2009 Nissan Cube 1.8 S. Click image to enlarge

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Review and photos by Jil McIntosh

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2009 Nissan Cube

Oshawa, Ontario – I just love little Japanese tchotchkes. As a result of numerous trips to Asian stores in Toronto, my office is scattered with all manner of rubber sushi rolls, anime characters, plastic creatures and, of course, way too much Hello Kitty. Needless to say, the Nissan Cube was a perfect fit.

This odd-looking five-seater is new to Canada for 2009, but our model is actually the third generation of a nameplate that first appeared in Japan in 1998. Its styling comes over virtually unchanged which, depending on personal taste, will either have you flocking to it, or using the same word in front of “ugly” that my neighbour did when she saw it, and which I can’t print here.

The Cube is based on the Nissan Versa hatchback, and uses that model’s 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine. With a starting price of $16,998 for my S tester, it’s considerably more than the Versa hatchback, which starts at $13,998. But the Cube comes much better equipped: standard equipment includes air conditioning, power locks with keyless entry, and power windows, which are extra-charge on the Versa, along with cruise control and an auxiliary jack for the stereo, which are unavailable on the base Versa hatchback.

2009 Nissan Cube 1.8 S. Click image to enlarge

Both the Versa and Cube have six airbags and active front head restraints, but anti-lock brakes are standard on the Cube, and optional on the base Versa hatchback. Nissan also puts electronic stability control on both trim lines of the Cube (the upper-line SL is $20,698), but it’s unavailable on any Versa.

My Cube came with the default transmission, a six-speed manual, which is rare in a segment that’s more commonly equipped with five-speeds. The automatic transmission choice is a CVT, which is a $1,300 option on the base S, and the only unit available on the SL. I haven’t driven it in the Cube, but I have in the Versa, and I wasn’t keen on it. Nissan’s CVTs work exceptionally well in its larger vehicles, but when mated to this smaller engine, I found it sluggish, with a tendency for everything to drone at lower r.p.m.s. I really like the Cube’s six-speed, though: it’s well set up for commuter driving, with a light clutch, slick shifter and easy operation. The trade-off is fuel economy: while the six-speed is rated at 8.3 L/100 km in the city and 6.6 on the highway, the CVT’s published rate is 7.3 L/100 km in the city and 6.5 on the highway. In combined driving, I averaged 7.7 L/100 km (37 mpg Imp).

Designed for crowded Tokyo streets, the Cube is no powerhouse. Its little engine is buzzy and takes its time to get up to speed. The stick shift comes in handy, letting the driver make the most of the engine’s 122 horses and 127 lb-ft of torque. If there’s anything to really fault with the Cube in the city, it’s the ratio of fuel to power. I don’t mind gentle performance if there’s a trade-off at the pumps, but some of its manual-equipped small-footprint competitors feel much livelier for less: in city driving, the five-speed Chevrolet Aveo rates at 7.9 L/100 km, the Honda Civic and Hyundai Accent rate at 7.4, Mini gets 7.1, and Corolla rates 7.5.

2009 Nissan Cube 1.8 S. Click image to enlarge

The ride is surprisingly supple, and bumps are soaked up much better than you’d expect for the segment. There’s no steering feel, but it’s perfect for crowded city streets, where its light touch lets you easily spin it around corners and into tight spots. Take it on the highway on a windy day, though, and no surprise: it turns into a sail.

Its tall windows provide excellent visibility all around. Oddly, though, while the window surrounds are rounded on the outside, they’re square on the inside. This means that passengers get a view of the overlapping sheet metal and window seals, which look unfinished. The most notable styling cue is the asymmetrical “wraparound” rear window – which, in Japan’s right-hand drive market, wraps on the left side. From the outside, it would seem that the driver gets an unfettered view around the Cube’s right rear corner; in actuality, there’s a support post behind the glass, so the view is the same on both sides. The rear door is hinged on the left, for North American curbside loading, although you’re in a bind if someone parks right on your rear bumper.

