Nissan Cube

ohskigod

I couldnt ignore the call of the cash for clunker program anymore, I traded my truck (91 GMC Sierra) in for 4500. (about 500 less than my dad bought it for nearly 8 years ago)

i walked into a nissan dealership, test drove the Cube, LOVED it. drove off the lot with a base 6 speed. didnt put a dime down, practically stole it.

this car doesnt just fit my size, it fits it with ROOM to spare. I was stunned when i sat in this thing. small car mileage and comfy for my big @ss? = win.

it's not a pick up but this thing has more storage room that you think by looking at it. very well designed car, unique (you love or hate it), and the 6 speed get more out of engine than I will ever need for a daily driver. If I need to go faster, thats why I have the Stang.

concealer404

Slam that thing on some baller 15" jdm wheels, y0!



Isn't this the thing with the pulsing neon lights around the door speakers? SICK.


They're interesting cars. Starting to grow on me. I'd still rather the first Scion xB, but i wouldn't complain if someone gave me a Cube.

bobman1235

I had never even heard of the Nissan Cube before. Looks a lot like a Scion.

shadowofnight

If the back seats go all the way down , that could be the perfect polk speaker transport mobile. Congrats on the purchase.

ohskigod

concealer404 wrote: »

They're interesting cars. Starting to grow on me. I'd still rather the first Scion xB, but i wouldn't complain if someone gave me a Cube.

Funny you mention the XB, as the surprise i felt sitting in the cube room wise is exactly the same I felt when I sat in the first gen XB when they came out. I was car shopping with Dave, (Fireman32) for a car and he was looking at them hard but they were all gone. that said, the second gen XB, while a better car in a lot of ways, just doesnt have that magic the first gen did. Thats just me though,

no pulsing neon lights (thats the Kia Soul I believe), but the interior is DEFINITLY unique on this car.

shadowofnight

bobman1235 wrote: »

I had never even heard of the Nissan Cube before. Looks a lot like a Scion.

I havent seen one on the road yet either, and usually around here we see new cars right away....kinda strange.

Jstas

You're gonna miss the truck.

ohskigod

I dont think they sold many yet, it is very Scion XB ish (first gen), but it also has rounded features along with a very asymetrical window layout that might not have caught on yet as I dont think they sold many yet.

being a new wierd car, they tried to do the markup over sticker thing on me (might have something to do with the lack of sales too) I put the kabash on that quickly.

ohskigod

Jstas wrote: »

You're gonna miss the truck.

I already do man, heck I miss all my cars (at least the ones I like). I still miss my 1996 jeep I traded in back in 05.

I connect with a car more than most people. but 4500 for a 2 wheel drive 91 GMC sierra with a 4.3l 6? it had to be done (well, not had to, but had to be entertained at the least). the truck booked for 1500 TOPS, and thats with taking some license on the data entry

I drove that 91 for nearly 5 years. didnt pay a dime for it as I got it when my dad passed. That Truck served me faithfully. yeah I had to maintain it (was neglected a bit at the end of Dad's tenure) but it served me ever faithfully for an old truck.

I knew if I was trading it, it had to be for something a) cheap, i didnt want a big payment b)something I REALLY liked and c) had a lot of Charachter like the truck did.

I believe I hit all 3 with applomb.

FittyFieFo

ohskigod wrote: »

I couldnt ignore the call of the cash for clunker program anymore, I traded my truck (91 GMC Sierra) in for 4500. (about 500 less than my dad bought it for nearly 8 years ago)

i walked into a nissan dealership, test drove the Cube, LOVED it. drove off the lot with a base 6 speed. didnt put a dime down, practically stole it.

this car doesnt just fit my size, it fits it with ROOM to spare. I was stunned when i sat in this thing. small car mileage and comfy for my big @ss? = win.

it's not a pick up but this thing has more storage room that you think by looking at it. very well designed car, unique (you love or hate it), and the 6 speed get more out of engine than I will ever need for a daily driver. If I need to go faster, thats why I have the Stang.

