2010 Nissan Cube

• Overall
• Prices
• Performance
• Exterior
• Interior
• Safety
• Reliability

Interior - What the Auto Press Says

The 2010 Nissan Cube is a favorite in the automotive press for its eccentric design and excellent utility. Design touches like the headliner designed to look like a drop of water and innovative storage options show that every aspect of this car was carefully planned out. 

• "They may not have executed so well on the apartment-on-wheels concept, but unexpected compartments and accessories definitely inspire the idea of car-as-storage-unit. The Cube sports a built-in pillar storage (read: stash box) and Nissan is selling a lockbox for the well of the truck to store items out of sight." -- CNET
• "Modest materials and hard plastics are used to good effect for a pleasant cabin that presents better than many class rivals." -- Consumer Guide
• "Nissan's interior designers tried for an equally funky look inside, though considering what the competition has done, Cube faces stiffer competition indoors. The double vertical wave dash with a shallow concave horizontal surface on the right side and the instrument panel pod (and driver's cupholder) on the left are novel but shorter on the funk factor than the Nissan Cube's outsides." -- Examiner.com
• "When people are the Cube's precious cargo, the interior accommodates its occupants in what Nissan describes as a casual lounge. In practice, the front seats are supportive, with six mechanical adjustments for the driver and four for the passenger. The second row bench seat slides to three positions and is raised in a theater style for a better rear passenger outlook." -- Minneapolis Star Tribune

Front Seats

Reviewers love the cushy front seats in the Nissan Cube, saying they have excellent padding to help absorb any bumps in the road. 

• "The Cube offers a lot of headroom--more than the Scion xB and the Soul in the front and as much as the Soul in the rear--giving the car a roomy, open feeling." -- CNET
• "Large adults will find plenty of room on comfortable seats. There's no center console, thus no center-console armrest, but the driver gets a fold-down seat-mounted armrest. Only the driver's seat is height adjustable." -- Consumer Guide
• "The first bump you hit with the Cube reveals its character. The seat foam is actually of the same (higher-quality) grade Nissan uses for the Maxima, so your backside just sort of floats in La-Z-Boy comfort. The seats themselves are almost unsculpted, more like couch cushions than something you'd find in a modern car." -- AutoGuide.com
• "The seats have an unusual contour, curved just side to side. It works but looks different." -- Examiner.com

Rear Seats

Although some reviewers wish the Cube offered more knee room, most agree that the rear seat is comfortable. For an even more spacious rear seat, check out the Kia Soul, which hosts an roomier back seat and boasts a price that is around $700 less than the Cube.

• "Most adults should have enough headroom and legroom, but taller folks may wish for a bit more knee space behind a front seat pushed all the way back. The rear seat can slide fore and aft to favor cargo or passenger room, and the split seatbacks can recline independently." -- Consumer Guide
• "The Cube is equipped with versatile 60/40 fold-flat and three-position sliding rear seats, but the vehicle's relatively short length makes it an improbable place to crash for more than a quick nap, unlike other cars such as the Honda Element, which can fit a double mattress." -- CNET
• "The rear seat's leg room is good, thanks to the height of the seat off the floor and toe room under the front seat, though taller passengers may find knee room a challenge. Headroom, however, will definitely not be a problem." -- Examiner.com
• "In the back seat, my 6'2" frame was completely comfortable, too. The rear seat slides back and forth, reclines, and leaves enough headroom for a top bunk." -- AutoGuide.com

Interior Features

Reviewers like the Cube's unique styling, which is evident in the cabin's ripple water drop design effects, the solar system concept on the tachometer and speedometer or the optional shag carpeting. However, a few complain that the iPod interface can be difficult to use. 

The base Cube is surprisingly well equipped and includes a range of standard features, including air conditioning, power doors and locks, remote keyless entry, a tilt steering column, an audio system with two speakers and an auxiliary audio input jack. Only one package is available on the base model. The Interior Designer Package costs $230 and includes carpeted floor and cargo mats and a shag rug dash topper.

More features are added as you move up in trim level until you reach the Krom trim, which offers such top-of-the-line amenities as a Rockford Fostgate Audio System, an Interface System for iPods, automatic temperature control, Bluetooth and 20-color interior accent lighting. The 1.8 SL trim can add a Preferred Package for $1,600, which adds some of these features as well as others like a rear sonar system and push button ignition.

• "The upgraded stereo system on the SL interfaces with iPods and iPhones. However, I would have preferred actual iPod integration that's easier to use. Nissan explains that their setup is more modular; that it's easier to accommodate the next big thing, which may or may not be iPod-centric. But in the meantime, I couldn't figure out how to select different playlists." -- CNET
• "Controls are well placed and clearly marked. The SL model has an automatic climate control system that uses push buttons, while the S gets a simpler system with rotary knobs. Both are easy to use. Nissan's typical steering-wheel-mounted cruise controls make a welcome appearance on both models, and the SL's Preferred Package adds redundant audio controls." -- Consumer Guide
• "If that's not enough, at launch Nissan will offer over 40 accessories, from the lame (front nose mask, "sports horn", license plate frames), to the useful (halogen daytime running lights, utility pouches, cargo organizer), to the awesome (gunmetal alloy wheels, bodykits, and unique front grilles.)" -- AutoGuide.com
• "Imagination reigns inside, too, in what Nissan calls a "casual lounge" interior. Molded into various panels and controls are a series of "water drop" expanding concentric circles. The dashboard is tidy and functional, but its subtle wavy shaping, white-and-blue lighting, and rounded-rectangle vents complement the exterior styling themes." -- Iguida

Cargo

The Cube’s available cargo space behind the rear seat is limited at only 11.4 cubic feet, but it expands to an impressive 58.1 cubic feet of space when the rear seat is folded. The Cube also offers an impressive array of innovative small storage options, including six cup holders and five bottle holders, six cargo tie-down hooks, seatback pockets for both the driver and rear passenger’s seats.

• "The cleverly designed cloth cargo cover can work with the seat upright, folded, or in any combination. There are about a dozen cupholders about the interior that can also be used as small bins. A glovebox, a couple small cubbies, and a seatback pocket also offer small-item storage." -- Consumer Guide
• "Bungee cords affixed to the doors can be used to hold small items such as maps, and knobs protrude from the center stack and doors on which you can hang things (up to 1.5 kilograms). Finally there's a good place to hang a garbage bag." -- CNET
• "And cargo room is plentiful. Behind the rear seats there's an adequate 11.4 cubic feet of space, but fold the second-row seats flat and it increases dramatically to 58.1 cu.-ft. That's eight more cubic feet than the utilitarian Nissan Versa hatchback offers." -- AutoGuide.com
• "The rear seatback folds forward but it's nowhere close to a flat cargo floor, and the Nissan Cube doesn't have a hatch but rather a side-hinged rear door. The sill for the cargo area is high, which will make loading and unloading bulky items difficult." -- Examiner.com
• "Clever touches include detachable hooks for bags and the like; they can be moved around from the dashboard to the passenger doors, for example. Brightly colored elastic straps on the door armrests secure items such as maps or cellphones; Nissan calls them "magic rubber bands." -- Iguida