The family car: Crossover appeal

Whether you're looking for a car for your kid or a car to make you feel like a kid, consider Toyota's Scion xB. The xB is by far the best performer of the tall-profile front-wheel-drive cars on the market, a category that includes the Chevrolet HHR and the Honda Element.

It's fuel efficient, practical and inexpensive (about the price of a tiny hatchback or sedan). Also, unlike the folksy HHR, the xB - with its unabashedly ugly boxlike exterior - has attitude to spare. Just like Junior.

The Scion used to be small and kind of slow. But the new second-generation version is roomier, thanks to a one-foot increase in length. (It still has plenty of storage cubbies, making it perfect for the drive to college.) The 2008 model gets a stronger engine as well.

The new xB also feels more substantial, though it's still light enough to be fun to drive in the city or on the highway. Think the xB sounds pretty sweet? You're not alone: Although it's targeted at young urbanites, 58% of buyers are 35 and up - proof that it's hip to be square at any age.

NEXT: The green machine: Ford Escape Hybrid