The 2010 Nissan Cube should appeal to urban buyers as well as those who are environmentally conscious. The Denki Cube concept is shown here.

As if on cue, a youthful Japan-market economy car reaches America just in time for $4 gas. Small outside, big inside, and cute as a Mini, the Cube shows it’s still hip to be square.

What We Know About the 2010 Nissan Cube

Call it a case of being on time by running late. The Nissan Cube has been sold in Japan for the last 10 years, but is only now coming stateside as a 2010 model. Sales kick off in early ‘09; about seven years after Toyota introduced the equally boxy Scion xB. Happily for Nissan--and maybe for you, too--this funky, frugal subcompact looks like just the thing to help Americans cope with $4 gas and other new economic miseries. A pure battery-power version is expected early next decade as part of Nissan’s new Green Program 2010. It was recently previewed by the Denki Cube concept (Denki means “electric” in Japanese).

Like the xB, the 2010 Nissan Cube is a tall, square-cut, 4-door, five-passenger wagon based on a small mainstream front-wheel-drive hatchback (in this case Nissan’s March/Micra minicar, which has never been sold in the U.S.). The Cube, however, actually predates (and allegedly inspired) the Scion’s original Toyota bB parent. The Cube coming stateside is somewhat smaller than the newly enlarged 2008 xB. It’s basically the redesigned 2002 Japan-market Cube with trim and equipment alterations to suit North American driving conditions and buyer tastes.

In its early years, the Cube was a gotta-have ride for young Japanese fashionistas. Though no longer considered so trendy a decade on, it’s bound to seem like a way-cool novelty here in the States. But the 2010 Nissan Cube should appeal to anyone looking for good fuel thrift and a city-friendly package with surprising interior space. Thanks to its packing-crate styling, the Cube boasts more cargo room than a Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan--21.7 cubic feet behind the rear seat, nearly 70 cubic feet with the seat folded--yet is nearly a foot shorter than Mazda’s petite two-seat MX-5 sports car. The home-market Cube offers two-row accommodations for six via a front bench seat and steering-column shift lever, but the U.S. version will probably have two front seats with a floor shift in between. There’s also a seven-passenger version, called the Cube3 or “Cubic,” with an extra 6.9 inches of wheelbase making room for a small 3rd-row seat and even more maximum load space. No word on whether that model is coming here too, but we won’t be surprised if it does. In fact, it might be the only one we get, as the wheelbase for the Denki Cube concept was stretched 9.4 inches from the regular model’s, though that was partly to accommodate the bulky batteries of its all-electric drive.

However long it is, the U.S.-market 2010 Nissan Cube is generally expected to carry a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine instead of the 1.4-liter unit used overseas. The 1.8 delivers 122 horsepower in Nissan’s subcompact Versa, but we’ve heard talk of detuning to 90-95 horses, likely for better mpg in what should be a somewhat lighter vehicle. Transmission choices will likely comprise the Versa’s 6-speed manual, 4-speed automatic, and a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), though the detuning, if it transpires, might eliminate the less-efficient conventional automatic.

Speaking of mileage, Los Angeles Times car critic Dan Neil estimates the 2010 Nissan Cube will be EPA-rated at 26 mpg city and 40 mpg highway on the same regular-grade gas the Versa requires. Those numbers seem credible and creditable, but we’ll have to wait and see if they pan out in Consumer Guide testing. As for performance, Neil sampled a 90-horsepower 1.4-liter Japan-market Cube that did 0-60 mph in about 14 seconds and maxed out at around 85 mph. Those tepid results reflect the decidedly un-aerodynamic styling and seem almost marginal, yet Neil reported “the car doesn’t feel at all slow. In fact, in city traffic, the Cube is perfectly adequate to keep the pace and merge successfully.” A 1.8-liter U.S. version with somewhat more low-end torque should be a bit sprightlier, but that prediction also awaits testing of the final product.

Engine aside, the U.S.-market 2010 Nissan Cube should be much like its overseas cousins. That means a strut-type front suspension, a simple “twist-beam” rear axle, front-disc and rear-drum brakes, and power steering with electric assist instead of a power-sapping engine-driven hydraulic booster. Smallish 14-inch wheels wearing slim 175/65 tires help conserve interior space and enhance fuel economy. These, too, should be U.S. standard, though we think wider tires on 15- or 16-inch wheels will at least be available, suggested by the 16s fitted to the Denki Cube concept.

