[ryeguy]

I've only had my xB since April, so this is my first winter with my baby.

I've noticed when it's sat in the cold (like overnight) there are a couple of issues until it "warms up":

1) Manual shifting is sticky/clunky, especially shifting from 1st to 2nd.
2) When idling, the engine runs high. It normally idles around 500-600 rpm, but when it's cold, it idles close to 1600rpm, at least until it warms up from driving.

Are these things normal? Is the high revving "by design" to get the engine to warm up faster?

 

[Hellen4Wheels]

...and, when it's below 50, mine idles really rough.

 

[dargo21]

I've noticed with mine, especially the past few days with cold mornings, that it runs with a higher rpm until it warms up, usually between 1600-2000rpm. I have the automatic so I can't comment on the sticky shifting (I'm assuming you're not talking about the pseudo-manual shifting with the autos).

 

[Maytag]

Those ECM's or "car computers" are pretty darn smart. Most newer cars will idle slightly higher when cold until reaching preferred operating temp. I will admit that 1600 RPM does sound a little high.

I've also never had a manual tranny that wasn't slightly sluggish when cold out, until it warmed up a bit.

 

[TartanJack]

Remember:
Our engines and trannies have oil in them. That oil is thicker when colder and thinner when hotter (the nature of oil). The reason we have 2 numbers on oil is how that particular compound acts when cold and hot.
The engine and tranny SHOULD be a bit "stiff" when cold, as you are pushing the parts around in the cold oil.
That is ALSO the reason why it isn't generally advisable to "push" a cold engine and vehicle (think of all the fluids in different systems).

My Miata has the same problem, mainly because the shifter goes directly into the tranny. As the xB uses a cable link between the shifter and the tranny, I'm not sure how that changes the feel of the cold (if at all).