"Master of my domain, queen of the castle, lord of the manor"-I just saw the classic Seinfeld "The Competition" episode on TV, which reminds me of my undergrad days at UCLA. Not the competition part, well, at least I'd like to think not. Back then I drove an '86 Nissan Sentra coupe that my dad gave me...I drove that everywhere, man. The Sentra had a 1.6 liter 4 banger which was a little underpowered for the car, which sat 5 and had a decent trunk. The 2009 Nissan Cube I drove last weekend also seats five and has an OK-sized luggage compartment, but the Cube definitely has something the Sentra didn't - character. It is powered by a 1.8 liter 4 cylinder engine matched to a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) which gets it a MPG rating of 28 City and 30 Highway, and is actually very decent at powering the Cube off the line.
The tester Nissan Cube had the preferred package with the Remote Intelligent Key (no need to take the key out of pocket), push button ignition, leather-wrapped steering wheel with controls, Bluetooth hands-free phone system, XM satellite radio, a detachable shag carpet on the dashboard, a 20-color interior accent lighting and illuminated kick plates. Illuminated kick plates! That's pretty awesome and unexpected for a small car like this. Interior materials were also unexpected in a small car, with small design touches throughout, like the water ripple ceiling, crazy-stitched seat covers, the "jacuzzi-like" design of the wrap-around dashboard and a countless number of cup holders. OK, OK, enough about all that, now onto the important stuff - the styling and design.
Exteriorus ===============
It's impossible to miss the Cube in a parking lot. First of all, for a small compact car, it is big. The roofline is higher than almost every single car out there, it's almost as tall as a Toyota Sienna. The Cube is also pretty wide for a small station wagon. It does have a short wheel base making it very easy to maneuver around town. The most striking feature on the exterior, is the asymmetric design. It's probably the only production car designed for the masses that has that. The windows on the right side of the car starts at the B pillar and wraps around the C pillar all the way to the back of the car. The left side of the car has a window on the rear door, but no window behind it like on the right side. It is very striking and you either love it or hate it. I also love the rear of the car, which juts out at the bottom with tail lights horizontally arranged at the bottom. The rest of the car is cute and is an evolution from the second-generation Cube which was only sold in Japan. The headlights are decent, though I like the ones on the last generation better. Overall the boxy design fits the name really well.
Interiorus==================
Who doesn't love the jacuzzi? Nissan designers claimed inspiration from a hot tub for the Cube's interior design. A curved contoured dashboard that wraps around from the driver door to the passenger door, coupled with the water ripple ceiling make the Cube look like a modern art piece on the inside. The juxtaposition of curves on the inside with the squarish styling on the outside makes the Cube very special indeed. There is so much SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE! The Cube is actually a pretty perfect car for a pimp. There is so much head room a pimp can easily fit inside with a ten-gallon hat. The huge windows also provide great visibility all around to keep an eye on your working girls. There is plenty of room for your cane as well. You can just chill inside the cavernous interior and pump up the 6 upgraded speakers and the sub woofer while counting your money.
The Last Word==================
Asymmetry rules! The Cube is definitely a standout in today's me-too car design world. Love it or hate it, the Cube makes a strong statement and you will not go unnoticed driving it around town. You gotta give it to the Japanese!
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