Nissan Cube Mileage Announced, On Sale Now

The Nissan Cube, which went on sale yesterday for a starting price of $13,990, will get an EPA-estimated 28/30 mpg city/highway with its continuously variable automatic transmission, Nissan spokesman Darryll Harrison said. With the base six-speed manual, mileage drops to 24/29 mpg. Firm mileage figures for the Cube had been hard to come by, with the only word from Nissan saying projected mileage would be “over 30 miles per gallon highway with the CVT” at the Cube’s unveiling last November.

It didn’t quite make that, and we doubt Nissan’s marketers will make a big deal out of 30 mpg on the highway, especially considering some small hatchbacks easily rack up mid-30s highway figures. The good news is that city figure, especially considering the Cube’s urban-runabout pretentions. Put it this way: If you drive mostly city miles, the Cube is the most fuel-efficient box on wheels. Now, if only Nissan could do something about that swing-out tailgate.

Mileage comparisons to the Scion xB and Kia Soul are below.

Weekend Athlete in Squaresville

A box is a handy thing to carry stuff in, and I’m all about carrying things in the car. The very square Nissan Cube and Kia Soul were recently on hand at the Chicago auto show, so it made sense for me to check them out after hearing so much about them from my coworkers.

Serving as a baseline for comparison is the Scion xB, because it was one of the first boxy little cars out there and it’s closer in size to the Soul and Cube than, say, the Honda Element.

The Cube toed the line first, and it stumbled out of the gate.

Nissan Cube Priced at $13,990

Nissan has priced its new boxy car, the Cube, at an affordable $13,990.

The Cube will be available in four trim levels when it goes on sale in May: base, S, SL and Krom. Every Cube comes with a 122-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder and a slew of safety features, including active head restraints, side-impact and side curtain airbags, electronic stability control and antilock brakes.

The base Cube comes with fairly routine amenities: power windows, locks and mirrors, keyless entry, air conditioning and 15-inch steel wheels. The base version is only available with a six-speed manual transmission. To get the continuously variable automatic, you have to upgrade to the S trim.

The S trim is priced at $14,690. For that price, you get body-colored mirrors, cruise control and upgraded interior upholstery. The CVT adds another $1,000.

The $16,790 SL trim comes standard with the CVT, 16-inch aluminum wheels, automatic headlamps, automatic climate control, iPod integration and an upgraded stereo system. The SL Preferred Package ($1,600) adds another layer of luxury: push-button start, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, satellite radio and rear parking sensors.

The tricked-out Krom edition costs $19,360. That price premium brings bright chrome trim, unique 16-inch chrome wheels, checkered upholstery for the seats, ambient interior lighting and standard Bluetooth.

In addition, Cube customers are offered more than 40 accessories for customization.

The Cube enters a rather specific segment costing significantly less than the Scion xB ($15,750) but slightly more than the also-new Kia Soul, which starts out at $13,300 and can be equipped with a more powerful engine.

We initially awarded the Cube our top pick among the three but some, Suburban Dad included, think the Soul bests the Cube in most respects. It seems the battle of the boxes is on.

Kia Soul vs. Nissan Cube Video

The idea of a blocky subcompact was made popular by the Scion xB and Chrysler PT Cruiser. Now, the econobox category is growing larger with the addition of the new Kia Soul and Nissan Cube.

At the Chicago auto show, Suburban Dad Patrick Olsen got a chance to see the vehicles up close. Watch as he sizes up each vehicle’s strengths and weaknesses and makes a final verdict on which entry is best.

Cube is First Nissan to Get 'Krom' Treatment

Nissan's small Cube crossover hasn't even gone on sale yet, but the automaker has already released a new version of it: the Krom edition. Phil O'Connor, senior manager for Nissan marketing, said that Krom is to appearance accessories what Nissan's Nismo line is to performance parts.

The Cube Krom is distinguished by bright chrome trim up front, with the upper grille featuring a three-bar treatment like Ford uses on some of its models. It also has 16-inch chrome wheels. The Krom goes beyond simple trim changes, though. O'Connor said Krom versions are finished by Autech Japan, a company largely owned by Nissan, where things like the entire front bumper are added.

2009 Nissan Cube Priced at $13,990

Nissan announced a $13,990 base price for its new Cube crossover, which hits dealerships in May. That price puts the Cube 1.8 between two of its prime competitors, with the Kia Soul ($13,300) below it and the Scion xB above ($15,750). Standard Cube features include a 122-hp four-cylinder engine, an electronic stability system, six airbags and remote keyless entry.

Nissan previously announced that the Cube would be offered in 1.8 S and 1.8 SL trim levels in addition to the base 1.8 model. Pricing for those versions hasn't been announced yet, but it should be available this month, according to Nissan. As part of the pricing announcement, Nissan also revealed a new top-of-the-line trim level of the Cube, dubbed Krom. As its name implies, that version will sport chrome exterior accents, among other features. We'll have more information on the Krom edition shortly.

