One of the ways to describe the recent automotive market is “the year of the box.” Compact, square-ish cars have really made a splash. Nissan’s contribution to the genre is the cube [note the lowercase ‘c’]. The cube stands out from other like vehicles with its asymmetrical rear styling with its wraparound side/rear window and refrigerator-style rear door. Three models—cube 1.8, cube 1.8 S and cube 1.8 SL—plus the 1.8 S Krom Edition make up the cube line.
The 1.8 in the model names refers to the 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine, which produces 122 horsepower and is mated to either a continuously variable automatic (CVT) or six-speed manual transmission. Fuel economy is estimated at 27 mpg city and 31 mpg highway with the CVT and 25 city/30 highway with the manual gearbox.
The interior, in Nissan’s terminology, is a “casual lounge.” Seating includes a six-way manual driver’s seat, four-way manual passenger’s seat and a sofa style reclining rear bench seat. The rear seat slides to any of three positions and it sits higher, which improves visibility. Storage includes six cupholders and five bottle holders, along with detachable hooks that can be moved around as needed to locations instrument panel and rear passenger doors. For more information, visit Worcester Nissan or Arlington Nissan.
Among the safety features are front, seat mounted side-impact and front and rear roof-mounted side curtain airbags, tire pressure monitoring, stability and traction control, anti-lock brakes with force distribution and brake assist. Despite its size, the cube is a “Top Safety Pick” by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Safety is important to people shopping small cars, Nissan Alexandria says.
Technology features include Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity, steering wheel audio controls, iPod connectivity, MP3 and CD-ROM playback, speed-sensitive volume control and six speakers. The Krom adds a 4.3-inch color display with USB port and backup camera, smart key, push-button start. The display, USB port and camera are available in the SL’s Preferred Package.
Nissan wants cube owners to customize their cars and there are accessories including a 20-color interior lighting kit, shag carpet dash toppers, body kits, custom wheels, illuminated kick plates and a rear cargo organizer.
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