Vehicle Overview
The Cube, which has been a hit in Japan for some time now, landed in the U.S. a few years ago. Competitors include the Scion xB and Kia Soul. All Cubes come with an electronic stability system and six airbags.
New for 2013
There are no significant changes for 2013.
Exterior
The Cube’s tail features a rearward-jutting bumper. A wraparound window replaces the passenger-side exterior rear pillar, though there’s a hidden pillar on the inside so it doesn’t make for blind-spot-free sightlines. Exterior features include:
- Swing-out rear door, rather than liftgate
- Standard 15-inch steel wheels with plastic covers; 16-inch wheels available
- Body-colored side mirrors
- Optional rear spoiler
Interior
The five-seat Cube’s cabin sports some unorthodox styling. The dash has wavelike contours and the tachometer is white, but the speedometer fades to blue. “Water drop” accents include ripple effects in the headliner, cupholders and stereo speakers. Nissan says it styled the backseat after a sofa; the seats recline and move forward and backward. The seats also fold, though they don’t yield a flat load floor. There’s a deep storage well behind the seats. Interior features include:
- Light gray or graphite interior colors
- Standard power windows and locks with remote keyless entry
- Optional keyless access with push-button start
- Standard manual air conditioning
- Optional automatic climate control
- USB/iPod-compatible stereo with steering-wheel audio controls
- Optional Rockford Fosgate stereo with satellite radio
Under the Hood
There is one engine available for the Cube. Mechanical features include:
- 122-horsepower, 1.8-liter four-cylinder
- Standard six-speed manual transmission
- Optional continuously variable automatic transmission
Safety
Standard safety features include:
- Antilock brakes
- Electronic stability system
- Active front head restraints
- Seat-mounted side-impact airbags for the front seats and side curtain airbags for both rows
