2004 Scion xB

When you think of the primary mode of transport for a king of old, what comes to mind? A fancy carriage, no doubt, drawn by a phalanx of fine steeds and topped with a driver and perhaps a footman or two. But imagine if you will, that a young king, dashing in the way that all young kings were dashing, had access to modern technology. Do you think he'd bump the royal rump in a noisy, horse-drawn box of wood? As the king himself might say, we think not. He'd rather be seen in something like Robert Aguirre's Scion xB, which boasts a kingly combination of good looks and great sound, thanks in part to the geniuses at SoCal's Competition Soundworks.

Scion has made its name on unique body styles and plenty of options for customization, including paint. Aguirre's xB arrived from the factory sweltering with an orange hot lava color scheme, so a trip to the paint shop was unnecessary. Instead Aguirre added molded fog lights, a custom grille, carbon-fiber hood, molded rear bumper and custom dual exhaust. An Espelir suspension and tough-looking Giovanna rims give the normally utilitarian xB a tougher outlook on life. Modifications were also made under the hood, including the addition of an AEM cold-air intake, carbon-fiber valve cover and a DC Sport header.

Just Dashing
The centerpiece of the dash-indeed, the whole car-is a 10.2-inch SAVV LM-X1020W monitor, placed front and center and flanked by two vents. It's almost too much-that huge monitor custom installed and crowding out the head unit-but somehow it works, royally setting off the entire interior. Directly below the monitor are the car's climate controls and, below that, the custom-installed head unit. A Kenwood eXcelon XXV-01D is hidden behind a fold-down front, which adds a nice touch of stealth. A Kenwood KCA-iP500 iPod adapter ensures that Aguirre will never be without tons of audio options (the iPod rides in the glove box when not being handled). A Waves MaxxBass system, hidden away, adds just the right touch of bass equalization.

Let's Kick It
The xB may be boxy, which is a boon to the bass, but there's still the conundrum of how to get good sound up front. Aguirre and the guys at Competition Soundworks decided to double up the speakers. Seven inches was the magic size for the midbass drivers, but Aguirre wasn't able to find any he liked from the world of car audio, so he used a set of home speakers: a pair of 7" Focal midbass drivers. They were installed in custom kick panels, crafted from fiberglass and MDF, at the feet of both driver and front passenger. The car's main computer brain had to be relocated to the glove box to make room for the panels. Hifonics Atlas AS6.5CL 6 1/2" speakers were dropped into the factory door locations to handle the highs.