Clearly, these cars are improved in most ways but will they drive away some of Scion's core buyers?
"I think the answer is yes," said Brain Moody road test editor for Edmunds.com, "but they obviously were going for a broader appeal"
The customers Scion risks losing may not have been, from a business standpoint, the most desirable.
"Yes, they will alienate that tiny market that was there before, the market for 1.4-liter really tiny vans," said Jim Hossack, a consultant with automotive market researchers AutoPacific.
As you might guess, Hossack isn't terribly concerned that this might harm Scion's future prospects.
Besides, a car brand that relies on being hip and cool needs to move on at some point because coolness turns sour quickly. Better to go back to the basics.
"Most people will find the new xB a more satisfying vehicle to drive," Hossack said.
Scions core owner group is also aging. That means their needs and wants will change, said Dave Terebessy, a market analyst CSM Worldwide.
"Generation Y has actually been in the workforce for several years now," he said.
A few improvements and a little loss in fuel economy probably won't drive them away, but the new cars will open the brand up to owners who might not have wanted to deal with the old versions
"It's really about whether the brand delivers on its core values," said Terebessy.
And the cars are still edgy, cheap and relatively efficient.