Not a fan of "cube" shaped cars, but looks like you're happy with it. I saw this thing at the Chicago auto show, and I took pictures of it. Just not my type of car, but as long as it performs well and exceeded your expectations, then no complaints . Congrats!

ohskigod

the big point for me with the box shape is the ability to have a small car platform and all it's advantages but still fits me, I'm a big boy (a biscuit or 2 over 340).

devani

cube has been selling in Japan for almost 10 years....it just came to US....IMO it looks good enough and different than others on the road...plus it has long list of parts from Japan...

ohskigod

devani wrote: »

cube has been selling in Japan for almost 10 years....it just came to US.......plus it has long list of parts from Japan...

very true, which removed the fear of buying a first model year of any car. currently built on the very solid and reliable Versa platform.

shack

The cube concept is ok. We have 2004 a Honda Element so I am familar with it. I have seen several Cubes in our area. I am a little suprised that it doesn't get better gas mileage. A 6 speed manual, 2,800± lb, 122 hp should get better than 24/29 mpg IMO. I know it is an aerodynamic brick, but that is real close to what my Element gets and it is has 44 more hp, auto, 4WD and is 800+ lbs heaver.

Kex

Looks like something from a Wallace & Gromit cartoon! Congratulations on your purchase ... and yes: a lot of those three and five door hatchback designs have more space than you might imagine from the outside dimensions.

ohskigod

shack wrote: »

The cube concept is ok. We have 2004 a Honda Element so I am familar with it. I have seen several Cubes in our area. I am a little suprised that it doesn't get better gas mileage. A 6 speed manual, 2,800± lb, 122 hp should get better than 24/29 mpg IMO. I know it is an aerodynamic brick, but that is real close to what my Element gets and it is has 44 more hp, auto, 4WD and is 800+ lbs heaver.

you sometimes have to take those ratings with a grain of salt......I did notice that though when I bought it. funny thing is, it's 28/30 with the cvt auto (which I did not like, felt wierd to me) but then drops to 24/29 with the 6 speed manual? it did strike me odd.

it does seemed to be geared tall for coming from the factory. 1st gear winds out FAST, and 6th gear I believe is about 3k for a little over 70 (keeping it slow for break in, so I'm not testing that in detail until 500-1000 miles. the gearing does make it peppy as hell, though again, not testing it to an extended degree for break in, but there is no feeling of being underpowered at all. suprisingly lively for the nature of the vehicle.

I'll have real world reports on that down the road.......although compared to what I paid in gas for the truck i'll make out on that either way.

Jstas

shack wrote: »

The cube concept is ok. We have 2004 a Honda Element so I am familar with it. I have seen several Cubes in our area. I am a little suprised that it doesn't get better gas mileage. A 6 speed manual, 2,800± lb, 122 hp should get better than 24/29 mpg IMO. I know it is an aerodynamic brick, but that is real close to what my Element gets and it is has 44 more hp, auto, 4WD and is 800+ lbs heaver.

Your Element probably gets better mileage with the automatic because the stall speed on the converter is set high so lockup occurs later. It improves gas mileage because the engine isn't turning a locked torque converter attached to a heavy driveline. It's just turning fins in fluid which turn the driveline. You lose a good chunk of power that way but you gain efficiency in what power you do transfer. You're gearing is likely taller too. Both of those things can easily make up that difference in fuel mileage.

Ford has done the same thing with the Escape V6. Some of the older models with the automatic will actually start to roll backwards on a hill. They get great gas mileage for a vehicle with a weight just over 4,000 pounds on the AWD models.

Aerodynamics don't play such a big part in city driving but on the highway, they make a big difference. Then again, little, pissant cars like Cubes, Elements, Scions, Souls and such are "keicars". They are meant for congested Asian metropolitan roads. Once you get out of the cities in many Asian countries, you are on dirt cart paths rutted and washed out. But that doesn't matter because there isn't any place to go outside of the cities so the cars stay in the city. These "keicars" were not designed for the vast expanse of the American and European highway systems. So they focus on style more than performance and function because when your intended lifespan was never intended to see more than 50 mph, aerodynamics is an afterthought.