The Cube is shorter than the Versa, but of course it’s taller, and that slab-sided styling really makes the most out of the space its footprint covers. When Nissan brought it out at the Toronto Auto Show, it contained five Toronto Argonauts football players, who generally aren’t known to wear size-zero uniforms. About the only car out there with more front headroom is a convertible with the roof stowed.

2009 Nissan Cube 1.8 S. Click image to enlarge

As with the Versa, the seats are stuffed generously with foam, and are exceptionally nice; between the gentle ride and the tush-friendly chairs, the Cube is an extremely comfortable vehicle for a long drive. Depending on whether you’re carrying companions or cargo, the rear seat can be slid ahead or back, lengthening the rear load area from a length of 57 cm to 72 cm. The cargo area is recessed for even more vertical packing, but it makes for a very high lift-over when filling it. The rear seatbacks fold, but the seats themselves don’t flip forward, and so while cargo space increases to a length of 135 cm, you’re stuck with a riser that’s 32 cm tall in the middle of it. That said, Nissan does sell an accessory cargo organizer that fits into the space, with bins that close to form a flat floor when the seats are folded, for an extra $326.

The rest of the add-on accessory list bounces between fun and functional, although they can be jaw-droppingly expensive: neon-coloured small-item hooks to replace the standard black ones ($35.95), a utility pouch that hangs from them ($58.95), bungee cords that fit into crescent-shaped holders on the door ($33.06), LED interior lighting ($498.95), and a round dash topper made of shag carpeting ($58.95). My tester also had a combination cargo cover and net, but it’s an odd thing that mostly just gets in the way.

2009 Nissan Cube 1.8 S. Click image to enlarge

The dash is all proudly plastic, a two-tone affair that curves out to meet the centre stack. Twin instrument gauges are housed in a wide oval that echoes the upright ovals of the vents. The SL’s standard automatic climate control is a large circle of buttons, but my S tester’s manual system involved three easy-to-use dials. Storage space is more than adequate: three cupholders in the low-slung centre console and two more on the driver’s side of the dash (one small enough to hold the requisite can of Red Bull), along with bottle-friendly door pockets and a storage bin on the driver’s side C-pillar. A circular motif is carried throughout the cabin, most notably on the moulded headliner, as well as in the speakers, cupholders, and on an outside window panel: you certainly can put a round hole into a square peg.

As often happens with our smaller market, Canada gets less of a selection than the U.S. There, buyers can also get a top-end Kröm trim model, which also includes a body skirt package, Bluetooth connectivity, 20-colour accent lighting, black and grey cloth seats, aluminum pedals, leather-wrapped wheel, and upgraded speaker system.

When it comes to shopping around, buyers naturally have the usual subcompact options, but really, given the Cube’s polarizing appearance, anyone considering it is really looking at the battle of the boxes. That means the Kia Soul, since Toyota isn’t bringing its entry-level Scion brand, and presumably the slab-sided xB hatchback, to our country until 2010.

2009 Nissan Cube 1.8 S. Click image to enlarge

The Soul costs more than the Cube, and price is a major factor in this segment, but the Korean rival also offers a lot in its mid-range trim. The base 1.6-litre Soul has the same horsepower as the Cube but less torque; it’s cheaper at $15,495, but air conditioning is an extra $1,000, and anti-lock brakes and stability control are missing. Move up a trim level, though, and Soul gets a 142-horsepower 2.0-litre engine, along with air conditioning, ABS and ESC. It’s $997 more than a base Cube, but the Soul’s warranty is also better: five years or 100,000 km on everything, versus three years/60,000 km bumper-to-bumper on the Cube, and then 5/100,000 on the powertrain only.

Despite its box-on-box styling, the Soul still isn’t as out-there as the Cube, and I think that will be what will make or break this car with buyers: those who dislike it won’t be wooed by its practicality, while those who love its offbeat charm will simply consider its functionality as a bonus. As for me (and I’m smitten), I want a miniature one to go with the rest of the cool stuff on my shelf: Hello Kitty needs something to drive.

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