2009 Nissan cube 1.8S

Does Nissan’s funky box fill the squares for active lifestyles?

By Nina Russin

2009 Nissan cube

The box-shaped crossover is to the new millennium what microbuses were to the 1960s. What made the microbus so popular, aside from its anti-establishment image, was its functionality. It was cheap, inexpensive to operate, and it held a lot of stuff: enough to function as a home away from home. The question is whether or not the new Nissan cube can do the same.

The cube’s exterior design is simpatico with the Scion xB and Kia Soul. All three fly in the face of mainstream aerodynamic design, giving them a certain cache. Nissan’s model designation as a common rather than proper noun is a nod to text messaging: devoid of punctuation. Nissan’s marketing strategy focuses on non-traditional media as well, with a “mobile hub,” accessible via a “text to” number, and a unique iPhone application.

Entertaining though they may be, these communications strategies aren’t enough to drive value-conscious customers into the showroom. But the cube’s base price of $13,990 is a good start. Read the rest of this entry »