighten every so often.

In order to change the lower belt, you need to remove a plastic cover on the underside and remove the passenger front tire in order to get to the belt. I have not been impressed with this vehicle at all.