Though the Cube has been selling overseas for over 10 years, Nissan has curiously waited until the 2009 model year to offer it to its US customers. Nissan brings the Cube to the US market with two main competitors in the mix, the all-new Kia Soul and the second generation Scion xB. With Nissan having had more experience making small urban wagons than either Kia or Scion, the Cube should have no problems competing in this market of small boxy wagons...

Like the Scion xB and the Kia Soul, the Nissan Cube is a tall and boxy front-wheel-drive 5-door wagon geared for those who appreciate at least one of the following elements- economy, utility, or just good ole bozotic styling. This year the Cube is offered in four basic trim levels: Base, S, SL, and the top-of-the-line Krom. All trims get fitted with the same motor, a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder that makes just 122 horsepower and an equally disappointing 127 lb.-ft of torque. This engine can be coupled to either a 6-speed manual gearbox in the Base model (no automatic transmission is available on the Base trim), or an optional CVT automatic for the S trim. The up-level SL and Krom trim levels can only be had with Nissan's CVT automatic.

Styling:

The styling trend in the off-beat wagon segment has undoubtedly moved more toward conventional design schemes. The new Kia Soul for example offers an almost quirkless design that is likely to offend nobody, and Scion's once wacky xB is now (after being redesigned in 2008) almost incapable of receiving a second glance from passerby due to its more routine shape. The Cube, however brings all the weirdness and controversy of the boxy urban wagon back to this segment. Like the 1st generation Scion xB, the Cube is shaped much like an oversized shipping box, but with enough bizzaraties to make even the 1st generation xB appear bland. Nissan has used a few styling tactics to achieve said weirdness. For starters, Nissan has given the Cube ovoid windows in favor of the typical wedge shape window frame. With the contrast of the Cube's boxy sheetmetal these rounded windows give the Cube a cartoonish flavor that, according to Nissan, are supposed to mimic picture frames. The Cube also gets a highly animated front fascia that tells a story of all things playful: a far cry from the all-business front fascia's of the Kia Soul and ScionxB. The most odd styling element, however can be found at the Cube's rear-end. Nissan has used wraparound glass to conceal the passenger side C pillar yielding an asymmetrical shape that I have yet to see on another vehicle. All said, Nissan has achieved their obvious goal of creating a brow raising design, a design that should be welcomed by anyone who doesn't mind expressing their inner clown via automotive design.

Performance: SL CVT

Acceleration:

Being equipped with an engine making less than 125 horsepower made to move a mass of nearly 2,900 lbs, Nissan obviously didn't gear its Cube for those who have a need for speed. While the Cube's small motor feels entirely adequate for jaunting around town at a leisurely pace, this engine requires every breath it has just to achieve highway speeds- the Cube's 140 MPH speedometer is perhaps even more comical than its exterior design. Stab the Cube's throttle to the floor and there is enough oomph below the 55 MPH mark, but once you exceed the low speeds of town the Cubes engine struggles to accommodate this vehicle's hefty curb weight and its poor aerodynamic shape. That said, I couldn't help but wonder if it could have been possible for Nissan to have used the Sentra's larger and more powerful 2-liter engine for some added highway merging confidence. To add insult to injury the Cube doesn't offer much in the way of engine refinement, either. I do appreciate that the Cube's engine provides a smooth vibration-free idle and decent throttle response at low speeds, however this motor is fussy anytime the throttle is provoked and is unforgivably noisy in the upper rev range. In comparison to its main rivals from Kia and Scion, the Cube's engine ranks comparable in quality (or lack thereof) to he 2.0-liter in the Soul, but the Scion xB has a huge advantage in both engine prowess and refinement.

Transmission:

Where both the Scion xB and the Kia Soul get dated 4-speed automatic transmissions, the Nissan Cube receives a more modern CVT (or continuously variable transmission). Though I'm generally not a fan of CVT transmissions in sporty cars, the CVT works excellently in the Cube. The Cube's CVT is smooth and does and excellent job keeping its motor in an appropriate power-band for the task at hand. This is especially important for the Cube as it's working with a barely adequate engine. If there is one gripe that I have with the Cube's CVT it would be the lack of steering wheel mounted paddle shifters. For those who crave a manual gearbox, the Base and S trim levels do come standard with a 6-speed manual gearbox. However, I have used this gearbox in the Nissan Versa and it's not exactly the paradigm of refinement, being plagued with a rubbery shifter coupled with overly long throws.

Handling:

Being a tall and boxy vehicle equipped with an uninspiring rear torsion beam suspension and tiny 195/55 16" all-season tires (smaller 15" wheels come on the Base and S trim) you might expect that the Cube doesn't handle very well. Unfortunately there are no surprises here- the Cube handles much like the tall ill proportioned wagon that it is. The Cube pitches and wallows when tossed around the slightest of bends in the road and understeer rears its ugly head far too early in the game. Couple the Cube's lazy handling to its numb and over-assisted steering and Nissan has successfully made its competitors from both Kia and Scion feel like bonafied sport wagons in comparison.

