   2009 Nissan Cube SL. Click image to enlarge |
Join Autos’s Facebook group
Follow Autos on TwitterInside Story is a review of interior comfort features, cabin controls, storage options, trunk space and under-hood accessibility based on a seven-day evaluation. For driving impressions, please see our Test Drives section.
Review and photos by Michael Clark
Find this vehicle in Autos’s Classified Ads
Photo Gallery:
2009 Nissan Cube
Think of it as Rubik for Dummies.
In an automotive world full of puzzling designs, the Nissan Cube aims to remove the pox on the two-box interpretation. Simplicity in form, in search of ultimate function, aka, ‘The New Sexy.’ The idea is not without precedent. Consider the Honda Element, or the finally-coming-to-Canada Scion xB. One might even suggest that it has become popular to possess an equal-sided rectangular form. Here, there, and everywhere.
As with any vehicle, filling the shape with the proper fittings for comfort and convenience is key, as long as it can achieve a competitive price point. Here’s where it gets interesting for Cube. In the 17-to-22 large category, (the Cube’s price range) there are no true boxes. Even the Kia Soul has something resembling styling. Nissan is attempting to initiate the granddaddy of paradigm shifts for a crucial market segment; the one that most of us can afford.
This week, my driveway welcomes the Cube SL, with Technology Package, Firecracker Red paint upgrade, and Interior Accent Lighting Package, at an MSRP of $22,131.95. (Pricing shown does not include freight, taxes, regional, or promotional incentives.) A quick note; every Cube colour other than black is an extra-cost upgrade.
 2009 Nissan Cube SL. Click image to enlarge |
The tilt column holds a multi-function three spoke wheel, with audio navigation, cruise control, and wireless phone access via Bluetooth. The microphone is directly above the driver position. Now that you know that, you may achieve reasonable call quality. Headlamps are signal stalk-mounted, with an auto detent. Delay wipers include an intermittent sweep for the rear glass. The instrument cluster includes tachometer sweep, quadrant selection for the CVT, and fuel economy stats.
Controls for the power heated exterior mirrors are found on the dashboard, to the left of the driver, along with the cancel switch for the Vehicle Dynamic Control. Most appreciated is the fuel release located off of the floor, even though one is bound to open the hood by mistake at first. An auto up/down service is reserved for the driver’s side window. The centre stack plays host to a unique circular HVAC control array. What makes it unique is the lack of heat the HVAC system develops during periods of extreme cold. It would also be wise to re-configure the defrost vents that service the front side windows, which experienced less than respectable clearing. Welcome to the anomaly that is flat glass. While we’re visiting, it should also be noted that the flat side glass of the Cube does contribute to more pronounced reflections of passing objects for night driving. Sometimes, it can feel as though you’re driving a house of mirrors.
 2009 Nissan Cube SL. Click image to enlarge |
Keeping the MSRP in check explains the uninspired audio head unit, aka Nissan corporate issue. The single CD unit includes an auxiliary audio input, plus an iPod interface at the base of the centre stack. Note the dash-mount push-button engine start.
The Cube is heck-bent on your hydration. It starts with the bevvie holder just below eye level on the driver’s side of the dashboard, sized for bottles, cups, even those diminutive-diameter cans that hold energy drinks made from battery acid. At floor height, in front of the CVT shift, a triple cupholder awaits your thirst-quenchers. Front and rear doors are bottle holder-equipped. But there’s more! The rear centre armrest gets a dual cupholder, with a large diameter holder found at floor level. The front seatbacks are storage pocket-equipped. Door pockets up front are anything but deep, and this is where the solutions get as weird as the names of IKEA knick-knacks.
  2009 Nissan Cube SL. Click image to enlarge |
The front armrests are equipped with C-shaped cut-outs, designed to hold bungee cords for gripping items. Then there are the ripple hooks, which can be moved throughout the Cube, allowing them to hold rubbery pouches to showcase your belongings. This reminds me of a friend’s purchase of an early-generation Toyota Echo, with open-face styled stuff compartments. The moral is; no one wants to see your stuff. At least the dash-mount ripplers point in the direction of the 12-volt DC powerpoint, to the right of the HVAC controls. The glovebox borders on cavern, with an upper literature compartment, and a storage well on the inner side of the compartment door. The dash shelf above the glovebox could at least allow your passenger the convenience of a multiple dipping sauces array for their chicken nuggets. Mmmmmm…
 2009 Nissan Cube SL. Click image to enlarge |
The unique water drop/ripple headliner would have been even more unique, if the courtesy lamp was round. Oversized sun visors house vanity mirrors with no backlighting. Roof-mounted cargo systems are not currently available in the accessory catalogue.
The driver’s seat receives an inboard flip-down armrest, plus a manual height adjuster. The front seats are in desperate need of side bolstering, as well as having the availability of optional heat. The rear seatbacks can achieve an impressive recline. A front passenger can actually reach the release to slide the lower portion of the rear seat.
   2009 Nissan Cube SL. Click image to enlarge |
Little gets in the way of the Cube’s ample rear cargo door. An available organizer fits into the lower well, which provides a flat load floor when the rear seatbacks are folded. Making things less tangly is a retractable centre rear seatbelt assembly. The cargo area cover is best described as a security blanket. Actually, it is a blanket, with bungee tethers for attachment to the side walls, and Velcro strips to grip the seatbacks, which fold right flat when called upon.
A space-saver spare is tucked under the rear floorpan, just itching to become a greasy rubber biscuit. Nissan will change it for you, during the first three years or 60,000 kilometres of ownership. While we’re down here, note the rear parking sonar sensors, part of the Technology Package.
The 122-horsepower 1.8-litre four is neither lost, nor crammed into the engine bay. Nissan reports a city consumption rating of 7.3 L/100 km, and a highway rating of 6.5 L/100 km, with the CVT. I logged an average of 9.4 L/100 km, in a heavy urban cycle, compounded by temperatures around the -20 degrees Celsius mark, and a last-minute holiday shopping heavy foot.
 2009 Nissan Cube SL. Click image to enlarge |
Space: the final frontier for economy bread. Were it this factor alone, the Cube is a slam-dunk winner for the segment. What has become evident from this Cube test is that space can be just that, with minimal inspiration within. Ripples belong on chips, not on clips. An interior should never be encouraged to be a bulletin board, nor become an invitation to prybar eyes. The reality is that the Cube has plenty of interior storage options, without adding a hokey pouch. Speaking of hokey, the Interior Accent Lighting Package could disappear tomorrow, and few would miss it. The purpose of an ambient LED system is not to point out the intricate weave of the wiring harness. Look to Ford; they’ve got the better LED idea.
Next week: 2010 Chevrolet Equinox LTZ
