2008 Scion xB

"Let it be known that I liked the gen-one xB, looks and all," notes Truck Trend art director Thomas Voehringer, "because its persona was appropriately funky for its time." And Version 2.0? "My family still views this new xB as an ugly box, but I like it even more than the original. The aggressive restyle, combined with increased power delivery, edges the xB into a more sporting niche. The squinty fascia oozes attitude. The raked profile looks much meaner than the pedestrian pile of boxes of the first-gen.

And Toyota's 158-horsepower, 2.4-liter (finally!) adds the necessary oomph to motivate the xB in a manner befitting its new facade," he goes on, "especially given the additional bulk." And, as Voehringer quickly learned, that additional bulk hasn't diminished handling: "Some high winds grabbed a large plastic trash can and blew it across the freeway, directly in my path-the xB handled a snap lane change without a shudder or squeal. Nice!"