Ride quality/ On the highway: 


Where both the Kia Soul and the Scion xB come equipped with relatively taught chassis, the Cube receives a softer suspension that makes driving over rough pavement a bit more bearable. driving over rough pavement the Cube soaks up road imperfections surprisingly well: not once did I feel the ride was overly jarring.    


  Save for some mild wind noise at speeds over 60 MPH, the Cube offers an adeqautely quiet ride on the highway: engine and general road noises are kept isolated from the cabin (so long as the terrain is flat). The Cube's ability to haul its occupants in a hushed environment, however quickly deteriorates anytime the engine is asked for additional power. Stab the throttle on a hill for example and the Cube's engine stresses hard to maintain highway speeds and does so with harsh audible complaint: ditto that when the Cube needs to make quick passing maneuvers on the highway. This being the case, if your daily communte includes a lot of mountainous travel the Nissan Cube might just be best avoided.

Fuel economy:
 
Though the Cube has a small and modestly powered 4-banger, fuel economy is sadly just average for this class.  With an EPA estimated rating of 28-MPG city/30-MPG highway with the automatic and 24 MPG-city/ 29-MPG highway with the 6-speed manual (yep, the automatic gets better gas mileage than the manual)  the Cube receives economy comparable to larger vehicles on the road, i.e. a mid-size Honda Accord EX. To be fair, the Cube does offer slightly better fuel numbers than either of its boxy competitors from Kia and Scion, however a 30 MPG rating from an economy wagon is certainly nothing to write home about.  

Interior:

Styling & ergonomics:

Although Nissan likes to tout how unique and stylish the Cube's interior is, I found my SL's interior to be quite bland in comparison to its wacky exterior. This isn't such a bad thing, though. Get behind the Cube's steering wheel and the driver is greeted with a stark gray dash (a two tone dash is available) with no weird color schemes and no crazy shapes to distract the eyes. The few oddities that I could find were subtle, such as an integrated cup holder on the driver side of the dash (it's fully functional) and a rippled headliner that is supposed to mimic a rock being thrown into a pond. Again, I appreciate Nissan keeping things simple here. Everything in the Cube's cabin is located where it should be. The analog instrument gauge, for example, is located in front of the driver (instead of way of in center field as it is in the xB,) and all of the Cube's switchgear is completely accessible from the driver's seat.

Quality:

Over the past five or so years Nissan has shown extreme improvements in interior quality, so it comes as a big surprise that the Cube's interior materials feel more reminiscent of something out of a 1990s Kia than something from a post millennium Nissan product. Save for the solid feeling HVAC controls on the steering column and dash (the lower trims receive cheaper dial-type plastic switches, however), Nissan has not used one single soft touch or textured plastic in this car. The Cube's dash, for starters, is a menagerie of unevenly gaped hard touch and hollow feeling plastics. The quality of the dash and door paneling materials make any Honda or Toyota product feel BMW-like in comparison; even the new Kia Soul feels a few classes higher when it comes to interior quality. The worst offence, however, can be found on the Cube's door panels where Nissan has made no attempt at concealing screw heads: an unforgivable offence for a car being made sold for the 2009 model year. If there is one praise that I can give the Cube with regards to interior quality, it is its super-soft seat fabric. Nissan has given the Cube nicely textured seat fabric that feels excellent against the skin: this type of fabric should be used more often in economy cars.

Seats:

Although the Cube's front bucket seats are wrapped in soft fabric and are cozier than any seat has the right to be, Nissan apparently forgot that some consumers also like to be supported while driving. As if Nissan were inspired by the front bench seats out of a 1990s Chevy Caprice, the Cube is completely devoid of upper body and lower body bolsters. This complete lack of support goes virtually unnoticeable while driving on straight stretches on the highway, however on twisty roads the Cube's flat seats allow for too much body movement, resulting in a nervous driving experience at best.

Interior Room:

The Nissan Cube may only be 157" long (almost 5" shorter than the Honda Fit and almost 1 foot shorter than the Scion xB), however its interior offers an impressive amount of creature space. While the Cube's boxy dimensions don't do it any favors in the performance department, its boxy shape pays big dividends in terms of interior creature space. Up front there is plenty of head and leg room for 6 footers, and unlike some small economy wagons on the road there is plenty of room in the Cube's 2nd row for 3 full-sized adults. Nissan has also gone a step further to make rear passengers comfortable by allowing the rear seats to recline: something I have yet to see in another econo-cruiser with a base MSRP south of 14K.

