Scion xB, Nissan cube, Kia Soul Comparison

Not many new models create a separate category. Yet, that's what happened when Scion—Toyota's youth division—launched its boxy little first-generation xB for 2004. Squared-off vehicles had hit the market before, but few ever took off like this Scion. Four years later, Scion had a bigger, less boxy, second-generation xB at dealerships, keeping the market to itself a while longer. In spring 2009, though, a pair of competitors reached the youth-market scene, supplied by Kia and Nissan.


How do these three differ from the compact crossover-wagon pack, and from other compact-size cars? Mainly in appearance: None of them look like a mini-SUV or a tall station wagon. Each exhibits greater design flair than, say, a Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V. Perhaps most important for youthful buyers, each is amenable to personalization. Their makers promote availability of factory-supplied accessories, and the aftermarket promises even more ways to customize every xB, Soul, or cube.


They're cute, they're clever—but they're also sensible. To the surprise of Scion’s parent company Toyota, the boxy little first-generation xB attracted an audience that was not limited to young folks. Utility is what attracts a surprising number of older buyers—Baby Boomers and beyond. Getting in and out is easy. Visibility is unimpaired. Still, the intended audience is Generation-Y shoppers in their 20s, sometimes called "Echo Boomers," typically immersed in urban lifestyles.

The Competition

The second-generation Scion xB gained a little more size and power, as well as a wider audience.

Scion introduced the second-generation xB for 2008. Nissan launched its cube as a late 2009 model. Kia sent its Soul to dealerships as an early 2010 vehicle. Nissan had marketed two previous versions of the cube, but only in Japan.


Larger and more powerful, and considerably curvier, the current xB lost some quirkiness compared to the original. Though it looks a lot bigger, adding inches and rounding off the squared edges hasn't extracted the early xB's inherent charm, instead transforming it into a vehicle with more universal appeal. Scion leads the group in cargo space: 69.9 cubic feet with second-row seats folded, and 21.7 with all seats up.


Though the Soul's platform is unique, it's derived from Kia's subcompact Rio. Described as "edgy and confident," smaller than xB, the Soul features a rounded nose and flared-back headlamps. Kia needed "the ability to stand out in a sea of sameness," said marketing vice-president Michael Sprague. Suspension tuning aims squarely at an American audience.


Nissan has taken an especially adventurous path with the new cube (Nissan shuns the initial capital letter), which truly looks like nothing else on the road. Unlike nearly every passenger vehicle marketed in the U.S., the cube is asymmetrical: not identical on each side of its front-to-back center line. At the rear, a thick roof pillar is visible only on one side of the car.


Instead of a liftgate, cube has a side-opening rear door. Tall windows give the driver "city-friendly" visibility. Said to be inspired by the image of a "bulldog in sunglasses," cube styling is admittedly "polarizing," according to Nissan. Seats-up cargo space is smaller in the cube than the competition, at only 11.4 cubic feet.


Scion's xB has the longest wheelbase of the group at 102.4 inches, and at 167.3 inches, it's the longest overall. Measuring 156.7 inches long, on a 99.5-inch wheelbase, Nissan's cube is more than 10 inches shorter than the xB. Kia's Soul falls between the two. Kia notes that its Soul weighs more than 300 pounds less than a Scion xB. Nissan's cube is tallest at 65 inches—but Soul/xB come close.

Engines, Transmissions, and Mileage

Kia’s new Soul starts life as a 2010 model released in early ’09 takes aim at the xB market while maintaining its own style of unique.

Kia gives buyers a choice of two four-cylinder engines. A 120-horsepower 1.6-liter, offered only with five-speed manual shift, goes into the base model. All other Soul models get a 2.0-liter four-cylinder that produces 142 horsepower and 137 pound-feet of torque, working with either a manual gearbox or four-speed automatic transmission. Kia estimates fuel economy at 26 mpg city/31 mpg highway with the smaller engine. A 2.0-liter Soul with automatic earns a fuel-economy estimate of 24 mpg city/30 mpg highway.