When I picked up the Scion XB 2008, I didn’t know what to expect, as it was my first time in a Scion. I figured I would have a problem driving comfortably in it as I am a young Polynesian female whose six feet tall. Surprisingly, I sat in and adjusted my driver’s seat and fit just fine. I adjusted my mirrors and loaded my music ready to set sail on interstate freeway 405.

The XB comes fully equipped with an A 2.4 Liter 16 valve in-line 4-cylinder engine with Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence (VVT-I) technology. What this means is that it gives great horsepower to weight ratio. As I was driving towards Downtown LA the pick up was like telling a horse to "giddy up."

Stuck in afternoon traffic on the 110 freeway towards Pasadena, I enjoyed the standard equipped Pioneer Audio System that the XB comes with. AM/FM, CD Stereo with wide variety of audio formats. There is an IPOD Connector in the middle console. As I enjoying the reggae sounds of Beres Hammond, I was approaching downtown and exited to pick up my sister’s flower girl dresses for her upcoming wedding, on Maple and Pico in the heart of the Fashion District.

Black Berry Crush was the color that they gave me to test out and as I cut through downtown onto the freeway entrance of the 110 Pasadena, it boogied from zero to 60 mph in just 8.6 seconds. This young and vibrant vehicle feels like a sports car in a box on the freeway but the safety features comes with an impressive array of standard safety specifications including antilock brakes, stability control, traction control, front seat side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags.

It gives me re-assurance that Toyota’s safety features have carried over into their young hip Scion products. I needed to pull over and put my laptop bag in the backseat and I decided to sit in the back. I was impressed that I fit very nicely in the back, too, considering my height. Two DVD players were mounted in the passenger’s headrests with available wireless headsets for people to enjoy. So, I picked up my niece and nephew and wanted to give them movie car experience. They giggled and laughed at their movie and I thought it was a great way to keep them in line while driving for an hour.

The MSRP for the 2008 Scion XB is: Manual: $16,370 / Automatic: $17,320. It’s a great vehicle for high school and college students whether in high school or college. It's affordable and the gas is 22 mpg city/ 28 mpg freeway but when I had the opportunity to drive it, it gave me up to 30 mpg on the freeway. So, you never know.

To borrow Scion’s motto: "Think inside the Box and see where it takes you."