Nissan Cube Pops Up in Pepsi Super Bowl Commercial

Among the Super Bowl’s half-dozen automotive ads, Nissan might deserve an honorable mention. Halfway through Pepsi’s feel-good “Refresh Anthem” spot, we thought we were seeing a Nissan commercial: The Cube appeared opposite a late-60s Dodge A100 van in what we can only guess was the Venice Beach portion of Pepsi’s Dyl.i.am montage. (It’s 25 degrees outside our Chicago offices. No, we aren’t bitter.) It works, though we wonder how the eight or so beachgoers piling into the Dodge would fare in a five-seat Cube. Maybe Californians are just that much thinner.

We asked Nissan if there was a tie-in. There sure was, spokesman Darryll Harrison said. Pepsi contacted the automaker a few weeks ago to see if they could help with a “modern ‘refresh’ of the boxy, social vehicle,” he said. “We were happy to provide a Cube for the shoot.”

Neither party had to pay the other, Harrison said.

Makes sense, seeing as the agency that created the ad — Los Angeles’ TBWA\Chiat\Day — also represents Nissan. We haven’t heard back yet from either the agency or Pepsi. Though we thought the spot struck a hip-but-affable chord, reaction has been mixed. It came in No. 8 out of 50 Super Bowl commercials ranked in USA Today’s Ad Meter, but as of late Monday it had 3.5 out of five stars in YouTube’s Super Bowl ad user ratings, making it one of only seven commercials (out of 53) to rate under four stars.

Three Boxes, One Show

If you kept up with our coverage of the L.A. auto show or were there yourself, you no doubt noticed a couple new boxy cars — the 2009 Nissan Cube and 2010 Kia Soul — vying for the sort of Gen-Y attention Scion achieves. Both employ left-field styling, near-infinite customization options, splashy marketing hype and frugal drivetrains — a combination some analysts have said bodes well for the uncertain financial times ahead.

Over at Scion’s booth was a 2009 xB. We’ve spent considerable time in that car, but not alongside its latest competitors, so we climbed around all three back-to-back for an impromptu comparison. These being show cars, we presume most cosmetic issues — like how well the buttons fit — will be smoothed out by production time. That still leaves plenty of room to rate other areas, from styling and seating comfort to cargo room and overall value. We came up with eight off-the-cuff categories to name an initial winner.

Read on for our thoughts, and add your own in the comments section.

Styling

• 1st Place: Nissan Cube

Not long after Nissan introduced the Cube, a twentysomething woman crooned from the driver’s seat: “Everything is round! So adorable. I like it.” We aren’t quite as smitten, but the Cube definitely takes the most risks — from the wraparound rear window to the circular climate controls and uber-plush seats — and, save the awful swing-out tailgate, we think it pulls most of them off.

• 2nd Place: Kia Soul

The Soul is the most conventional-looking of the three, with a slicked-back windshield and modest roofline. The nose is a bizarre amalgamation of bug-eyed lights and plastic inserts, but the tail brings everything together nicely. Inside, the dash is attractive, if conventional. In the weird wars, it looks like Kia played it safe.

• 3rd Place: Scion xB

Novelty counts for something, and the xB’s is starting to wear off. It’s still kooky as ever, but compared to the ever-adventurous Cube and cleverly packaged Soul, the xB manages to look awkward and … well, ordinary.

Amid the Storm, Boxes Look Good

At last week’s auto show, everyone from the executives to the cab drivers circling the Staples Center knew that behind the confetti was an industry on the verge of meltdown. Car shoppers are trading in pricier models for less expensive ones, or putting off purchases entirely as new-car loans dry up faster than the Colorado River. Yet two introductions, the Nissan Cube and Kia Soul, seem poised for this sort of reality: Like the Scion xB, both have offbeat styling and roomy cabins — and if their presumed mid-teens prices hold true, either one could represent a whole lot of car for the money.

At the show, I queried a few experts to hear their thoughts. The prevailing sentiment: a cautious thumbs-up.

“People are changing decisions; they’re buying less of a vehicle right now,” J.D. Power and Associates forecasting director Jeff Schuster said. “It’s not necessarily because of gas prices. In the past it was, and there’s a pretty good chance that it will be in the future. If you look at the vehicle type, it does offer a very flexible configuration. So you get good passenger space, good height for taller buyers that normally may not fit into a smaller vehicle.

“Even when you’re in a down market, people still want to identify with a vehicle they want to buy, and these types of vehicles offer that.”

IHS Global Insight analyst Tracy Handler agreed.

No Nissan, Infiniti Models at Detroit, Chicago Auto Shows

Nissan recently announced that it will not attend this year’s Detroit or Chicago auto shows. The news wouldn’t come as a shock if it were just Nissan canning the usual media conferences and presentations, like GM and Chrysler did at the L.A. auto show, especially given Nissan doesn’t have any new products to reveal. However, an Infiniti spokesman confirmed with us that Nissan and Infiniti will be completely missing from the shows’ public days as well; no Nissan or Infiniti products will be on the show floor.

So to those Nissan fans who plan to attend the Chicago and Detroit shows during public days this January and February: You’re out of luck. If you want to see Nissan’s newest offerings, like the 2009 Nissan 370Z sports car, Nissan Cube subcompact and Infiniti G37 convertible, you better head to a dealership. Those cars are expected to go on sale soon enough (370Z by January; Cube and G37 convertible by spring) but the major advantage of car shows is poking around without the pressure of a salesperson in your buffer zone.