With a name like Cube, you would expect an interior of great utility. It’s not, however, a name that conjures up thoughts of extreme comfort. In reality the Cube’s interior lives up to its utilitarian suggestions while surprising with a large degree of comfort. Climbing into a car called Cube, I was almost expecting a square shaped steering wheel. Again, Nissan’s ironic sense of humor is carried through the interior. Everything is rounded edges, gentle curves, and circles. There are concentric rings covering the roof, on the speaker covers, and on the bottom of each cup holder. The dash is wave shaped, cresting in the center of the car and falling away in front of the driver and passenger seats, and curving back out to meet the doors. The climate controls are laid out in a circle around the circular display. It’s a neat idea, but a little impractical as the controls and screen are mounted too low to adjust at a glance. On top of the dash is a round bit of shag carpeting. I guess the idea is to provide a place to toss phones or mp3 players, but the Cube provides plenty of little compartments and storage accessories that I would imagine would be more effective at keeping objects secure. There are several cup holders throughout. I especially like the one placed to the left of the steering wheel, made possible by the curve of the dash. Another one of the Cube’s unique storage solutions are the bungee cords that string across the door pulls. These are handy for securing event tickets, parking passes, or small stuffed animals. Nissan also offers hooks and pouches that can be mounted around the interior to provide additional stowage for small items.
When it comes to stowing large items, the interior of the Cube is able to handle a large assortment of items. If your large items include three friends, the Cube welcomes them with ease. The seats are very comfortable, but do lack lateral support. But if tearing up canyon roads is on your priority list, the Cube probably isn’t. Leg room in all four positions is adequate even for my six foot frame. There is a center seat belt in back suggesting that it could handle a fifth passenger, but it would be best left for a child. The rear hatch, which is hinged on the driver side of the car, swings wide open to accommodate just about anything. The only caveat there is the lift height is not insubstantial. Nissan claims interior cargo room at 11.4 cubic feet behind the rear seats. This can increase to 58.1 with the seats folded. The seats, however, do not fold flush with the floor. Nissan does offer a cargo organizer for the back that creates both a level surface with the folded rear seats and also provides covered storage below including a locking compartment. For those concerned about access to the rear, Nissan has engineered three indents in the travel of the door to hold it open a just a little, half way, or fully open depending on the available clearance.
The Cube is also well equipped. The model I drove was the 1.8 SL with the Preferred Package. All trim levels are equipped with a 1.8 liter four cylinder. The primary transmission is Nissan’s Xtronic CVT. A six speed manual is available on the 1.8 and 1.8 S models only. The transmission works well. The concept of the CVT, or Continuously Variable Transmission, is to eliminate the traditional gears of a conventional automatic, instead using a belt to create a virtually unlimited number of ratios while eliminating the shift shock of a conventional automatic. This allows the Cube to get up to speed quickly while also improving efficiency beyond that of even the manual transmission. The Cube is rated at 24 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway with the manual transmission. These figures increase to 28 mpg and 30 mpg respectively when equipped with the CVT. All models come standard with 6 airbags, Vehicle Dynamic Control, Traction Control, and Anti-Lock Brakes to help keep you safe and in control in adverse situations.
The SL model upgrades the interior to include the Automatic Temperature Control with the stylish center controls. The SL also includes an upgraded stereo with MP3 capabilities and an interface for your iPod. The Premium Package further upgrades the sound system with upgraded speakers and tweeters as well as a subwoofer mounted in the rear door. Premium Package upgrades also include audio controls on the steering wheel, satellite radio, Bluetooth, and a rear sonar backup system. The best feature of the Premium Pack would arguably be the Nissan Intelligent Key with push button ignition. This allows you to approach the car with the key fob in your pocket, unlock the door with the button on the door handle, climb in, and press the starter button. The key never has to leave your pocket. When you arrive at your destination, simply press the ignition button again to stop the engine, hop out, and press the button on the handle to lock all of the doors.
Driving the Cube is also a pleasant experience. While it looks like it would be a top heavy it actually handles fairly well. The ride is pleasant. The chassis feels stiff enough, initially anyways, to prevent squeaks. A long term test would be necessary to see how it stands up over time. Body roll is pretty apparent but it never feels like it’s going to fall over itself. The engine and CVT provide decent thrust and for the vehicle’s intended purpose should satisfy most customers. The instrument panel is apparently inspired after the Earth and Moon with the speedometer (Earth) surrounded in blue while the tachometer (Moon) is surrounded in grey. The effect is not unpleasant but looks poorly implemented. The colors are not provided by back lighting as you would expect in a luxury sedan, but instead are more or less printed on the surface allowing you to see the gradient between the two. The instruments themselves are very easy to read, but the way it is designed reminds you that this is an inexpensive vehicle.
Speaking of price, the Cube starts at a very reasonable $13,990 for the base 1.8 model. The model I drove was the upper mid level 1.8 SL including the Premium Package which goes for $16,790 plus $1,600 for the premium package. The top level Krōm model includes the Premium Package accommodations but adds a unique body kit, interior cloth, and special alloy wheels and starts at $19,370. Combining comfort and utility for this kind of price makes the Cube a suitable vehicle for those craving practicality. Combining its uniqueness and styling, if a bit ironic, appeals to those looking for individuality in their vehicle. By effectively mixing all of these qualities in one solid package, Nissan has created a vehicle that should be very desirable to a variety of people as the buyer trends continue to move toward smaller, more economical rides.
