First the gooey: according to Nissan's promotional material, the Cube 1.8S weighs 2,834lbs, peak HP is 122, peak torque is 127. MPG is up to 27 City, 31 Hwy. The peppy Cube can achieve 60 miles per hour in 9.7 seconds. Don't let its size fool you, there is no shortage of stowage space for stuff; 58.1 cubic Feet of cargo room! The one I drove was the automatic version featuring Nissan's CVT transmission, I'm no engineer nor a mechanic but here's what I could make out: it stands for Continuously Variable Transmission; the dealer explained (using small words) that it's like having one very tall gear rather than a whole box full. In the practical world it amounted to having no "gear grab" feeling of jerkiness under acceleration, making the car feel very smooth.
The story of the cube is less about 0-60 times and more about that stalemated dichotomy in automotives; Cool vs. Ugly.
The cube might be described as a lightweight quirky refrigerator that happens to carry people about. While on a different day (or in front of different people) one might say, the Cube is an asymmetrical box lined with glass then filled with seats and clever ergonomic designs, then added almost as unrelated features like; wheels and a motor.
A critical person might mention things like; how the wavy rippling thing on the celling is neat, while being let down quite a bit by the uninspired and low tech dome light it's trying so hard to draw your eyes toward. Also in a modern age of wind tunnels and hypermiling cars it's a bit silly to shape a car like a rounded two story house with attached garage and expect people open their pocket books without question.
So it's a polarizing car, but that's not doing it justice, Clever ovals dot every surface, adjustable LED lit foot wells and cup holders bathe your toes and drinks in your choice of colored light, and colored knobs and rubber bands abound... for some reason. This gives the car the feeling of great attention to detail or of madness when asked what the rubber band things are for. That can be forgiven because the dashboard seems to be trying to hug you. The interior makes me feel like I'm in some kind of a retro view of the future (I immediately thought of the Jetsons). For an extra sprinkling of coolness, opt for push-button start, sat-nav, and a Rockford-Fosgate sound system. Suddenly, this microwave oven with windshield wipers is very hip. Even testing the standard model I found myself enjoying the view and that "little car" attitude. It's the kind of feeling you get when you realize "yes I can park there" or "I can make that gap" or even "Oh My Goodness that Semi is HUGE!"
I must also say for a small car this is bigger on the inside then my first apartment, better equipped, too. Storage and accessibility are impressive! You could spend MUCH more on an executive sedan and find yourself missing the easy access trunk with its refrigerator style door and clever lockable organizer pod. Although it looks a bit like Nissan were trying as hard as they could to say "See we aren't Mini! Look at our kooky door!"
It has a nice ride too, the suspension is soft enough to forgive minor flaws in the pavement while still firm enough to make you feel connected to the on ramp/off ramp experience.(That's all the more sporty this car wants to be) Which leads me to a drawback: due, I imagine, to the cars shape. In a strong cross wind I had to work to keep the car in line. Then the crosswind became a gust became a gale and I feared for my life slightly; white knuckles and moist shorts.
I feel Nissan tried to correct this aerodynamic problem by literally cutting corners. I suspect the designers spent some time thinking "how do I make a brick aerodynamic?" so the cube is all rounded edges and low skirting, an example of polarizing craftsmanship.
The ride is smooth and quiet and the feeling is social. This may be the ideal car to pick up your friends and go out for an evening on the town. Adults fit easily into the back and leave plenty of room for your groceries, or new shoes, or indeed gnome polish in the rear.
That's pretty good for a car styled after a modern looking coffee table... with headlights.
The asymmetry of the car leads to strange interior amenities; the driver side rear passenger window has a pillar partly obstructing the scenery whereas the passenger adjacent gets all the vista and none of the masonry. Driver side passengers will enjoy extra cargo areas for their hand held games or mobile phones or what-not, so maybe that is the preferable seat after all. Seemingly as a punishment for that, the driver's seat has no map pocket on its back, while the passenger side is well equipped in that area... Maybe I'm missing the full fun of the asymmetrical effect. Or maybe the whole backseat was built up as a way to settle/start arguments between warring siblings.