Other features are also still to be determined, but the 2010 Nissan Cube will almost certainly come with front and curtain side airbags, antilock brakes, and air conditioning. The U.S. model will likely inherit other items from its overseas counterparts, including a fore/aft sliding split rear seat, front underseat storage compartments, and a right-hinged swing-out rear cargo door. Options will no doubt include the usual power windows and locks, cruise control, and remote entry.

In all, the 2010 Nissan Cube shapes up as a thrifty, functional runabout that makes appealing sense in light of today’s fast-multiplying economic and environmental challenges. We see it as a kind of tall Mini Cooper with a visual charm all its own, plus a likely lower price of admission.

The 2010 Nissan Cube will likely be powered by a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder gas engine. The Denki Cube concept is pictured here.

The Cube is available in Japan and elsewhere with a novel all-wheel-drive system that Nissan calls “e-AWD.” This involves a small electric motor that’s situated in the back of the vehicle to provide low-speed rear-wheel drive when signaled by various sensors and electronic controls. It’s basically a “helper” or “as you need it” adjunct to the main front-drive, intended to provide temporary extra traction for pulling out of packed snow, slippery ruts, and such. No word yet on U.S. availability, but we have a hunch it will be on the options list and maybe standard.

The expected all-electric--not hybrid--Cube is part of Nissan’s heavy new commitment to “clean tech” vehicles under the Green Program 2010 banner. This multi-prong effort includes near-term availability of new flex-fuel and “clean diesel” engines, as well as a gas/electric hybrid drive designed entirely by Nissan to replace the Toyota technology now used in the Altima Hybrid sedan. But the crown jewel here is Nissan’s plan to mass-produce advanced lithium-ion (LI) batteries in concert with Japan’s NEC Corporation and subsidiary NEC Tokin. A new joint-venture company called Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC) will make LI batteries for a variety of applications, including a battery-powered small car to be marketed in Israel and Denmark starting in 2011. That effort teams Nissan and alliance partner Renault of France with Project Better Place, a Palo Alto, California startup that “aims to reduce global dependency on oil through the creation of a market-based transportation infrastructure that supports electric vehicles.” The driving force behind all these programs is Nissan-Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn, who believes pure-electric vehicles are the best long-term solution for reducing global oil use and carbon dioxide levels. Smaller, lighter vehicles like the Cube are obvious candidates for pure battery power. With that and the Denki Cube concept, Nissan seems poised to offer an all-electric Cube for retail sale in the near future, perhaps as early as 2011.

Buying Advice for the 2010 Nissan Cube

More and more buyers are flocking to smaller, thriftier vehicles in the face of record gas prices that aren’t likely to go down much, if at all. That’s why a lot of new compact and subcompact cars are expected in showrooms over the next few years, especially from domestic brands playing catch-up in the small-car market. Ford, for example, will bring its subcompact Fiesta to the U.S. along with a redesigned Focus, while General Motors plans new versions of the Chevrolet Cobalt and Saturn Astra, among others. Nissan, of course, is no stranger to this field. Nor are Honda, Toyota, and most other Japanese brands. The Cube will thus have plenty of class competition, but seems likely to carve out a secure sales niche with its cute styling, good fuel economy, and surprising space efficiency. Good dollar value looms as another asset. Of course, the Cube won’t appeal to everyone precisely because it is rather, er, different, and even those who do fall in love with it will be wise to check out alternatives with similar fuel economy, space, and pricing.

2010 Nissan Cube Release Date: As noted, the 2010 Nissan Cube is expected to start sale in early 2009, perhaps in the first quarter and probably no later than next May.

2010 Nissan Cube First Test Drive: The above timing implies media previews will be staged late this year or perhaps very early in 2009, doubtless at some warm Sunbelt venue.

2010 Nissan Cube Prices: Various online sources peg the current Cube at around $12,000-$14,000. That’s in the same ballpark as Nissan’s Versa and a bit below the larger 2008 Scion xB. We think the U.S. Cube will open at around $15,000-$15,500. Exact pricing will depend on standard content, but also dollar/yen exchange trends and the fast-rising commodity prices (especially steel) that are causing headaches for automakers the world over.

An all-electric version of the 2010 Nissan Cube may be made available. Pictured here is the Denki Cube concept.

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