After spending a few days in Nissan's Cube, I was reminded of Los Angeles' historic Mar Vista Housing tract. Built in the 1940s by designer Gregory Ain, the development deployed basic shapes (squares and rectangles) to give the suburban spread a high degree of architectural sophistication. Of course, people considered these "flat roof" houses a commie plot; builders only erected 52 of the planned 100 homes. The Nissan Cube sells for $11k in Japan. In the same way as Mar Vista, the Cube offers a whole lot of chic for a little bit of green.
At first glance, all you see is a box. But the Cube is a subversive piece of sheetmetalistry. First of all, it's brilliantly asymmetrical. The rear hatch is in fact rounded glass on one corner, whereas the other holds the hinges. Second, the Cube rolls on four round wheels (surprise!). Yes, well, the circle motif playfully contrasts against the cubism. The grill, wheels, headlights and taillights are all actually circles on squares.
The design brings to mind the episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm where Larry orders a "Vanilla Bullshit" at Starbucks and starts exclaiming, "Coffee and milk! Milk and coffee! What a great idea!" Sometimes you don't need a grand, flame-surfacing language that speaks (only) to art school deans. More to the point, an entire coffee shop full of hot moms emptied out into a parking lot to "ooh!" and "ahhh!" over the khaki-colored Cube. Let's see you pull that trick in a Bangled Bimmer.
This simple-yet-clever styling motif continues inside. That's right, the dials, seat pattern and even plastic molding on the glovebox are all circles on squares. Other than that, there isn't much to write home about. On a postcard.
Calling the Cube "Spartan" is like calling water wet. Yet there is much to like about the minimalist treatment. For instance, a column shifter leaves room for a bench seat. There's a hunk of plastic molding in back that stores an umbrella. And if playing drug runner is your thing, the Cube has more smuggling compartments than the Millennium Falcon. Handy cubbyholes abound, including two glove boxes. Most importantly, you can haul mucho stuff, especially with the back seats down and scooched forward.
A couple of points before I share my driving experiences…
Nissan was kind enough to lend me a JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) car. That means the steering wheel's on the wrong (right!) side. The Japanese juice box's 1.4-liter engine has as much chance of making it to the States as Ron Paul has of making it to the White House… with Mike Gravel as his running mate. An all new, US-bound Cube debuts at this year's Los Angeles Auto show. Figure on the Versa's 1.8-liter four-pot scrunched under the hood.
The JDM car packs about 90 horses and not a lot of torque (if you can translate Japanese, have it). You'd expect that confronting American traffic in a low-po Cube would be a terrifying experience for all concerned. ("Honey, did we just squish something?") Here's the thing: it's absolutely not. Even with the extra weight of the Cube's all wheel-drive components (more on that in a bit), the Nissan tips the scales at just 2400 pounds.
I'm guesstimating a zero to 60 time of, oh, I don't know, 15 seconds. The Cube's statistical sloth makes getting onto the freeway a theoretically dangerous exercise. But the funny thing about reality is that it's always disproving the most logical theories. The Cube's no rocket, but around town it felt fine. Quick, even. While 90 mph is all she wrote, passing people is possible. Instead of lightly drubbing the Cube's throttle, you just bury it.
Even better, once at speed, the Cube is wonderfully composed. I was shocked by its sporting agility; we're talking Honda Fit-like handling. Meanwhile, the high seating position makes you feel like one of the big boys.
As mentioned, our Cube featured AWD. More precisely, e-4WD, and it's not what you think. The engine never powers the rear wheels. Instead, Nissan fitted a small electric motor to one of the half-shafts. Stuck in some sloppy footing? Flip a switch and the alternator sends power back to the rear wheels; talk about traction on demand.
The final part of my endorsement equation is this: have you been to the pumps lately? Nissan made me promise to go easy on the Cube, as only five exist in the country, they don't have any spare parts and no one knows how to fix them. Regardless, the Cube returned an honest-to-goodness 40 mpg.
So, besides cost, brand cachet (but not cachet) and more power than you need (be honest), what are you giving up with the Cube? In a word, nothing.
[All photos by author; Nissan provided the vehicle reviewed, gas and insurance.]