Jstas

ohskigod wrote: »

you sometimes have to take those ratings with a grain of salt......I did notice that though when I bought it. funny thing is, it's 28/30 with the cvt auto (which I did not like, felt wierd to me) but then drops to 24/29 with the 6 speed manual? it did strike me odd.

it does seemed to be geared tall for coming from the factory. 1st gear winds out FAST, and 6th gear I believe is about 3k for a little over 70 (keeping it slow for break in, so I'm not testing that in detail until 500-1000 miles.

I'll have real world reports on that down the road.......although compared to what I paid in gas for the truck i'll make out on that either way.

CVTs are interesting in the operation. Instead of making the engien change speed while gears just transfer power, a CVT lets the engine transfer power while the gears change speed. That's why most CVT's sound and feel weird. The engine gets right to the power band where it is most efficient and stays there while the transmission speeds up and slows down. It can improve efficiency as much as 40% because the engine isn't doing unnecessary work and it can stay at the spot where it is the most efficient all the time.

Only problems wit them are that CVT's can't pull a ton of weight so they are a tad fragile in that respect. Also, they are insanely boring to drive.

ohskigod

Jstas wrote: »

Also, they are insanely boring to drive.

hammer, meet nail head!!!!

spot on there bud, if I had to have the cvt I could live with it and I respect what it does from an efficiency standpoint, but the wierd/boring/disconnected feel I got made the choice to get the 6 speed easy, supposed hit to mileage be damned. I feel like I can get more out the engine with the 6, and apparently many reviewers agree (I checked to make sure I wasnt coming out of left field with my observations from the test drive)

you seem to have confirmed my suspision of possible fragility/reliability in long term future as well. I feel even better about my choice now, thanks brotha

polrbehr

Congrats on the new ride, Lou.

I took one out for a test drive last week while I was waiting for an oil change, the thing is impressive! The saleswoman I always deal with calls it the "fridge on wheels"

Good luck with it.

BigMac

Congrats. The Cube reminds me of a vehicle you would see in the new Transformers movie. You may just wake up one morning and see this little guy peeking in your window. Here is a Nissan video that is pretty cool. This is what made me think of the Transformers mention. Would love to see what the Cube transforms into.
<object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7QSkAwMXajs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7QSkAwMXajs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1&quot; type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object>

Jstas

A couple of weeks ago, when I got back to my truck at the train station, I had a flyer on my windshield from a local Hyundai dealer. I should have saved it, it was rather jerk-ish.

The flyer was only on select vehicles. All of them American and all of them deragatory.

See, I park my Lightning out in the boondocks of the parking lot to save it from the ravaging of the careless, obnoxiously ignorant onslaught of the army of soccer moms that plagues NJ. There are quite a few vehicles of more rarer breeds that park in the same area including a mid 90's Camaro SS, 6 Corvettes, 4 Infiniti G35's, a brand spankin' new 370Z and a couple of hot rodded BMW M3's.

As I was walking back to my truck, I noticed these flyers. I grabbed one blowing around in the lot and read it. The Hyundai dealer basically called the cars it left the flyers on gas guzzling dinosaurs that the Government has deemed unworthy of road use any longer and I should immediately bring it in and get the largest amount I was entitled to so I could drive around in a brand new Hyundai. It actually had a list of "incentives" that I felt was dubious in it's distinction at best.

Apparently if I buy a Hyundai, I can...

...impress my friends! (not likely)
...save money on gas! (so I can spend what I saved in gas on repairing the pile of poo)
...have the luxury of a new car! (there's more luxury in staring at a horses **** while piloting a horsedrawn carriage than in any Hyundai I've ever seen.)
...piece of mind from the reliability of a new car! (Ha! Not in a Hyundai!)
...piece of mind from Hyundai's buy back insurance plan! (If I'm that worried about losing my job, I'm NOT going to buy a new car.)

