In recent years, carmakers have adopted a geometric approach to auto styling.
The Honda Element, Ford Flex, and most famously, Toyota’s Scion xB foreswore streamlined contouring to embrace the stiffly upright look of a rectangle. A box on wheels.
Now Nissan has taken this retro-simplicity a step further. They’ve chopped off the back of the rectangle, balanced out the proportions, and ended up with something that Rubik himself would have appreciated: a Cube.
The descriptively named Nissan Cube is currently available in Japan and won’t hit U.S. dealerships until January of 2009 But among Nissan fans, it’s generating buzz.
“I can tell you this,” said Michael Shuman, general sales manager of Nationwide Nissan of Timonium. “It has created a lot of stir. We probably receive about 600 total leads per month for all our cars, and recently about 35 percent of them have been about the Cube.”
By American vehicle standards, the Japanese Cube is a mere snack. It’s just over 12 feet long and almost as wide as it is tall. In comparison, the Honda Fit is 14.7 inches longer, the Mini Cooper Clubman is 8.2 inches longer. The Scion xB outweighs it by 556 pounds and is 20 inches longer. A Smart fortwo is just shy of 9 feet long.
The Cube is a small footprint but has big features for the user. The Japanese version could make a U-turn in an alley (almost). It has command-of-view seating, which did not make the car seem vulnerable in traffic. And the little engine kept up with freeway speeds, but a one-way, 60-mile, daily commute might be taxing on driver and car.
Shuman said the main selling points will be fuel efficiency – the Japanese model reaches 40 on the highway – and the interior volume-efficiency of the rear’s cubic shape.
A battery-powered model was shown in concept form at the New York auto show earlier this year, but no plans for alternative drivelines have been announced. That may change this week when it’s shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
But within this structured formality, the Cube finds room for quirky asymmetry, with a wraparound rear window that abruptly stops on the opposite pillared corner. The effect is as bold as a one-shoulder dress. Or as odd as a Lego-van with a missing supporting block.
What isn’t bold on the Japanese model: power. The 1.3-liter engine goes from 0-60 in almost 14 seconds, not comforting when alighting onto the freeways where it would get its best mileage. Expected U.S. upgrades include the Versa’s 1.8-liter engine, as well as Nissan’s standard complement of six airbags. A lightweight, optional four-wheel-drive system (“e.4WD”) adds rear-wheel traction in bad weather.
Baltimore area dealers expect it to appeal to the same audience as the Scion xB – 20-somethings in search of a sporty vehicle whose inherent simplicity invites customization. Marvin Daney, internet manager at Antwerpen Security Nissan in Baltimore, speculates that it will be the kind of car that could be readily dressed up with custom rims and other add-ons.
At the moment, though, what market the boxy, idiosyncratic Cube appeals to won’t be known until next year.
Daney thinks the Cube will find its own loyal following: “It’s not a car that everyone’s gonna love but if you have one, you’ll love it.”
Editors’ note: Includes information from a report published by Creators Syndicate.
Specs Box
Nissan Cube with e4WD
Body style: subcompact, five-passenger box, with optional all-wheel-drive
Engine: 97-horsepower, DOHC, 1.3-liter four-cylinder with 16 valves per cylinder
Transmission: four-speed automatic
Acceleration: 0-60 mph, 13.8 seconds, by Edmunds.com
EPA fuel economy estimates: 26 mpg city, 40 highway; 87 octane recommended
Fuel tank: 10.6 gallons
MSRP: Not yet released; pricing starts at $10,800 USD in Japan
Creators Syndicate
