2009 Nissan Cube

Nissan Cube - funky and fresh as a cucumber

Happy New Year!

I can't wait to see what sorts of efficient, eco-friendly products hit the market this year.

We're going to start off the year with a couple car reviews. I expect we'll see lots of hybrid cars come to market this year, but meanwhile most cars sold in the U.S. are gasoline-only.

I recently had the chance to test the Nissan Cube - the most fuel-efficient vehicle in the EPA's Small Station Wagon category other than the diesel version of Volkswagen's Jetta Sportwagen.

With 28 mpg highway and 30 mpg city, the Nissan Cube offers more than respectable mileage while still packing 58 cubic feet of storage capacity (with rear seats folded down) into one of the funkiest bodies on the road.

Make no mistake, the Cube turns enough heads to cause neck injuries in passersby.

I've test driven all manner of eco-friendly cars over the past 6 months and the Cube gets more stares than any of them, including the smart fortwo.

I actually had a parking lot attendant crawl into the front seat just to get a closer look at the Cube's instrument panel.

If you ever needed proof that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, try driving the Cube. Some prospective passengers recoiled at the idea of being seen in the snub-nosed squared-off beast. Others literally shook my hand for having the luck to be a Cube driver.

Personally, I think the squat little Cube resembles nothing so much as a little urban tank. It looks a little space age. A little futuristic. A little cartoonish.

But how does it drive and ride? The wide cushy seats make short trips as relaxing as plopping down on the couch. And the Cube's smooth acceleration and handling lets the car glide through urban and suburban traffic with ease and moxie.

On the highway, it was a different story. The Cube's tall, boxy profile left it vulnerable to buffeting by wind gusts. Truck-induced turbulence gave me a hard time keeping the Cube steady within its lane. Compared to my last test drive in the low-and-wide Mini Cooper, I worried that the Cube seemed a little tipsy in high-speed turns. And the seats that had been so cushy for shirt trips didn't offer enough support (lumbar or otherwise) to make me look forward to long road trips.

So the Cube is a mixed bag. It's practical, relatively eco-friendly and you won't have any trouble finding it in the parking lot.

On the other hand, if your commute calls for a lot of highway driving or if you get enough cubicle time at the office, the Cube might not be the right box for you.

Personally, I think the Cube's designers deserve credit for pushing the envelope and taking design risks. I really admire some of these innovative touches on the Cube. For example, I like the way that the rear door opens to the side (like a regular car door) instead of like a lift gate. And I think the asymmetrical glass corner on the right rear of the car is brilliant from both a design and functionality point of view since it gives the driver lots of visibility when merging to the right or backing out of a parking space.

The biggest success of the Cube may be to show car designers and consumers alike that there is nothing to fear from thinking outside the box.

Where to buy:

Your local Nissan dealer. The Cube has a MSRP of $13,990 to $20,120 depending on engine and options.

Disclosure: Nissan allowed me to test drive the Cube over several days.