I just got done reading Edmunds review of the new Scion (Toyota) xB. If you don't follow the car market, Toyota is launching a new brand this year that is intended to target "the Millenium" generation. The xB is basically a small box on small wheels. It is intentionally edgy, and it is designed from the get-go to be customized, al a SEMA.
As a older dude (I am 33-which makes me an early gen-X person), I couldn't be more repelled by these things. It is everything I don't want in a car:
-Over-styled: looks dumb in three years and gets cops attention.
-Tall: I want my butt as close to the ground as possible when I am driving. Function over form: low center of gravity is what counts.
-Boxy: Aerodynamics.
-Weak: The thing has 108 hp. Now, if your are the sensitive type, stop reading. There. Now. What kind of emasculated freak of a early twenties male would even think about a car with 108 hp. How can 108 hp be desireable to young people?
So. What do Apolytoners think? Edmunds has a big forum, but it is populated pretty much by car freaks, so opionions there are a bit slanted. I thought I would check out a larger segment of the population to see what they think. Am I just too old to get it? Is this just a case of reactionary marketing (different, even if worse, is cool)?
As a older dude (I am 33-which makes me an early gen-X person), I couldn't be more repelled by these things. It is everything I don't want in a car:
-Over-styled: looks dumb in three years and gets cops attention.
-Tall: I want my butt as close to the ground as possible when I am driving. Function over form: low center of gravity is what counts.
-Boxy: Aerodynamics.
-Weak: The thing has 108 hp. Now, if your are the sensitive type, stop reading. There. Now. What kind of emasculated freak of a early twenties male would even think about a car with 108 hp. How can 108 hp be desireable to young people?
So. What do Apolytoners think? Edmunds has a big forum, but it is populated pretty much by car freaks, so opionions there are a bit slanted. I thought I would check out a larger segment of the population to see what they think. Am I just too old to get it? Is this just a case of reactionary marketing (different, even if worse, is cool)?
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