Tag Archives: Nissan Cube

Car Spots, Fun Stuff

Car Spot: The Nissan Cube

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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.

One thing is for sure, it does stand out in a parking lot.

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.

The Cube had seating for five.

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.

The rear door opened like a regular side door.

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.

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Car Reviews

2020 Kia Soul GT-Line 1.6 Turbo

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GT-Line’s turbo makes this the Soul you want  …

This may be overstating it some, but if ever there were a modern-day Volkswagen Beetle in both spirit and style, it would be Kia’s sweet Soul.

Consider that 11 years into its run the styling has been updated in tweaks to nose and tail, but the basic shape has stayed the same with its boxy looks offering a bit of swagger with its roof that tilts slightly downward in back. Somehow the look is sporty and fun, as opposed to the boring boxes on wheels, such as Scion’s XB and Nissan’s freakish Cube, that have come and gone, not to be missed. And this time around the headlights are thin slits with a light bar up front that sort of reminds of a Chevy Camaro nose. Fun! Continue reading 2020 Kia Soul GT-Line 1.6 Turbo →

Car Reviews

2015 Nissan Juke SL AWD

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Juke the latest oddball design from Nissan 

Odd nose and those lights atop the hood are great at holding snow and ice.
Odd nose and those lights atop the hood are great at holding snow and ice.

Nissan’s Juke is unusual looking!

You’ll probably substitute your own word for “unusual”, but there will be no argument that it looks like no other car on the road, but then neither did the Nissan Cube, which has been discontinued, or the late Pontiac Aztek.

For lack of a better descriptor, I’d say the Juke has bug eyes, or possibly a frog-faced nose. Some call it youthful, some funky. But it’s no Kia Soul, which exudes cute and trendy.

Plus the unique Juke has been around now for several years, so it’s not a newcomer to the market. It does offer all-wheel-drive, which is a plus in its favor, plus decent gas mileage and in the tested SL AWD model, heated front seats. That was especially nice on several sub-zero days during my drive.

This is the purplish blue of my test car.
This is the purplish blue of my test car.

Its other major plus, other than being a hatchback, is its lithe nature and easy sporty handling. It’s fun to drive with mild steering effort and responsive handling with little lean in turns. In that way, it feels much like a Jeep.

Sadly it feels Jeep-like in ride, which is to say choppy over Wisconsin’s rough roads. The front MacPherson struts and rear multi-link suspension, both with stabilizer bars, shocks and springs, delivered a bumpier small sport-utility truck type ride than many folks may enjoy and I found myself trying to dodge any road imperfection to ease the jostle. Blame much of that on Juke’s short, 99.6-inch wheelbase. Continue reading 2015 Nissan Juke SL AWD →