84 Comments on “2007 Nissan Cube Review...”
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Outside of it being butt-ugly (this matters to the wife, not me), something small, economical ($11k? even with a weak dollar?), manual (5 speed standard please!), that returns 40mpg would be a hit with me. Assuming reliability is OK, this is a winner. Bring them to chicago and I’m in!
P.S. I need the steering wheel back on the correct side :)
great review. i always liked the cube. i owned a 1st gen xB for a year and enjoyed it for what it was. sort of. i could only squeeze 26mpg out of the xB. i would love to read this review from the stand point of a current xB1 owner. bring it on nissan, very cool little car and a 130hp cant hurt.
yournamehere:
i owned a 1st gen xB for a year and enjoyed it for what it was. sort of.
The xB lives! The Cube’s right out of the initial Scion play book. Which isn’t exactly genius is it? Federalize a JDM box, call it good. Why ToMoCo American-ized the xB I’ll never know. And it looks like they’re about to get some [non-Honda] insight the error of their ways….
At first I was worried that they were just copying the xB – I guess they still are, but not the current squared-off Matrix, but rather the last-gen that everyone seems to miss dearly (and my mom loves hers more than any car she’s ever owned).
Who knew they would try to copy and end up filling a niche that Toyota left for dead?
Wow..I’m really impressed by this review. A nice snap shot of a very interesting auto. I much prefer its style to the Scion Xb since it has less attitude and more quirk. It’s reviews like this that keep me coming back to TTAC.
lawnmokey: The Nissan Cube has been around since 1998. Cars of this sort (the “Town Box” for example) are all over Japan.
What an awesome little car. I’ll take one in diesel flavor, please.
Yet another interesting rendition of a modern day mini-minivan.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that…
Hooray! No longer am I the only one at TTAC who says that there is more to a good car than the ability to go from 0-60 in under ten seconds! Remember folks, standard 356 Porsches never did it quicker than in 13.
Thanks for the great review Jonny.
And in particular:
and more power than you need (be honest)
Thank you for pointing this out! We CAN have fun with 100hp
Why would you want a Diesel in this when it gets 40MPG on regular? That’s pretty decent from how I see it.
The interior looks a lot nicer than an xB also, and being 6′3″, I could probably sit in this without hitting the roof as compared to the Honda Fit.
Parallels to the xB are obvious, so my first thought was “they’ll have it ruined in five years.” Then you said that an all new US-bound cube will debut this year.
Five bucks says I won’t have to wait five years to see it ruined.
And on Wednesday we heard that 306 horsepower is “meh.”
When one direction is tapped out, people revert to the other extreme.
I’m seeing it in the vehicles bought and sold by TrueDelta’s panel members. People are trending to smaller, less powerful, and more economical vehicles.
Over at the most active forum for the Smart, SmartCarofAmerica.com, there’s a guy who traded a Dodge SRT8 for a ForTwo. Go figure.
How cute,an iPod with wheels.
Instead of lightly drubbing the Cube’s throttle, you just bury it.
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that if you’re constantly having to bury the gas pedal to pass anything on the highway from a Smart to a tractor trailer, you’re probably not going to achieve the advertised 40 mpg.
For that matter, it’s going to have to do better than a 15-second 0-60 time to get my attention. I don’t want a boulevard bruiser that can hang with a 350z, but I don’t want to have to time my on-ramp merges like I’m playing a game of double dutch either. Around where I live, the brake pedal is a magical mythical object, and I’d hate to have that asymmetrical rear end smashed in by somebody who couldn’t be bothered with slowing down or moving over a lane.
excellent review.
a fuel and space efficient, fun to drive, lightweight box with a commanding view of the road? this type of car would meets the needs of so many people and WAS briefly available in the US until Toyota/Scion screwed up.
there have been rumors of an invasion of these JDM box cars since the Scion Xb was launched in 2003. what happened? it seems that Nissan has been talking about bringing over the Cube longer than GM’s been hyping the Volt.
maybe all the manufacturers are afraid that this type of car (a mini minivan, MPV, tall wagon, call it what you like) would make TOO MUCH sense – with adequate safety equipment and less quirky styling, many americans may realize that this is all the car that they need. this genre of vehicle could put CUV and SUV sales in the toilet, especially with rising gas prices.
want one now? buy a lightly used first generation Scion Xb.
