SAFETY | 9 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
'Good,' frontal offset; 'good,' side impact; ‘good,’ rear impact; ‘good,’ roof strength; Top Safety Pick
IIHS
Not yet rated
NHTSA
Toyota has set its sights on younger drivers for the Scion xB; and with strong crash-test scores and a solid set of safety feature, parents have nothing to steer clear of here.
The 2013 Scion xB has all the safety features that you'll find in competitive vehicles around this size and price. Front, side, and side-curtain airbags are all included, and the stability control system can only be temporarily disengaged at speeds below 35 mph—to get out of a snowy driveway, for instance.
Although the Scion xB hasn't been rated in recent model years in the federal NCAP tests, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has given the xB a "good" rating for all its crash tests; it's also been an IIHS Top Safety Pick.
We recommend that you take a good look around when test-driving the xB. That's because the wide rear pillars create a substantial blind spot for most drivers—although we think that some might not be bothers by it.Conclusion
Either by the crash-test ratings or by the feature set, the Scion xB is a very safe vehicle.
