By Mark Elias
Tuesday, Apr 28th, 2009 @ 4:30 pm

It is the shape of things to come. Or the shape of things that have been, and once again could be. If Scion ’s xB is “the angry toaster,” then the new Nissan Cube is “the bulldog with shades.” And if you are styling with shades in a Cube, what better place is there than Miami?

Seeing it as a good excuse to flee the last hurrah of a long winter, Nissan chose Miami as the site of the national media launch for its 2009 Cube.

Not an xB copycat, the Cube, in a previous, but still boxy, form, has actually been on sale in Japan for 10 years now. A successful brand in the Japanese market, it has helped Nissan achieve traction with young buyers. Likewise in North America, the company plans to target the “digital generation” as their customer base, so the automaker is manufacturing the Cube to be totally changeable and customizable. Over 40 accessories will be available at the time the Cube hits dealers, enabling buyers to add any number of options to trick out the Cube as far as their (and their parents’) wallets will allow.

The Cube is being marketed directly towards the segment of buyers that the Scion brand seemingly abandoned shortly after that brand’s launch. Naturally, its competitive set includes the new Scion xB, the Kia Soul , Honda Fit , and even the Toyota Yaris. As a second-tier competitor, you could add the Honda Element.

The box it came in
Nissan readily admitted to us that the Cube is a polarizing vehicle: You either like it or don’t. Looking as aerodynamic as a side-by-side Frigidaire, it still manages to cut through the air with relatively (note we said relatively) little wind noise due to its 0.35 coefficient of drag.

The Cube is asymmetrical, not exactly a common attribute of modern cars, but it is adaptable, so Nissan can build it for both left- and right-hand-drive markets. An amalgam of squares and circles, it offers enough visual cues to keep the eyes darting around to take in even the smallest details. Out back, there’s a clever rear door that has a two-stage hinge that stops first at nearly eight inches in case a car is parked directly behind the Cube, and then expands to a full opening. That in turn opens up to the rear cargo area that measures 11.4 cubic feet with rear seats up, and 58.1 cubic feet with the seats folded down.

The interior features many innovative touches that add to the “cool” quotient. The Cube’s front seat features 42.6 inches of headroom in front and 40.2 in the rear. Look up and you’ll see a water drop ripple headliner, which most likely aids with vehicle acoustics as much as offering visual interest. The ripples are repeated several places within the cabin including in the cupholders and the climate control knobs. A dog-bone theme is also present, forming the shape that surrounds the gauges, as well as buttons on the steering wheel and the dashboard itself. The driver’s seat offers six-way manual adjustments and an armrest and though the seat itself is a little over-stuffed feeling, it proved comfortable on our journey through South Florida. The rear bench seat offers six inches of forward movement, as well as recline functions-probably just the ticket for a night at the drive-in theater. For the record, the Cube is a five-passenger vehicle unless you start cramming passengers into the rear cargo area. If it looks like a clown car…

The interior’s funkiness extends from what’s there to what can be added. Among the customizable options include a carpet patch that Velcros to the dashboard and offers storage for pens, sunglasses and so on. An optional interior accent package is on board, offering up to 20 different accent lighting combinations. For the color challenged, Nissan offers other little whimsical accents ranging from lime-colored knobs to bungee cables to pen-holding pouches.

Power comes from Nissan’s ubiquitous 1.8-liter inline four-cylinder engine as seen in its platform partner, the Nissan Versa. Again putting out 122-horsepower and 127 lb-ft. of torque to power its 2,884 pounds around town, it won’t be confused as a cast member from the latest Fast and Furious sequel. But it has sufficient power to tote a gang of five around from party to party on a Friday night. Nissan’s Xtronic CVT puts the power to the wheels in typical lulling CVT style, but there is a six-speed manual transmission available for those who like to row the gears themselves. It’s not snick-snick precise by any stretch, it is nonetheless typical of offerings in this segment. Nissan estimates highway mileage to be nearly 30 mpg, par for the class, but still decent for a box.

The Cube’s suspension is a mixed bag of offerings. Bolted in front to the unibody construction is a pair of independent struts with coilovers and a 20 mm stabilizer bar. Hanging off the back is a torsion beam rear axle with integrated 24.6 mm stabilizer bar. Combine that with electric power steering and the Cube was well-behaved around time but offered little curvy road feedback. The ride quality bordered on bouncy around town, but offered rather harsh responses over cracked road surfaces typical of urban areas. Notably, ABS and stability control are standard.

Leftlane’s bottom line
Based on our initial drives, we think the Cube is a pretty cool conveyance that can haul friends and family with a little more style than the Versa. Nissan hopes, as Scion also once hoped, that it will become a centerpiece to the lifestyle of Gen-Yers, but only time will tell.

Cube pricing starts at $13,990 for the Base model and climbs through S and SL trim levels to the top-end Krom at $19,370. Add $695 for destination.

Words and photos by Mark Elias.

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