2009 NISSAN CUBE

The Shape of the Future
By Peter Lyon, Contributor Email
Date posted: 12-15-2008

Since 2002, a brilliant design and a quirky nature have made the Nissan Cube one of Japan's top-selling cars. With its superbly sculptured boxy styling and ingenious asymmetrical rear door (reportedly inspired by a 1950s refrigerator), the Cube became a design icon in a land of design mediocrity.

And yet Nissan never exported it. To the bosses in Tokyo, the Cube shaped up as a homegrown domestic model, to Japanese to fit into another culture. Fortunately gai-atsu, as they say in Japan, or "international pressure," changed all that.

And that's how we came to be driving the 2009 Nissan Cube on the Nissan proving ground in Yokohama, among the very first t•drive the car that's coming to the U.S. in the spring of 2009. Americans apparently are finally quirky enough for the Nissan Cube.

Great Big Refrigerator Box
Like a refrigerator box, a Cube can be anything you want it to be --clubhouse, fortress, racing car. But a bigger box is always better. So the Cube has grown gradually larger since its first iteration in 1998, when it appeared as the latest in a line of style-obsessed Nissan niche vehicles like the Be-1, Figaro, Pao and S-Cargo. Now the third-generation Cube has been stretched over a larger platform based on the Nissan Versa.

Compared to the 2008 Nissan Cube we've tested in the U.S., the new car's wheelbase has been stretched 4 inches to 99.6 inches, while its overall length has grown 9.8 inches to156.7 inches. Meanwhile, the wheels have been pushed out to the corners, the overall width has grown 1 inch and overall height has been increased 0.5 inch. The new Cube has a wheelbase that's still 2.8 inches shorter than a Versa and an overall length that's 12.4 inches shorter, yet the car looks bigger and more imposing on the road.

"That was one of our main aims," says chief engineer Yosuke Iwasa. "It had to still look like a Cube, but at the same time, it had to be more visually expressive." Iwasa spent several weeks in the U.S., studying the way the old Cube looked on American roads. "Parked at stoplights, surrounded by huge trucks, the Cube looked a little out of its league," he says. "From an aesthetic viewpoint, the new model had to be able to hold its own on American roads. And we think the end result just looks more solid."

What Iwasa wanted to say was that the outgoing Cube looked too cute and subservient next to big American pickup trucks, and that would never do.

Bulldog With Shades
The Cube's revised look features rounder edges, flared wheel arches and a slightly longer front overhang to accommodate the larger 1.8-liter inline-4 engine for international markets, and all this helps make the shape look more mature. It's still clearly a Cube, though.

With its snub nose, widely spaced headlights and upright greenhouse, the Nissan designers wryly say that the new Cube looks like a "bulldog in sunglasses." (Nissan's marketing campaign in Japan is all about this canine incognito thing.) The number of cut lines in the bodywork has been minimized to give it the look of pure product design, like an iPod.

The Nissan designers have also gone to some lengths to create a special Cube feature for each market, so the U.S. will get a model fitted with an asymmetrical rear door that opens from the right, with hinges on the left — the opposite of the Japan-spec model.

Triple Ripple
The five-passenger interior is a social space, meant for meeting with friends. The three- passenger lounge-style rear seat is mounted slightly higher than the front seats, and it slides fore and aft some 6 inches for added comfort.

The designers have given the interior the look of a Jacuzzi (of all things), all soft curves.
In fact, an intriguing ripple effect has been integrated into the interior's C-pillar, door- mounted audio speakers and even the cupholders. The headliner of the non-sunroof model has been shaped to recall the ripples made by a stone being dropped into a still pool of water.
The car with a sunroof has a shoji-like screen that lets in ambient light when it's drawn closed.

Interior quality has improved significantly, with better trim and plastics used throughout.
The new sinuous, S-shape dash design makes the cockpit feel bigger than it is. The front seats now have lengthened seat cushions and seatbacks to accommodate bigger foreign bodies, and thicker cushions translate into extra lumbar support and more comfort.

The interior even comes in for some astronomical design nuances, with the speedometer surrounded by white light to represent the moon, and the tachometer engulfed in blue to express the Earth. A new, more powerful climate control system has also been fitted for the more trying weather situations in the Americas. And as you'd expect, the 2009 Nissan Cube is iPod-compatible, with a dedicated USB port under the dash plus dedicated software.

The interior comes in two shades of gray, Wall Gray and Graphite. There are colorful options, though, like the combination of a beige dash, dark-brown seat upholstery and a thick, gray shag-pile carpet. We remember driving something that had this wall-to -wall carpet thing back in the 1970s (alright, so it was a boogie van), and we nearly chucked our shoes and socks in the backseat so we could scrunch the carpet with our toes. Good thing the carpet has a built- in odor-eating function (we're not kidding).