Cool little box; expect the “Americanized” version to cost more, as reversing the “asymmetrical” layout ain’t gonna be cheap.
Edit: Nissan better get the efficiency up — the Fit (with its superior aerodynamics) will kick it’s butt in HWY MPG.
Reading this review I could not help drawing a parallel to Scion’s xB. The Cube is all the previous xB was and the current model isn’t. It has just enough power (90hp now….120hp+ later) to feel quick around town, it’s very chuckable, agility is impressive and yes, it may be spartan but look at the tonne of space inside! No doubt, Scion buyers who hate the current gen xB (myself included) will flock to the Cube when it arrives (and that 4WD system is pretty nifty). With gas mileage all the rage now, that just drives home the point of the Cube being the kind of vehicle people want (who can argue with 40mpg!?) I’d be first in line.
Quasi – they tested the JDM version. The US version will have a larger engine with more HP. I don’t know what that will do to the gas mileage though. Hopefully not much – even at 35mpg I’d be interested in this for the usable space and the fuel economy.
Nice review – I can’t wait to see what the US version looks like and it’s specs/price. Hopefully they keep it low like that version.
You nailed it Supaman, as a 1st generation Xb owner who is disappointed by the 2nd generation xb, I hope Nissan hits it out of the ballpark in sales compared to the 2nd generation Xb and hopefully Toyota will see the error of its ways.
As someone who owned a 1984 Voyager with an engine
rated at just 84 hp and was never run over trying to merge onto an Interstate, I say bring this one on! Just give it at least 5 gears–ya need lotsa gears with a small engine.
With 16% more hp and about 1/2 ton less weight than an’84 Voyager, I don’t see how this vehicle is underpowered.
Thi might be the replacement for my Ranger at city delivery. Even if I need to split the load in 3 instead of in 2, as I do now , the extra mpg will more than make up for the extra trip to the warehouse!
. Of course, people considered these “flat roof” houses a commie plot
My dad is 78, he always associates a flat roof with communist… I’m going to have to ask him why his says that now since you said it.
I picked up a ‘99 Sentra (1.6) a couple months ago with a manual. Never less than 35mpgs, above average performance with the manual. NOT like my sister’s ‘94 SE-R she had for 10 years, but 80% as fun. My Sentra has a curb weight of 2315lbs… I think the 1.6 with 115 hp would be a good engine in this thing and still return over 30mpg.
The four-wheel-drive system sounds neat. I wonder how the alternator/battery keep up after 30 minutes of continued use in a snow storm or something?
As an owner of a 2006 1/2 XB I to was disappointed with the size and heft increase of the new model XB- which should have been called the TC wagon. Here in Silicon Valley gas is $3.85 for regular. The Smart car is now on sale here- drove one, car is cool , drive train is crap. The Cube will be a tremendous hit if it has the 120HP motor and a 5 speed auto transmission and 6 speed manual. This was all the original XB owners wanted – a little more horsepower- 15-20 HP not a 3200 pound porker. Anyone who has driven an XB will tell you how much fun they are to drive- and how much fun it is to go to Costco and load a 46 flatscreen TV into the back + it’s nice to get 30 mpg
The asymmetric rear end is totally cool. Not sure they have to reverse it for US market, but maybe, so the door would open towards the curb. Not sure it really matters.
A bench seat, huh? Can you seat 3 across? Is this the modern day Corvair Greenbriar or Falcon Econoline vans? There is nothing new in this world, just old ideas made better!
-GBG
http://www.autoclay.blogspot.com
sounds like a terrific car, although I prefer the styling of the original xB. Among other thigns, I don’t like the asymmetry, but big deal, it’s not that important. And I love the AWD on demand feature.
Now, the question is: when they move the steering wheel to the other side, are they also going to flip around the asymmetrical rear window, so that visibility is correct for left-hand-drive drivers?
I suddenly have the urge to take my fridge for a spin. If this hit the market soon, I’m sure my sister would buy it, as would many others. For that kind of money nothing else is even close to as stlyish or practical.
I just hope the new Cube looks similar in size to the current model. I have my doubts, though.
RayH,
“Flat roof” was actually code for “Jews.” Here in Los Angeles in the 20s and 30s while you could legally say “No negroes, no Mexicans” you couldn’t say “No Jews.”