When I got to my truck, I had a flyer as well as the Corvettes and Camaro which arguably get pretty good mileage for what they are. The Infinitis and BMWs did not have flyers even though the BMWs likely got worse mileage than the Corvettes because of modifications.

It's funny to see the profiling of the demographic from a clueless Hyundai dealer.

Fireman32

Congrats Lou. So what's the cars name?

BigMac

ohskigod wrote: »

I already do man, heck I miss all my cars (at least the ones I like). I still miss my 1996 jeep I traded in back in 05.

I connect with a car more than most people. but 4500 for a 2 wheel drive 91 GMC sierra with a 4.3l 6? it had to be done (well, not had to, but had to be entertained at the least). the truck booked for 1500 TOPS, and thats with taking some license on the data entry

I drove that 91 for nearly 5 years. didnt pay a dime for it as I got it when my dad passed. That Truck served me faithfully. yeah I had to maintain it (was neglected a bit at the end of Dad's tenure) but it served me ever faithfully for an old truck.

I knew if I was trading it, it had to be for something a) cheap, i didnt want a big payment b)something I REALLY liked and c) had a lot of Charachter like the truck did.

I believe I hit all 3 with applomb.

Well, if you ever want a truck again you could always do this.
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Sherardp

A very very popular car out here in Japan. If you need any parts of unique items for it, holla.

Kex

Jstas wrote: »

... Apparently if I buy a Hyundai, I can...

...impress my friends! (not likely)
...save money on gas! (so I can spend what I saved in gas on repairing the pile of poo)
...have the luxury of a new car! (there's more luxury in staring at a horses **** while piloting a horsedrawn carriage than in any Hyundai I've ever seen.)
...piece of mind from the reliability of a new car! (Ha! Not in a Hyundai!)
...piece of mind from Hyundai's buy back insurance plan! (If I'm that worried about losing my job, I'm NOT going to buy a new car.) ...

Whether it's all true or not, that's very funny!

Jstas

Kex wrote: »

Whether it's all true or not, that's very funny!

You can take a pig and put lipstick on it and you'll still have a pig.

You can take a Hyundai and put fancy leather, fake wood and pretty names on it and you still have a Hyundai.

everpress

Jstas wrote: »

You can take a pig and put lipstick on it and you'll still have a pig.

You can take a Hyundai and put fancy leather, fake wood and pretty name on it and you still have a Hyundai.

I had a Hyundai years ago. Like any car I've ever owned, I washed it religiously. One day, while poishing the hell out of it, a kid at the car wash pulled up to me and said, "It's still a Hyundai."

That's it. Nothing else. No other smart@$$ remark or anything. And he was pretty deadpan and serious...

Ah, well... I don't have that car anymore... Now I drive a very dependable, old econo-car... 1996 Integra... Nothing special... Fun, but not special.

ohskigod

FYI: regarding mileage

took a relativly long trip (about 140 miles round trip) averaged around 34 mpg, mostly highway with some backroads.

filled the tank.....20 dollars for mid grade. I laughed like a giddy schoolchild when I paid that tab.

BottomFeeder

Hey, congrats. I, too, took advantage of the cash for clunkers program - my wife did as well!

I traded in our 1986 Ford F250 diesel & bought a MINI Cooper S. Cannot wipe the smile off my face every time I drive it. What a kick in the pants to drive!

My wife traded in our 1996 Mercury Villager and bought of top of the line Prius. Incredible mileage, actually cool looking (3rd Gen) and has a power switch that actually produces some pretty good get up and go.

Deals were just too hard to pass up. I got 0.9% financing on the MINI & my wife didn't have to pay sales tax as well. Great deals out there if you can afford them.

bobman1235

So, with the cash for clunkers program... they always give you 4500 dollars for eligible cars right?

WHat's to stop people from going out and buying 500 dollar pieces of junk cars, and trading them for 4500 bucks to the government? Do you have to have owned something for a certain amount of time first?