cool i will definitely be reading your thread! ive gotten only through page 1 so far and immediately i have to say something. sure the xB is not going to win any quarter mile races and i have never been a power type of person, but I love a fun to drive good handling car and i find the xB to be a LOT of fun to drive (with some suspension upgrades), and there is enough pep to get it out of the corners quick enough to induce a smile
my dad told me a long time ago that it is more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. my car is equipped with hotchkis springs, trd japan struts, and hotchkis sway bars and it really is a lot of fun. i used to autox an rx8 for 3 years, a miata for 2.5 years, and am now running my friend's mr2 (1st gen) just started. i still maintain that the xB is one of my favorite cars of all time because it is so much fun to drive, gets excellent FE, and is so big on the inside yet looks small on the outside. plus i think it looks nice =P
i do agree w/ your statement about motorcycles though. I ride 600s which get excellent FE, look cool, go fast in a straight line (though i ride slow anyway), and I can park it just about anywhere. the things i dont like about motorcycles is riding in the rain and that i hear though they get better FE, they are more polluting. i hope that changes soon