So, what you specified was “No flat roofs” if you were selling a piece of land. A good friend of mine owns a house and the original bill of sale specified “No negroes, no flat roofs.”
What would this thing be like when navigating a road filled with Tundras and F-250s? Scary? No Problem?
Does the really thick C-pillar cause a bad blind spot or not?
I have to say that Nissan has the chance to hit it out of the ball park with this one. Two things hurt the 1st gen Scion xB; the lack of power (corrected w/ the Versa 1.8) and the poor side impact ratings. I think that if they can engineer a side impact airbag in there and give the car the Versa 1.8, this thing will sell like gangbusters (and possibly make me eat my words about not going into another Nissan vehicle soon).
I’m pretty sure this car will sell like hotcakes because it will address everything that was/is wrong with the xB (lack of power)while retaining the right stuff (small size, agile handling). I’m pretty sure there’s a Toyota exec somewhere who’s reading this right now kicking his nuts.
of course you could just find a 07 Focus 2.3 wagon with the 5 speed but you mightn’t get quite the love.
My ‘85 Nissan Sentra had 69 hp and a 3-speed auto. I never was rear-ended merging onto the highway, although doing so occasionally had a high pucker factor.
Cute, clever, I want one. I want one!
Make an SE-R version and I’m there!
Toyota really bombed on the second-gen xB. I don’t know a single Gen 1 owner who even acknowledges their existence, let alone expresses anything close to “desire.”
It’s like they enlisted only people who refused to even sit in the Gen 1 to redesign the Gen 2. Oh well.
Let me chime in as yet another Gen 1 owner: Keep talking, Nissan. I’m listening.
Jonny, now you know why I loves my xB! And with the five speed stick and 108hp, it’s pretty zippy (0-60 in about 10.5).
The real fun part is the low (high numerical gearing). I’m in fourth gear by the end of the block! Could use a sixth gear for flat freeways: 4k rpm at 80mph. I average 32mpg; 35 if I drive for economy.
Just hope Nissan doesn’t screw up the new Cube. It will be a winner.
If/when Nissan brings this stateside, do you think putting the hatch hinges on the correct side will happen? Or will they skip that bit in localization, like Honda did with the CRV?
This might be a very smart move by Nissan…
I remember seeing one of these at the LA auto show a few years ago. When the xB hit I thought “Nissan, whats the hold up?” I can tell you that I pass plenty of people in my 94 hp 3000+ lb 940 volvo wagon, it just takes a little advance planning is all! I would love one of these and a Figaro for the weekends…
I think my 84 Mazda B2000 pickup had maybe 80-90 hp max from its carbureted 2l I-4. 5 speed with manual steering, too. Never got overrun, but on steep inclines I had to keep it in 2nd gear and crawl up at about 20mph (which is why I called that truck “the Silver Slug” – nobody would ever mistake it for a “bullet!”)
It could also go about 400 miles on 11 gallons of gas. No airbags, no AC, no CD player, no extended cab, simple vinyl covered bench seat.
I think HP is overrated. We’ve gotten so spoiled with cheap gas that we’ve demanded ever increasing amounts of power far beyond what vehicles really need. Even the steel dinosaurs of the 60’s (that routinely weighed in excess of 4,000 lb) rarely had more than 200hp on tap (yes, muscle cars existed but they were the exception to the norm.)
This type of vehicle isn’t so much a departure from the norm as it is a (welcome, IMO) return to sanity.
I love this thing. I’ll join the chorus about the powertrain as well: my ‘94 Sidekick has similar weight and power numbers and even with an automatic I rarely worry about merging onto the highway save for a couple ramps with very short acceleration lanes. Yeah, it is slow on long grades, and has no passing power, but for an urban runabout that doesn’t matter. It is easy to park, decent on gas and bullet proof.
I would seriously look at the Cube if it makes it here largely unchanged. 130HP might be nice, but I’d rather have the mileage.
Looks like a bread van. Once the novelty wears off, people will come to their senses.
Are you guys serious? That has to be one of the most CHEAPEST AND HIDEOUS looking interiors. That interior is on par with a early 1990’s Caravan. Even other sub $10k vehicles like the Chevy Aveo’s interior look class leading compared to the Cube.