So I recommend you set aside your pretensions and give it a try, if only for a test drive. You will at least know for a fact people are looking at you, which is more than most small cars can say. I recommend purchase of this car if you think good humor is a measure of car attributes. Finally it's a good icebreaker on a first date; bricks have that effect on ice.
The story of the cube is less about 0-60 times and more about that stalemated dichotomy in automotives; Cool vs. Ugly.
The cube might be described as a lightweight quirky refrigerator that happens to carry people about. While on a different day (or in front of different people) one might say, the Cube is an asymmetrical box lined with glass then filled with seats and clever ergonomic designs, then added almost as unrelated features like; wheels and a motor.
A critical person might mention things like; how the wavy rippling thing on the celling is neat, while being let down quite a bit by the uninspired and low tech dome light it's trying so hard to draw your eyes toward. Also in a modern age of wind tunnels and hypermiling cars it's a bit silly to shape a car like a rounded two story house with attached garage and expect people open their pocket books without question.
So it's a polarizing car, but that's not doing it justice, Clever ovals dot every surface, adjustable LED lit foot wells and cup holders bathe your toes and drinks in your choice of colored light, and colored knobs and rubber bands abound... for some reason. This gives the car the feeling of great attention to detail or of madness when asked what the rubber band things are for. That can be forgiven because the dashboard seems to be trying to hug you. The interior makes me feel like I'm in some kind of a retro view of the future (I immediately thought of the Jetsons). For an extra sprinkling of coolness, opt for push-button start, sat-nav, and a Rockford-Fosgate sound system. Suddenly, this microwave oven with windshield wipers is very hip. Even testing the standard model I found myself enjoying the view and that "little car" attitude. It's the kind of feeling you get when you realize "yes I can park there" or "I can make that gap" or even "Oh My Goodness that Semi is HUGE!"
I must also say for a small car this is bigger on the inside then my first apartment, better equipped, too. Storage and accessibility are impressive! You could spend MUCH more on an executive sedan and find yourself missing the easy access trunk with its refrigerator style door and clever lockable organizer pod. Although it looks a bit like Nissan were trying as hard as they could to say "See we aren't Mini! Look at our kooky door!"
It has a nice ride too, the suspension is soft enough to forgive minor flaws in the pavement while still firm enough to make you feel connected to the on ramp/off ramp experience.(That's all the more sporty this car wants to be) Which leads me to a drawback: due, I imagine, to the cars shape. In a strong cross wind I had to work to keep the car in line. Then the crosswind became a gust became a gale and I feared for my life slightly; white knuckles and moist shorts.
I feel Nissan tried to correct this aerodynamic problem by literally cutting corners. I suspect the designers spent some time thinking "how do I make a brick aerodynamic?" so the cube is all rounded edges and low skirting, an example of polarizing craftsmanship.
The ride is smooth and quiet and the feeling is social. This may be the ideal car to pick up your friends and go out for an evening on the town. Adults fit easily into the back and leave plenty of room for your groceries, or new shoes, or indeed gnome polish in the rear.
That's pretty good for a car styled after a modern looking coffee table... with headlights.
The asymmetry of the car leads to strange interior amenities; the driver side rear passenger window has a pillar partly obstructing the scenery whereas the passenger adjacent gets all the vista and none of the masonry. Driver side passengers will enjoy extra cargo areas for their hand held games or mobile phones or what-not, so maybe that is the preferable seat after all. Seemingly as a punishment for that, the driver's seat has no map pocket on its back, while the passenger side is well equipped in that area... Maybe I'm missing the full fun of the asymmetrical effect. Or maybe the whole backseat was built up as a way to settle/start arguments between warring siblings.
So I recommend you set aside your pretensions and give it a try, if only for a test drive. You will at least know for a fact people are looking at you, which is more than most small cars can say. I recommend purchase of this car if you think good humor is a measure of car attributes. Finally it's a good icebreaker on a first date; bricks have that effect on ice.