Wind It Up and Let It Go
To keep costs down, Nissan has basically dropped the new Cube onto a slightly modified Versa, so it inherits the Versa's platform and engines. The U.S.-specification Cube will come with the Versa's 1.8-liter MR18DE inline-4 that makes 122 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque.
It's matched up with a new-generation continuously variable transmission (CVT) that warms up quicker in cold conditions, and it's expected to deliver about 30 mpg on the EPA's highway cycle. A six-speed manual transmission will be available as well.

We drove a JDM model of the new Cube with the 1.5-liter inline-4 of the previous Cube, which makes 107 hp at 6,000 rpm and 109 lb-ft of torque at 4,400. Thanks to the new Xtronic CVT and a tweaked ECU, the new Cube is quicker off the mark and more responsive to smaller throttle inputs, due mainly t•the CVT's adaptive shift control that keeps the engine in its sweet spot between 2,000 and 4,500 rpm. While it won't win any sprint races, this 107-hp Cube will cruise to 60 mph in around 10 seconds, and has a top speed of just over 105 mph.

Most of the heavy lifting for the new package has focused on handling and ride quality, qualities sadly ignored by its predecessor. In addition t•incorporating a stiffer chassis, the Cube employs independent struts on the front and a torsion beam setup on the rear, the rear spring rates have been increased and the antiroll bars are stiffer.

The upgraded dampers improve handling significantly, increasing straight-line stability, delivering a more compliant ride and reducing body roll in the corners. The Cube turns into corners on its P195/60R15 tires with more purpose than before, and has better feel and more feedback from the road. Though the Cube combines front disc brakes with rear drums, the brake pedal action is reassuringly firm, and the car dives less under braking as well. The bottom line is that the new Cube feels more planted to the pavement.

Simple but Not Cheap
As you'd expect with such a Scion-style vehicle, the 2009 Nissan Cube has lots of neat optional features, including hands-free Bluetooth telephone compatibility, XM Satellite Radio , a sonar rear parking sensor and a six-speaker Rockford Fosgate audio system with a subwoofer.

But perhaps more surprising is the amount of standard equipment. Power door locks, power windows and intermittent-speed windshield wipers (plus a rear wiper) are part of the list of standard convenience items, while antilock brakes, brake assist, electronic brakeforce distribution, stability control with traction control, and tire-pressure monitors are also standard. There will be three models: the Cube 1.8, the Cube 1.8 S and the Cube 1.8 SL.

Nissan's mission with the new Cube has been to upgrade every aspect of the previous model in order to make it compatible with the demands of the U.S. market while maintaining the original car's iconic styling. It's done just that.

Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report.

Following are the details of the Cube. The features and specifications listed are for the Japanese version and may vary for other global markets.

EXTERIOR DESIGN

•Unique wraparound rear window and photo frame side windows
•"Bulldog in sunglasses"-look front grille and headlamps
•Refrigerator-style rear door
•Rear Privacy Glass
•Standard 15" wheels
•Available 16" wheels

PERFORMANCE & SAFETY

•122hp 1.8-liter 16-valve 4-cylinder engine
•127 ft-lb. of torque
•Standard 6-speed manual transmission
•Available Xtronic® CVT
•Vehicle-speed-sensitive power steering
•ABS, Electronic Brake-force Distribution, and Brake Assist
•6 standard airbags
•Standard VDC w/TCS - rare at cube's price point

INTERIOR

•Jacuzzi-curved interior shape with "water drop" interior accents on headliner, cup holders, and speaker grilles •Earth and moon-inspired fine vision gauges •Sofa-comfort seating, with rear seats that slide and recline •Standard Power door locks and windows •Standard Trip computer •Standard 60/40 split-fold rear seat that slides and reclines •Available upgraded suede-like seat cloth •Available Intelligent Keyâ„¢ Keyless Entry and Ignition System •Available Bluetooth® Hands-Free Phone System •Available push button start •Available 150-watt Rockford Fosgate subwoofer with six upgraded speakers.
•Available Interface System for iPod®

VPC ACCESSORIES

•Unique Aero Kit •Painted Unique 16" Alloy Wheels in Gunmetal or Silver •Interior Illumination Package with 20 color Interior Accent Lighting and illuminated stainless kick plates •Interior Designer Package including: •Shag Dash Topper •Front Door Bungees •Carpeted Floor Mats •Carpeted Cargo Mat •Ginormous Package including: •Unique Aero Kit •Interior Accent Lighting (20 colors) •Illuminated Stainless Kick Plate •Custom Grille
•Unique Hood Molding Accent •Chrome Front Fascia Accent •Cargo Area Protector •Interior Trim Appliqués (5 colors) •Additional VPC and PDC accys available

Nissan Cube Key Features:
• Iconic Cube styling - recognizable at a glance • Spacious Cube interior ­- designed for comfort and relaxation • Innovative Cube packaging ­- for easy, relaxed driving

