The dash plastics look a little cheap, especially since there are a lot of seams and separate pieces. The steering column could benefit from tilting a little higher as the wheel hides the top portion of the instrument panel, although that’s with my preferred, straight-up seating position. The driver gets a seat-mounted centre armrest, by the way.
In back, two adults ride in comfort, thanks to the square proportions and reclinable seatbacks. You can’t fold the rear bench flat in the floor, but you still get over 1,600 litres of cargo space when you fold down the seatbacks, which is good for a subcompact vehicle.
Forward motion is provided by the Versa Hatchback’s powertrain, which is a 16-valve, 1.8-litre inline-4 that produces 122 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque. The cube easily picks up a rapid pace, although the engine moans a lot during wide-open throttle, thanks to the continuously variable automatic, which is standard in the 1.8 SL trim.
Our fuel economy average this week is 8.1 L/100 km, which is okay for us, as we didn’t rack up lots of highway mileage.
For a city car, the cube is great because it’s nimble and its outer proportions aren’t much bigger than the cockpit you’re sitting in. The rear hatch opens on the right side, which is perfect for the North American market.
By now, you must be thinking that a toaster-on-wheels like the cube is a handful on windy days. On really, really windy days, it is, but not much more so than other vehicles I’ve driven in similar conditions.
The cube 1.8 SL lists for $20,898, and adding the $800 Technology Package (premium stereo, rear view camera, USB port, XM radio) brings the total to $21,698. In comparison, a Kia Soul 4u with automatic goes for $21,495, and that’s about the only competitor the cube has until the Scion xB goes on sale in Canada later this year.
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| Forward motion is provided by the Versa Hatchback’s powertrain, which is a 16-valve, 1.8-litre inline-4. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
In back, two adults ride in comfort, thanks to the square proportions and reclinable seatbacks. You can’t fold the rear bench flat in the floor, but you still get over 1,600 litres of cargo space when you fold down the seatbacks, which is good for a subcompact vehicle.
Forward motion is provided by the Versa Hatchback’s powertrain, which is a 16-valve, 1.8-litre inline-4 that produces 122 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque. The cube easily picks up a rapid pace, although the engine moans a lot during wide-open throttle, thanks to the continuously variable automatic, which is standard in the 1.8 SL trim.
Our fuel economy average this week is 8.1 L/100 km, which is okay for us, as we didn’t rack up lots of highway mileage.
For a city car, the cube is great because it’s nimble and its outer proportions aren’t much bigger than the cockpit you’re sitting in. The rear hatch opens on the right side, which is perfect for the North American market.
By now, you must be thinking that a toaster-on-wheels like the cube is a handful on windy days. On really, really windy days, it is, but not much more so than other vehicles I’ve driven in similar conditions.
The cube 1.8 SL lists for $20,898, and adding the $800 Technology Package (premium stereo, rear view camera, USB port, XM radio) brings the total to $21,698. In comparison, a Kia Soul 4u with automatic goes for $21,495, and that’s about the only competitor the cube has until the Scion xB goes on sale in Canada later this year.
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| You still get over 1,600 litres of cargo space when you fold down the seatbacks. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |