Test Drive: 2010 Nissan Cube 1.8 S Krom

2010 Nissan Cube Krom. Click image to enlarge

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Review and photos by Greg Wilson

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2010 Nissan Cube

The new-for-2010 Nissan Cube Krom is essentially a regular Cube with, yes, more chrome – plus a few other things. Check out the bold chrome bars in the grille, the body-width chrome bars in the lower bumper, and the eight-spoke 16-inch smoked chrome alloy wheels. The Cube Krom also has unique front and rear bumpers, body side sills, rear roof spoiler and blacked-out rear windows, all of which make the Cube look like a kind of urban-chic street cruiser – similar in concept to the Honda Element SC or the Kia Soul 4U SX.

Whether the transition from cute to brute really works is debatable; the Cube is so tall and square, that it’s hard to take it seriously as a tuner vehicle, especially as there is no power upgrade over the standard 122-hp 1.8-litre 4-cylinder engine, and the only tranny available is a CVT.

Still, if you’re looking for an economy car with character, a roomy interior and great gas mileage, the Cube Krom is a unique piece in the marketplace. In addition to its exterior differences, the Krom has some unique interior features: cloth seats with a distinctive woven black and grey fabric, faux titanium dash trim, metal brake and accelerator pedals, a 4.3-inch colour audio display with integrated rearview camera view when in Reverse gear, USB port, a Rockford Fosgate subwoofer, and an adjustable interior illumination system with 20 different colours,

Like all Cubes for the 2010 model year, the Krom has new standard Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, iPod interface, speed-sensitive volume control, six speakers, and Radio Data System (RDS).

The Cube Krom’s MSRP is $23,098 plus a Freight charge of $1,325 – which is quite a jump over the Cube’s base price of $17,398. Though the Krom’s price is slightly less than its closest competitor, the Kia Soul 4U SX ($23,545), the Soul comes with a standard five-speed manual transmission or optional four-speed automatic ($24,745) and features a 142-hp 2.0-litre engine, four-wheel disc brakes and 18-inch tires and alloy wheels.

2010 Nissan Cube Krom. Click image to enlarge

Though the Soul may be a better value, the Cube’s styling will probably trump all other considerations in this buying decision. The Krom’s primary appeal is its unique look, and whether or not its competitors have a little more horsepower or extra rear disc brakes probably won’t make a difference to the Cube Krom buyer.

The base 2010 Nissan Cube S model starts at $17,398, and that includes a standard six-speed manual transmission or optional CVT, 15-inch tires and steel wheels, air conditioning, cloth seats, driver’s seat height adjuster, 60/40 split-folding second-row seatbacks, AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo, power windows with driver’s auto up/down, power door locks with keyless entry, cruise control, active front head restraints, and vehicle security system, plus the standard features I mentioned above.

Also standard is a generous list of safety features including six airbags, electronic stability control, traction control, anti-lock brakes, brake assist, electronic brake distribution, active front head restraints, two rear head restraints, child-proof rear door locks, and child seat anchors and tether connectors.

The SL, starting at $20,898, comes only with the continuously variable transmission, and adds 16-inch tires and alloy wheels, fog lights, automatic temperature control, automatic headlamps, and pushbutton start. An optional Technology Package ($800) for the SL adds a 4.3-inch colour audio display, USB port, rear-view camera, upgraded speakers with Rockford Fosgate subwoofer, and XM satellite radio.

As mentioned, the Krom’s MSRP of $23,098 adds the chrome grilles, body kit, rear spoiler, black and grey cloth seats, Rockford Fosgate subwoofer, rear-view camera, 4.3-inch dash display, USB port, interior accent lighting, metal pedals, and titanium-look interior trim.

Driving impressions

2010 Nissan Cube Krom. Click image to enlarge

The Cube is based on the Versa’s front-wheel drive platform with the same 1.8-litre engine and ‘Xtronic’ continuously variable transmission. It drives much like a Versa, except that its taller body feels more top-heavy when cornering, the driving position is more upright, and the visibility is affected by the tall, vertical windows.

The driver sits well back from the upright front windshield; that feels a bit weird but doesn’t hinder visibility. The vertical side windows, as Contributing Editor Chris Chase pointed out, can catch reflections at night, which can be distracting. On the other hand, the side windows are larger than average, enhancing visibility in the daytime. A third side window on the passenger side improves visibility when shoulder-checking, but there is a corner pillar at the right rear despite the external appearance of a single wraparound rear side window. The rear window has a wiper and washer. Overall visibility is very good.

The Cube’s doors are large and the openings permit easy access to the front and rear seats. The driver’s seat has a high seating position, and the driver sits tall in the saddle. Even so there is at least 15 cm of headroom – more than in any other vehicle I’ve experienced – except perhaps a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van! The steering wheel tilts but doesn’t telescope – because of this, I had to pull the seat closer to the steering wheel than I liked in order to reach the pedals. However, the driver’s seat is height adjustable.

2010 Nissan Cube Krom. Click image to enlarge

Cube Krom models have a keyless entry system and pushbutton start/stop. A small, black button on the door handle allows the driver to lock or unlock the door, and once inside the driver simply pushes a button to start the car – the key remains in your pocket. There are also black buttons on the front passenger door and rear cargo door for locking and unlocking without the key.

Acceleration off the line is brisk, and the CVT transmission engages the engine’s torque without excessive “slippage”. Once you get used to driving around with only one gear and a droning engine, the CVT becomes less annoying. This CVT has an on/off overdrive button which essentially drops the transmission into a lower gear for quicker acceleration. Interestingly, while Nissan’s standard powertrain warranty is 5 years/100,000 km, the Cube offers a 10 year/200,000 km warranty on the CVT.

