Hot, Then Not

MINI Cooper
Cute as your kid sister, cheekily affordable, ashamed to be seen at gas pumps, the new MINI zoomed out of the garage both retro and hip, and has kept revved up with a never-ending series of special editions. And unlike the confused or half-baked Thunderbird, the MINI—both the original and the redux—has never been anything but a pocket rocket.

 

HEY STEPHANIE!
MINIxB

Scion xB (From the same article)
Feeling a raging urge to attract young guys with sagging pants, Toyota spawned Scion. Its hippest urban box, the xB made all the papers in a major way but its "my shoes came in this" vibe has lost its newsy punch. The square panel truck built on an economy car chassis never majored with its target audience, but those wanting inexpensive wheels with the utility of a cardboard box made some sales. Even those that bit might admit—once the marketing hip-hype wore off—that the main description is "ugly."

 

Well, there ya go.

 

They're not a truck. They're a UUV (urban utility vehicle). And I love my ugly box on wheels. And my "inexpensive" wheels. (apparently they haven't seen how much the TRD ones cost ) And, I'm not a guy and I don't wear sagging pants so I think they missed with that part. Whoever wrote that needs to go to some Scion shows and check out who's driving the B's.

 

Here's a tasty tidbit:

"the H2 is now the redneck's parade float."

 

They also claim that the Solstice has dropped in demand - wish they had published sales numbers.

 

From what I've seen of the xB's out here, that article description fits perfectly.

 

Around here, the xB's seem to be driven by an older group of people. I get the feeling that the typical customer wants a minivan, is past the stage of needing to carry a lot of children around, and realizes that the Scion is a smaller economical alternative to the more expensive Toyota minivans. Some are also used to deliver flowers and such.

 

That seems to be what the Honda Element is out west.

 

...add the PT Cruiser, Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe, HHR, CRV, Vue...

 

I recently saw a couple de-badged Pontiac Azteks. Dude, you can remove the badge, but it's still fugly. I am not alone in this.

 

"...the MINI—both the original and the redux—has never been anything but a pocket rocket." I would argue w/ the author on this point. It is a typical perception I often lament.

 

I agree.

Mine's more of a pocket-guided missile.

 

That Potniac= Jabba the hut meets Scion XB