2010 Nissan cube hit showrooms in May and so far 16,849 have been sold through the end of October, including 2,097 last month which makes a statement about the cube appeal. The cube outsold the Kia Soul by 34 units and easily eclipsed the Scion xD which had October sales of 1,023 and Scion xB at 1,782. The Honda Element, another member of the boxy trend, saw just 871 leave showrooms last month.
The front-wheel drive cube is built on Nissan’s B-platform with a standard 122-horsepower 1.8-liter DOHC 4-cylinder engine and a choice of Nissan’s advanced, smooth shifting Xtronic CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) or 6-speed manual transmission. My first impression was the amazing visability with its large windows and all of the power windows fully opened. Then once behind the wheel, I found the low-end torque provided plenty of quickness and the engine delivered ample power to make the cube fun-to-drive. Getting 29 miles-per-gallon is a nice bonus.
cube is offered in four models: cube 1.8, cube starting at $13,990, 1.8 S starting at $14,690, cube 1.8 SL starting at $16,790 and a specialty vehicle edition, the cube 1.8 Krōm starting at $19,370 (pictured above).
Nissan offers a completely differently designed vehicle for a racing enthusiast with deeper pockets - the all-new, second generation NISMO Z, went on sale in June with its 350 horsepower 3.7-liter DOHC V6 engine that delivers 276 lb-ft of torque and has a starting price tag of $39,130.