While interior creature space is excellent, interior storage space ranks as merely average for this class. Though the Cube provides a big glove box, small bungee cord tie downs on the doors (for holding, perhaps, an air freshener or a parking ticket) 6 cup holders and rear seat-back storage, it curiously lacks a covered center console bin between the driver and passenger. Nissan also didn't place any Cubbies on the dash and while the map pockets on the front doors do have bottle holders, these map pockets are too shallow for much of anything else. The rear cargo area is also nothing to write home about. With just over 11 ft. of cargo space with the rear seats in their upright position, the Cube offers about half the storage capacity of wagons like the Honda Fit and Scion xB, making it useful for perhaps a few grocery bags. The Cube does feature 60/40 split seats that fold completely flat, so if you have no rear passengers the Cube has a potential cargo volume of a whopping 58 cu. ft. - enough for just about anything you'd expect to haul in a small SUV or wagon.

Embellishments:

All of the Cube's trims come adequately equipped, so if you decide to get the Base model you won't get stuck with a vehicle that has no stereo or AC . Even the Base trim comes equipped with amenities like power windows/locks, a multifunctional trip computer, AC with filter, 6-way manual seat adjustments, a 2-speaker stereo system with single disc CD, an aux jack, and a tilt steering wheel (it does not telescope, however). Nissan has also given every Cube a ton of safety features including traction control, a tire pressure monitoring system, ABS brakes, and front/side/curtain air bags. It should be noted, though, that if you opt for the Base model, Nissan doesn't allow for any available options save for mud flaps and few interior novelty items such as a shag rug mounted dash topper. Opt for the S trim ( add $700) and the Cube gets an upgraded sound system along with cruise control, map lights, upgraded seat fabric, a driver's arm rest, and the ability to get the CVT automatic gearbox (Nissan charges a whopping $1,000 for this transmission for the S trim). Opt for the SL trim (add $2,000 over the S trim) and Nissan upgrades the sound system further with a more acceptable 6-speaker single disc CD system with ipod interface, a standard CVT automatic, automatic climate control, and the ability to order virtually any option that Nissan makes available for the Cube. The king-of-the-hill Krom trim (add a little over $2,500 over the SL trim) is more of a beauty package than anything else. The Krom gets upgraded with unique interior fabric and body appliques such as a spoiler, a chrome grille, and unique alloy wheels. Interior features for the Krom include bluetooth, accented interior lighting, and an upgraded sound system with a Rockford Fosgate subwoofer. 

Price/Warranty:

With a starting MSRP of just $13,900 the Cube is only about $500 more than the Base Kia Soul, but about $1,800 less than a base model Scion xB. Similar to the Kia Soul, however, many consumers aren't going to want the Base Cube for two main reasons: it can only be had with a manual gearbox and there are virtually no available options. This being the case, the S trim level is more or less the base model for "everyone" and still comes in at an affordable $14,690 (with the manual) or about $200 less than a comparably equipped Kia Soul Plus. If you want everything the Cube has to offer in terms of embellishments and don't mind not having the option of a manual gearbox, the SL trim is the way to go at a cost of $16,790- or about the same price as a comparably equipped Base Scion xB and Kia Soul Exclaim. My Cube came with the SL preferred package ($1,600) which upgraded my Cube SL with fog lights, a leather steering wheel with audio controls, push-button start ignition, bluetooth, and an upgraded sound system with XM Satellite Radio and a Rockford Fosgate brand subwoofer-   audiophiles will probably want to upgrade this system, however everyone else will likely be content with the relatively crisp sound quality of this optional system. Altogether my SL came to just under $19,200, which put within a few hundred bucks of a comparably equipped top-of-the-line Kia Soul Sport . As mentioned, there is also the top-of-the-line Krom trim for $19,370, but if you can do without the body and interior appliqués the SL trim coupled with the SL-preferred package offers more bang for the buck. As for the Cube's warranty, the Cube receives a rather stingy 5-year/60,000 mile powertrain warranty and an even stingier 3 year-36,000 mile bumper-bumper warranty. While Nissan offers an extended warranty for an extra cost, a more generous standard warranty is in order here.

Final Verdict:

It's hard not to like the Nissan Cube, however it's equally as hard to fall head over hills with this thing. While the Cube boasts tons of personality, excellent interior space, a refined CVT transmission and plenty of standard amenities/ safety features, the Cube has just as many underpinnings. The Cube's engine is under-powered and noisy, it doesn't handle well, its interior quality is terrible, and the standard warranty rivals that of my $50 cordless telephone. Weighing out the pros and cons, I don't recommend the new Cube. Having a lot of character simply isn't enough of a reason to justify buying this vehicle over its more refined and more fun-to-drive competitors from Kia and Scion.



Thanks for reading!
Amount Paid (US$): 19,150
Condition: New
Model Year: 2009
Model and Options: SL, Preferred package CVT