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A few weeks ago Josh, Matt, and I test-drove the new Scion xB. Josh is 15 and he’ll soon want to get a car, so I figured it would be helpful for him to see what’s new. Although I was disappointed that Toyota/Scion didn’t produce a car as outrageous as the concept car, the 2008 xB turned out to be impressive.

The previous xB was built off the Toyota Echo platform, which was a super-compact car that was super-canceled because nobody bought it. The new xB is built off the Toyota Camry platform, which is an impressive foundation. Afterall, the Camry is one of the most reliable, stable cars of the past 20 years. This means the new xB is larger: a foot longer in length and three inches wider.

The engine is much more peppy than the first generation xB. It has a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine from the Scion’s sporty coupe, the tC. It’s worth an extra 55 horsepower, now at 158 total. I enjoyed playing with the four-speed sequential automatic transmission. If you’ve never driven a car that’s set up like this, you’re missing out. It’s all the fun of a stick shift whenever you want it (passing, racing) but not when it’d annoy you (traffic).

The best part of the xB is that it’s really a Camry, except it’s not boring and not as expensive.

The custom xB on the bottom has new wheels, lowered suspension, and aftermarket GroundFX.

I know that small cars aren’t too sexy, and most car magazines and blogs ignore them for this reason. But there will always be a need for compact cars, so it’s worth drawing attention to companies that are making them and making them look cool.

Here are three concept cars from Chevrolet that I’m pretty excited about.

Chevy Groove concept, xB protege

Chevy Trax concept, almost rustic

Chevy Beat concept, would look good if it were really fast.

Marc Newson’s Small Car

Back in 1999 I was an Industrial Design student at Georgia Tech, and the buzz in all the I.D. magazines Ford’s 021c Concept by London designer Marc Newson.

The round-car revolution was coming to an end, so Newson’s style never rubbed off on any other Ford vehicles. Beginning in model year 2000, most cars became “wind-swept” or “new edge.” But his o21c concept is still stylish and clever.

Slick as a bar of soap.

I wonder why the rotating front seat has never caught on. I always love the suicide doors.

I suspect Marc Newson took inspiration from the small cars of the early 1970s. Keep in mind, this is the era when muscle cars ruled the streets.

Japan’s 1971 Datsun 510 still have a cult following with aftermarket racers. Photos from 510garage.com

You can’t keep your mouth shut when you have a big engine.

A sparkling, super fast new engine.

The 1971(?) Volkswagon Type 3 Notchback shared the same rear-engine as the Beetle. So all luggage was stored under the hood.