Car Spot: The Nissan Cube

You can see the French influence in its design …

Every time I see one of these I expect that when it stops a bunch of clowns will jump out of it. Kelly Blue Book loved the Cube naming it one of the coolest cars under $18,000 in 2009 and the following year listed the Nissan Cube as one of its Top 10 Road Trip Cars. But not all the media loved it. Cars.com wrote that when the Cube gets above city speeds it’s a dog: It handles like a skateboard, surrenders to highway crosswinds, and has the passing power of a 1990s econobox. Ouch!

Mileage? Not so good, only combined 20 MPG. Launched first in Japan and then the US, it came from the Nissan-Renault hookup, and I think the French influence is obvious.

According to Nissan designers, the interior was inspired by the “enveloping curves of a jacuzzi to promote a comfortable and social atmosphere.” Um, sure, I guess. Nissan even developed an extended line of accessories for Cube to help encourage personalization.

These included multicolor appliqués that could be placed around air vents and window switches, utility hooks and elastic bands in different colors, variable color LED accent lighting for the footwell and cup holders, and a sculptured piece of color-coordinated shag carpet that sits in a shallow well on the top of the dash. Shag carpet, I remember that!

RELATED Post: 5 cars that will never be classics and the Cube is one of them.

At its peak in 2010, the Cube remained firmly a niche vehicle, selling 22,968 units, but from there it started dropping like a rock, shaped like a cube, down to 2,965 through eight months of 2014 according to Nissan. The Cube was dropped for the 2015 model year. Duh!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend. Be sure to check back next Friday when I have another one of my car spots along with some of its history.