The Cube is surprisingly easy to drive – visibility is good, steering is light, the turning circle (10.1 metres) is good, the engine is quiet on the highway, and there is surprisingly little wind noise given the brick-like shape of the body. Even side winds don’t seem to blow it around too much – perhaps the Krom’s larger 195/55R16-inch tires make it a little more stable than the standard 15-inch tires.

At 100 km/h on the freeway, the engine revs at just 2,000 r.p.m. and thanks to the CVT, the engine maintains a low 1,500 r.p.m. when tootling around town. No wonder it’s quiet! Even under acceleration with the CVT holding engine revs steady while accelerating, engine noise is not unduly loud.

2010 Nissan Cube Krom. Click image to enlarge

According to track tests by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, the 2010 Cube CVT accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 10.6 seconds and brakes from 100 km/h to 0 in 43 metres. That’s almost identical to the 2010 Kia Soul auto at 10.7 seconds and 42.7 metres, which is kind of surprising given the Soul’s more powerful engine and better brakes.

Official fuel economy numbers for the Cube CVT are 7.3/6.3 City/Hwy, but I managed only 9.5 L/100 km in mostly city driving. Through personal experience, I’ve determined that “downtown” city driving, with frequent stops at traffic lights, uses considerably more fuel than “urban” city driving.

The Cube is easy to park because it so short – believe it or not, the Cube is about the same length as a Honda Fit. And the Cube Krom has a rear backup camera that displays an image of the area behind the car in the dash screen when the transmission is in Reverse, which greatly assists parallel parking in tight parking spaces.

With an independent front suspension and semi-independent torsion beam rear suspension, the Cube rides comfortably and corners well at normal speeds. Higher cornering speeds create some body lean and an uneasy top-heavy sensation – this is not a sports wagon. Should you get into trouble, electronic stability and traction control are there to help regain traction and straighten the car out automatically.

Overall, the Cube is a very pleasant vehicle to drive, quieter than many small cars, and very manoeuvrable. But when driving it, there is always a feeling of wearing a hat that’s a little too big.

2010 Nissan Cube Krom. Click image to enlarge

As mentioned, the Cube can be unlocked with the key in your pocket by pressing the black button on the door handle. Its tall door openings make it easy to get into, and the front seats have a high hip point for an upright seating position. A manual height adjuster on the driver’s seat can help shorter drivers, but there is no lumbar adjustment for lower back support, and heated front seats are not available (they’re standard in the Kia Soul). The Cube’s driver’s seat has a fold-down inboard armrest, and the door armrests have a felt covering.

The rear seat is also easy to get into and has abundant headroom, generous kneeroom and plenty of footroom under the front seats. The entire rear seat slides fore and aft about 15 cm, increasing the amount of leg space or cargo space behind the rear seats if desired. Split folding seatbacks fold down on top of the seat cushions increasing the cargo compartment’s length from 48 cm to 137 cm behind the rear seats. As the cargo well is deep and not level with the folded seatbacks, an optional trunk organizer can be purchased to create a flat loading floor. The privacy cover is made of a flexible material and must be secured in place with tethers and Velcro strips – not a simple task.

The Cube’s interior blends trendy styling cues with functional controls and gauges: its curved dash has a circular heating/air conditioning control panel in the centre, a large digital information screen for the radio and back-up camera, a trip computer with average fuel economy sandwiched between the brightly illuminated tachometer and speedometer, and extra cupholders next to the driver’s door.

The AM/FM/XM radio/CD/MP3 player includes an auxiliary input jack, a button for the ‘iPod Menu’, and lower down on the console, a USB port. Six speakers, including a large Rockford Fosgate subwoofer, make for great sound.

Interior mood lighting, similar to Ford’s system, allows the driver to illuminate the footwells and cupholders in a choice of twenty different colours (I wish I’d had that in the 70s!). The roof headliner has a unique “pond ripple” design that is also found in the shape of the door speakers.

Black and grey seat covering, exclusive to the Krom, is very attractive with above average quality for this class, and the leather-wrapped steering wheel, which includes audio, cruise and Bluetooth controls, looks good too – but the dash plastic looks a bit low rent to me.

Unique storage ideas are ripple hooks that can be moved around the interior to secure pouches for storage, and C-hooks in the front doors for bungee cords. There is also a large glovebox and some small coin trays in the dash, however there is no centre storage box between the front seats.

With the rear seatbacks up, the cargo area is not that roomy (323 litres/11.4 cu. ft.), however, as I mentioned, the rear seat can be slid forwards for extra room, and with both rear seatbacks folded down, cargo volume increases to 1645 litres/58.1 cu. ft. The rear cargo door is hinged on the driver’s side and swings out away from the curb allowing groceries and cargo to be loaded more easily. Still, the rear cargo door feels heavy, particularly if you’re parked on a slope. Personally, I prefer lift-up hatch doors.

Six airbags – two frontal airbags, two side airbags in the front seats, and two curtain airbags are standard in the Cube. As well, there are four height adjustable head restraints, the front ones designed to help prevent whiplash.

Overall, the Cube’s interior is a nice place to be, but a telescoping steering wheel would improve the driver’s seating position.

It may be roomy, comfortable, fuel efficient, and easy to park, but the Cube Krom is a car that will attract, or repel buyers, based soley on its looks.