Not to wear out the cliché, but the new 2009 Nissan Cube looks like the carton it came in. Well, not quite. The Cube was a boxy vehicle popular on the Japanese market, and no doubt because of the runaway success of the similarly boxy Scion xB, Nissan decided to bring the second generation Cube to America.
Scheduled for spring 2009 arrival, the Cube (Nissan trendily spells it all in lower case but we’ll use upper case because it’s just darned easier to read) is either high fashion or an eyesore on wheels. Though softened from its first generation Japanese domestic market (JDM) predecessor, the new Cube is still a collection of flat (or almost) panels and odd angles. The body is asymmetric, with different sized doors and rear side windows that meet the C-pillar on the left side and wraparound rear window on the right. Nissan calls the side-hinged rear door “refrigerator-style.”
The 2009 Nissan Cube’s interior, like its predecessor, is roomy. Nissan says it’s a destination rather than transportation. The Cube seats five with a three-passenger rear bench, raised “theater-style,” that slides six inches forward and back and also reclines. Nissan has loaded the Cube with innovative storage, including spots for MP3 players and cell phones, plus six cupholders. Nissan refers to the interior as “a ‘Jacuzzi Curve’ layout with a ‘floating meter pod’ driver’s area.
An unusual feature of the interior is what Nissan calls “Water Drop,” concentric circle seen in the cupholders, climate control buttons and even the roof liner.
The Cube, despite its plain exterior, is well equipped, with standard features including power windows with driver’s side one-touch auto down feature, Remote Keyless Entry system, power door locks with auto-locking feature, variable intermittent windshield wipers and intermittent rear window wiper. Options include proximity key with push button ignition, Bluetooth, Rockford Fosgate subwoofer with six speakers, XM satellite radio, iPod interface, and a rear sonar system.
The Nissan Cube will be available in three trim levels, base 1.8, mid-range 1.8 S, and top level 1.8 SL, nomenclature matching other Nissan models. Like the Scion xB, the Cube will have a long list of accessories for owners to personalize their Cubes to their hearts’ content. Six airbags—front, front side, and side head curtain—are standard equipment.
The standard 122-horsepower 1.8-liter DOHC 4-cylinder engine (127 lb-ft torque) comes with a choice of six-speed manual transmission or Nissan’s Xtronic CVT (continuously variable transmission). While official EPA fuel mileage estimates aren’t available yet, Nissan says the Cube with the CVT should get over 30 mpg on the highway.
With its spring availability a long way away, Nissan didn’t cite a price. But to be competitive with the Scion xB would require a starting price of below $18,000.
We’ve driven a
JDM Nissan Cube with a 1.3-liter four cylinder engine. We expected perhaps a 1.4-liter engine to make the Pacific crossing, but with the 1.8-liter that actually arrived, we expect the 2009 Nissan Cube to be quite peppy though certainly not blazingly fast.
But what’s the hurry? The Nissan Cube is, as Nissan calls it—a destination. The Cube is already there.
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