Comparison review: Six subcompact hatchbacks (Fourth place)

June 10, 6:39 PMAutos ExaminerBrady Holt

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The 2009 Nissan Cube is much more interesting to look at than to drive, and its boxy practicality is compromised by a lack
of cargo versatility. See more photos of the asymmetrical Cube below the article in today's slideshow. 

The Nissan Cube is designed to be noticed. Everything about the car’s styling and marketing – it’s not a car, it’s a “personal mobility device” – cries out for attention. Its mix of boxy and rounded shapes is a theme carried over throughout the interior, and available features like a piece of carpet that’s attached to the top of the dashboard, all suggests that this car should be fun. 

It’s not. 

The Cube, which just went on sale as a 2009 model, has driving dynamics that are completely at odds with the personality it seems to be trying to project. Soft suspension tuning makes for an absorbent ride, but at the expense of any pretense of agility. Competing subcompact hatchbacks may not feel like sports cars, but the Cube feels like a Toyota Camry on the road – in size as well as demeanor, despite compact dimensions. The Camry, however, has a stable highway-speed ride, whereas the Cube is prone to wander and require frequent corrections with the far-too-light and unresponsive steering. 

Perhaps the Cube is just a comfortable utility vehicle then? It doesn’t accomplish that either. Yes, it beats the others in this comparison for total cargo space – 58.1 cubic feet – when the rear seat is folded, but the seat neither folds nearly flush to the floor nor tumbles forward. A profile view of the cargo hold resembles a big-city skyline: there’s a cargo lip that’s some four inches above the floor and a floor that’s perhaps a foot below the level of the folded seats. There’s lots of space, but that volume comes entirely from the car’s height, and actual cargo must be loaded Tetris-style on the uneven floor. 

Furthermore, there’s surprisingly little space available before the rear seat is folded – just 11.4 cubic feet, again mostly in height rather than usable floor space. The rear seat can slide forward to offer more space but it leaves raised tracks on the floor behind it. 

The Honda Element compact SUV epitomizes the maximization of box-shaped utility with its multiple rear-seat configurations that open up a huge flat cargo hold. The Cube epitomizes form over function even when its form is inherently functional. 

The Cube is based on Nissan’s impressive Versa, which is offered as a compact sedan (read review) and five-door hatchback that’s bigger than the cars in these comparison and that makes no pretensions of spunk. And though it’s smaller and more youth-oriented than the Versa, the Cube is even less fun to drive. 

The Cube is heavier than the Versa and has a higher seating position – the Cube’s driver seat adjusts for height but doesn’t go close to low, and the shifter is a bit of a reach even when it’s at its lowest setting – lending it more of an SUV feel in cornering. The numb, slow steering doesn’t help at all. 

The Cube’s extra weight and air resistance compared to the Versa make it struggle more even with the same 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine. Like in the Versa, this engine stays impressively quiet in the Cube even when you demand more power than it can offer, but even with the standard 6-speed manual transmission it feels weaker than any of the others in this comparison but the especially sluggish Suzuki SX4 with its all-wheel-drive. Even on low-speed city streets, the Cube's spunk remains exclusive to its appearance, not its drive.

The Cube is also behind all but the SX4 for its gas mileage; it's rated at 26 miles per gallon in mixed driving with the manual transmission. (An available continuously variable automatic boosts that to an impressive 29 mpg.)

The boxy styling and high seating position to help visibility, at least. The asymmetric styling and swing-out cargo hatch make for one large d-pillar, but Nissan redesigned the car from the Japanese to the American market to keep that thick pillar behind the driver so as not to interfere with as many over-the-shoulder checks. 

The front seats are wide and soft, and acceptably supportive. Some reviewers have criticized the seating position as being biased toward shorter drivers – I didn’t have any problems at around six feet but check for that issue if you’re considering the Cube. The rear seat is also comfortable for two passengers, though there’s no excess of legroom even when the seat is slid all the way back. The rear seatback can recline. 

The Cube’s interior styling is a mix of utilitarian and gimmicky, with lots of hard plastics and large slablike panels broken up by more rounded styling details that look tacked-on, though the impression may be intentional. Speakers and the headliner include a rippled pattern with little circular waves spreading outward from the center. The Versa’s interior includes none of these touches, but uses higher quality materials and has more rear-seat space. 

The Versa is also less expensive – the Cube 1.8 S is some $2,400 more than the comparable Versa version according to pricing site TrueDelta.com, though TrueDelta says the difference shrinks by $1,300 to account for Cube-exclusive features from window tinting to electronic stability control. (The Cube, too, is a decent deal by this comparison's standards -- expect to pay $15,283 out the door for a decently equipped 1.8 S model.)

But the Versa is not only less expensive, but it’s bigger and higher-quality, it rides and handles better, and has more power and much better gas mileage. There’s more cargo space behind its rear seat, and the Cube’s advantage in total volume is offset by its very uneven floor. (The Versa’s isn’t totally flush either but it comes many inches closer.) 

The Versa still isn’t fun to drive either, but its looks aren’t completely incongruous to its driving dynamics. The Cube’s are. If you want a practical, comfortable city car, Nissan’s Versa is a better choice than its Cube. And if you want something spunky and different, you’re likely interested in something that’s as fun to drive as it is to look at. 

But if you do want to give up some practicality and fuel economy for distinctive styling and prefer a car tuned for a smooth ride, the Cube may work quite well for you.