One of the (many) great pleasures of spending time in Japan is finding yourself surrounded by cubizoidal vehicles like this one. Toyota was first to bring a moving phonebooth to the US, but inexplicably dropped the ball (the box?) with the Gen 2 Xb.
Likewise, burdening the Gen 2 Cube with a 1.8 seems to be missing the point. The Cube’s natural audience LOVED Ron Paul.
I think they’ll end up screwing it up in the end. Look at the new Mazda6. And Saturn sales are still flat. Not because Euro cars won’t sell here, but because none of the brands are willing to spend the time developing the market. I am sure it will just begin with an inch here and there, but, before you know it, it will be the current xB.
Ok, I just came back from Japan 2 weeks ago, and one of the cars I couldn’t keep my eyes off is this Nissan Cube. In fact, similar cars (high roof with box-like chassis) are very popular there, such as the ones from Daihatsu and Suzuki. I envy the author of the review for being able to get into one and try it out. All I was able to do is take a peek through the window and have a picture with one (very similar model and same color as the one tested here).
These type of vehicles might have a market in North America, but that’s because the ppl who are traditionally driving the mid size vehicles are frowning at the ever rising gas bills. They don’t want to give up the cargo space for a ultra-compact, but don’t want to spend for a 2.0L or more engine.
To be more specific on the several aspects:
1) Looks: Ok, this is either a love’em or hate’em. It’s not that long ago that wagons are uncool, but look at the market now with the crossovers and stylish wagons. It just takes time for ppl to get used to them.
2) Power: So apparently it’s not enough. Perhaps, but I will trade some power for 40 mpg when the gas prices are $1.30/L ($4/gallon). If you need to commute via highway all the time with several passengers, I can see that power being a problem. Otherwise, do I really need 200+ hp for daily commute? (although as the author said, the Japanese engine has slim chance of making it to here, so will it still do 40 mpg?)
3) Price: The price point is really competitive (11k), but I doubt that would be the price if the vehicle is as equipped in what the Nissan Japan page said, unless Nissan strips off bunch of stuff like A/C, Navi (wow, please find a car at the price point with Navi included?). The base vehicle price there is 13k, and not even the same as the one tested here.
So, would 13k justify for this vehicle? I think so for anyone just doing inner city driving. For the kind of “dangerous” merges on highway that some of our American friends have to deal with, perhaps Nissan should cater to the market with a bigger engine. Frankly, here in Vancouver, the 1.4L engine is more than sufficient.
I was thinking about the Matrix 2009, but after reading some of the comments, perhaps I need to do more thinking on that. Had this vehicle been released… grrr!
Great review, Jonny.
Nissan: Bring the Cube to the U.S. as-is. With left hand drive, of course. Since Toyota bloated out the xB and completely ruined it, opportunity awaits you.
The styling is perfect just like it is… leave it alone. While you’re at it, leave off the power windows, leather seats, electric butt warmers, nav system/big screen TV/espresso maker and other useless high-markup bullshit. Make AC optional for those who want it.
Keep it S-I-M-P-L-E. Keep it light. Keep the 1.4l engine. Keep the 40 MPG. And most definitely, keep it around $11K.
Bah… I know, I’m dreaming. Because all of the above would actually make sense, I’m sure it will never happen. It will weigh 3500 pounds, cost $20K and get 22.5 MPG by the time they’re done “Americanizing” it.
Please, please, please prove my assumptions wrong, Nissan. If you can, I’d love to buy one.
“For the kind of “dangerous” merges on highway that some of our American friends have to deal with, perhaps Nissan should cater to the market with a bigger engine.”
Nah keep the engine and load it with awesome impact protection. People needing to merge can make the morons/tailgaters in the right lane slow-the-eff down.
Well, in parts of the U.S. gas is $4/gallon. However, I don’t think that the 1.8 will hurt it too much. The Versa, I believe, is rated at 30/36. This is still about equal to the 1st gen xB and probably better in the real world since you won’t need to stomp on it as hard in traffic. Remember, smaller engine does not automatically mean better mileage. You need to hit that power/weight sweet spot and I think the 1.8 will do it. Hell, if they could give the Versa a better suspension, I would grab one now. Just make a taller, cooler looking, better handling Versa for 15k and it will sell like hotcakes. I just don’t know if Nissan can do that. Then again, if Toyota can…