It’s been a while since I wrote any kind of product reviews, so I thought I’d do one for my family’s most recent purchase, a 2009 Nissan Cube.

If you’re not familiar, the Cube is a recent entry in the “so ugly, it’s cute” category of vehicles that really kicked off with the Scion xB. While many of you might have just started seeing ads for the Cube fairly recently, my wife and I have actually had our eye on it for at least two years now. Some time ago, one of the design websites we go to had a feature on this new Japanese concept vehicle that was sweeping Tokyo. Because it was a design website, they were especially focusing on the interior’s circular theme and the pretty awesome wrap-around back window that gave the little car an asymmetrical look. We were instantly intrigued and were thrilled to see it finally being available in the States after selling for a few years in Japan. When we decided to replace my beloved Ford Ranger with something that could accommodate a car seat, we held off on buying any sooner when we saw the Cube was coming our way.

Ok, enough backstory that you don’t care about. Let’s get to the review.

There are currently four options packages for the Cube:Base, S, SL and Krom. To meet our needs, we decided the S or SL were going to be the best models for us. Our dealer only had two S and two Krom, so we sort of settled for the S, but in the long run I’m not sure we could have afforded the SL anyway. So our car came with cruise control, power locks/windows – all the basic stuff we were looking for, but none of the “bonus” features that would have been nice, but are not absolutely necessary (i.e., automatic temperature control, automatic headlights, iPod interface). Still, it’s better than the manual locks/windows and no cruise control that our current primary car, a 2000 Saturn, has. The one option our S did have was the utterly pointless, but somehow really cool, floor lights package, which features 20 different shades of light that can illuminate your feet. I guess it’s supposed to create a sort of disco party atmosphere or something. Again, it’s ridiculous, but what are you gonna do?

Our first impression when hopping into this tiny little box was how much room there is inside. When you’re riding, you feel like you’re low to the ground with a ton of headroom. If you’re a tall drink of water, you’ll be surprised to hear that you really will have room in this seemingly little car. The dashboard also has a sort of wave effect that gives you the feeling that you’re really far away from the windshield, adding to that sense of surrounding space. The backseats also feel like there’s a ton of room for legs and knees and the fact that both seats lean back will only add to that comfort. And while the rear-end isn’t quite as long as the Element, the Cube still boasts quite a bit of cargo space in the back. No, we won’t be hauling as much as we could have in my truck, but both back seats fold forward to give you space to carry more than you’d think. I also love the back door, which, unlike most hatchbacks or SUVs, opens sideways, more like a refrigerator door. It’s so much more natural, easier to open, and definitely easier to close if your arms are full of groceries.

The interior design is something worth noting. Apparently the designers were inspired by the feeling of sitting in a jacuzzi. And, really, that is a pretty good metaphor for how it feels to be sitting in the Cube. But they extended this water theme into the design of everything – the speakers are all set in round grills on the doors; the cup holders have “ripples” at the bottom; the roof is a giant ripple effect coming from the overhead light; even the pointless accent lights give you that jacuzzi feel. It’s really beautiful to look at inside, even if you think the boxy shape on the outside is butt ugly.

That being said, I love the outside and think it’s anything but butt ugly. The mixture of square and curved gives it a very organic look. As one of my friends put it, it’s like someone put a Scion xB in the microwave. The windows are rounded squares. The hood is boxy, but with soft corners. And I love, love, love the asymmetrical back window; it’s just so unique and goes against all traditional car design concepts. Believe me, people see this little thing coming and they notice.

All of this is fluff, though, to be honest. What really matters is how well it drives. For a small, 4-cylinder engine, the Cube has quite a bit of get-up-and-go. It jumps off the stoplight line, beating out heftier vehicles like pickup trucks and your standard, run of the mill Chevy Cavaliers. Is it going to blow away a Mustang? No way, but that’s not really what it’s for, either. For running around town, this is a perfect, fun little vehicle that zips right along. The turning radius on this thing is insane. It feels like you can turn on a dime and as quickly as you want. Again, for driving around an urban environment, which is what this little car was made for, it handles like a dream.

On the highway, you won’t expect to win any late night drag races, but, again, it handles 70MPH+ without any problems at all. You definitely don’t feel like it’s going to rattle and shake itself to pieces like you do so many other 4-bangers. It feels solid and it has no problem getting up to speed. This isn’t really what it’s primarily designed for, but it still does the job quite well.

In case you couldn’t figure it out, we are absolutely in love with this little car. We’ve had it for about a week now and drive it every chance we get. So far it’s the perfect combination of size, price, comfort, and features to fit our little family. I don’t think we can ask for anything more than that.

If you happened upon this site thanks to a Google search or, if you’re a reader who is just in the market for a new vehicle and think the Cube might be a good fit, feel free to shoot me an email or leave a comment and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have.

And for more information on the Nissan Cube, check out the official website.