1. Design

Exterior
•A "witty" design with a wide stance that communicates stability and agility •An expressive personality that wins over consumers' hearts •Windows designed for an expansive view, especially at the rear corners •An asymmetric rear hatch, continuing the Cube's unique character •"Picture windows" that charmingly frame the passengers •An extensive lineup of 10 available body colors, including Craft Board, a Nissan first, and two other new colors

Interior
•A relaxing space that brings people together •An open cabin, conceived with the image of a Jacuzzi •A curve-shaped instrument panel
•High-precision "Fine Vision" instrumentation •A "skylight"-style glass panel roof that keeps the sky always visible from the driver's seat, and a shoji-style shade to diffuse sunlight, when desired, and fill the cabin with gentle light •Comfortable, secure seating with thick seat cushions and matching door armrests for a sofa-like effect •A "water drop" ripple design motif in cupholders and other cabin details

2. Packaging
• Ample space throughout the cabin, including rear seat headroom and knee room•The front seat slides 12 millimeters farther (than the previous generation) and lifts up to 60mm, allowing optimum posture for people of any size •Excellent all-around visibility, with the entire engine hood visible from the driver's seat •Large side and rear quarter windows that help reduce both side and rear blind spots •The tightest turning radius in its class at 4.6 meters (except the 15G) •Large front door openings, which allow more headroom (than the previous generation) and easy entry and exit •Theater-style rear seating that broadens the view from the rear seats and a more rearward rear-seat hip point, which significantly increases knee room

3. Utility
•A large cabin space for comfort and relaxation •In addition to the cushiness of the seat pads, S-springs give the seats a greater depth and a sofa-like feel
•Side-opening rear hatch, which allows easy one-hand operation •The rear seats slide 20mm farther forward, providing greater luggage area flexibility (than the previous generation) •Fashionable and functional storage spaces, including cupholders with the "water drop" ripple motif •A CARWINGS navigation system that features a high-resolution monitor and hard disk drive, as well as a built-in tuner that receives 12- or 1-segment broadcasting with automatic switching, and a state-of-the-art map-updating system •Nissan's first AM/FM/CD comb•with a RearView Monitor •Push button starter •A Nissan Intelligent Key system, which provides enhanced theft-prevention with an electronic steering lock and engine immobilizer linked t•the key ID

4. Mechanism
• A body designed for safety and high performance •The platform design minimizes mechanical space, including for the engine, transmission and suspension, and creates a roomy cabin and easy handling in an attractive, compact package •A wide stance, resulting from moving the wheels t•the corners; allows for sharp cornering and a turning radius of just 4.6 meters •A more rigid body (than the previous generation), which allows for more stable operation and a comfortable ride •A strut front suspension and torsion I-beam rear suspension with improved camber rigidity, driving comfort and stability
• Smooth and responsive •The new Cube employs an all-aluminum front-intake, rear-exhaust 1.5-liter HR15DE engine, known for low fuel consumption, compactness, low weight and impressive performance •All Cubes equipped with the e-4WD system feature a standard XTRONIC CVT with Adaptive Shift Control (ASC) for smoother performance •The new Cube's major improvements in fuel efficiency and aerodynamics increase comfort and help conserve energy •Better aerodynamics increase fuel-efficiency by tw•percent in the high-speed range (compared with the previous Cube) •In 2WD models, the CVT oil warmer helps improve fuel-efficiency when the engine is cold (immediately after engine start or when ambient temperatures are low)

• Other technologies for safety and environmental protection •An auto-light system, which is more sensitive than conventional systems, turns the Cube's lights on automatically when it detects dimming light around the car (such as at twilight or when the windshield wipers turn on) •The first Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) option for a Nissan compact (2WD models only) •Optimum lighting with multi-reflector halogen headlights •Available bi-xenon headlights (with high and low-beam aut•-leveler) •RearView Monitor •Rear adjustable-cycle wiper •Center High Mount Stop Lamp (CHMSL) •Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) •Brake Assist (BA) •Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) •Highly rigid Zone Body Construction •Body designed to minimize pedestrian injuries •SRS air bag system for front seats •SRS curtain air bag system •Front-seat Active Head Restraints •Driver's-seat double-pre-tensioned seat belt •Pre-tensioned seat belts with tw•-stage load-limiters for front seats •Rear seat headrests (three positions) •Low-friction seat belts for all seats •Three-point seat belts with Emergency Locking Retractors (ELRs) for rear seats (self-rising buckles for three seats) •All 2WD and "15X Four" e-4WD versions of the new Cube achieve the 2010 standard for fuel-efficiency plus 20 percent •All Cube versions are certified as super-low-emission vehicles (SU-LEVs), achieving emission-cutting goals for 2005 plus 75 percent •Over 95 percent recyclable* •Reduced volatile organic compound usage in the cabin •Fuel-consumption display (instant fuel consumption, average fuel consumption and likely cruising range)