Vehicle: 2009 Nissan Cube 1.8SL with Technology Pkg
Price as tested: CDN$22998

Performance: Given the fact that Cube shares the same platform as Versa, it doesn’t come as a surprise that they both share the same powertrain. Its the 1.8 liter DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder with Nissan’s variable valve timing called CVVTCS. While this engine has decent refinement and flexability, as one expects from Nissan’s engineering prowess, which is able to produce some great engine like VQ engine series. This 122hp mill just isn’t able to move Cube’s 2842 lb with authority. Thankfully, 127 lb/ft of torque has created more than adequate performance when move the Cube off-the-line. On the other hand, without Nissan’s renowed Xtronic CVT. This engine would definitely be shoot down when it comes to power department. The CVT really gives this Cube a more than adequate move consider its status of life as a lifestyle boxy car. If not, it would be simply a sluggish box on wheels with poor aerodynamic. The seamless feel has created a luxurious feel during acceleration without all the power loss from traditional automatic gearbox with torque converter. Its a smart move from Nissan to make CVT across the board, while making this Cube delivers the power that it should be.

Handling: For those who have read our earlier reviews with Versa, we weren’t fond of its dynamic abilities right from day 1. Surprisingly, Cube has given us a bit of a surprise, dynamically, simply because Nissan has positioned it as a box car. The rather tall driving position has created a sense that you are driving on instead of in the car, as one expects from all of these box cars. But Nissan has managed to create a rather sure-footness feedback from the chassis and suspension, which are unfound in its Versa silibings. The suspension is able to absorb all the roughness and washboard pavements with ease, without much complaining. It is soft enough to cruise along the beach to show your “box car lifestyle” while having enough firmness to control body motions. The steering has more than acceptable response but the off-center feels a bit numb, on-center is about average. There are quite amount of body rolls and understeer is pronounced, once again, all expected from a box car.

Brakes: Cube comes standard with front discs, rear drums and standard ABS. We have to give credit for Nissan offering ABS as standard feature across the board, which is a great move. On the other hand, this ABS system is one of the better offered in the market. As it won’t rear its ugly heads until its absolutely necessary. The pedal feel and modulation are capable even with Cube’s heavy cube weight.

Interior: Its very obvious that Nissan has engineered Cube for North American market, right from the tailgate. Unlike many of those side hinged tailgate, which opens on the wrong side of the road. Suzuki is the biggest offender with their Grand Vitara. Nissan has put the tailigate hinge on the left side, so that when its opened. Both the hauler and the cargo are facing the sidewalk instead of all the cars passing by. While the floor is generally flat in the Cube, we just can’t accept the fold-down rear seats have that 2 inch seats up above the rest of the floor. This has been a much criticism in the Versa, the same goes for the Cube. There are 2 other pet peeves with Cube’s cargo area layout. The 1st one is the high liftover, which is as high as the fold-down rear seat. Another area is the rear glass doesn’t open independently from the tailigate.

The rest of the interior is as hippy as the exterior. Everything else from the instrumentation gauges to dashboard are very trendy, very match with the box car culture. Unfortunately, the rest of the interior continues to stuck with some cheap and nasty plastic. As for instrumentation, the fuel and temperature gauges lighted up in orange tend to wash out during sunlight. To make it even worse, it washes out even more when wearing sunglasses. Not only Cube, Sentra and Rogue have suffered the same design issue.

As with all box car, there are plenty of headroom for both front and rear passengers. The rear legroom is more than acceptable given Cube’s size.

Conclusion: The Cube is a surprisingly good little car. It got a good amount of space with abundance of standard features, along with Nissan’s good reputation for building reliable transportation. Just be patient with its acceleration when its time to show off your hip box car lifestyle.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2009 Nissan Cube
=====================================
Performance: 2/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 2.25/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 3/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 3/5

Overall rating: 2.75/5