Hertrich Nissan

Two new Nissan vehicles made their debuts at the recent Los Angeles auto show, one for enthusiasts and the other for those of us still interested in economical driving – even though gasoline prices have now dropped to the lowest levels in more than three years.

For consumers in search of fun, Nissan rolled out the next generation of its famous Z sports car, the 2009 370Z. With a starting price of about $30,000, the remake takes the Z’s performance up a notch with a new 3.7-liter V-6 engine rated at 332 horsepower and 270 foot-pounds of torque.

But to borrow from Arlo Guthrie’s famous Thanksgiving recitation Alice’s Restaurant, the 370Z is not what I came to tell you about. I’ll save the details of the new Z for a later column.

What I came to talk about is the 2009 Cube.

This compact box-on-wheels isn’t a new concept. Honda gave us a similar vehicle in 2003 called the Element, and Toyota followed in 2005 with the Scion xB.But the Cube actually predates both of those, as Nissan has been selling a version of the car in Japan since 1998.

Now that Honda and Toyota have tested the U.S. waters and found them welcoming enough for boxy-shaped utilitarian vehicles, Nissan apparently feels confident enough to introduce the Cube to Americans. It didn’t hurt that gasoline prices spiked to more than $4 a gallon this year, prompting consumers to look for smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles.

What we’re getting is the newest generation of the Cube, a square crossover utility vehicle that is more the size of the xB rather than the larger Element.Nissan said that the first generation of the Cube generated only "minor consumer interest" in Japan, and suggested that perhaps it was ahead of its time.

The second generation, which came to market in 2002, was better received and "took Tokyo by storm," the company said.

And even though the Cube hasn’t been sold outside Japan, it has developed a fan base in other countries because of "its exposure in fashion and automotive magazines, videos and on the Web," Nissan said. The automaker described the second-generation Cube as "a pocket-sized fun-and-function cocktail mixing the charm of Godzilla and the wit of Mothra."

Now, the third generation is arriving, and Americans will get this one. It goes on sale in the spring, with an expected price range of about $13,000-$20,000.

Perhaps it did take the popularity of the xB to convince Nissan marketing executives that the Cube could play well here. But it was necessary to make it a bit larger and more powerful than the popular Japanese second-generation model, which was marketed solely as a city car.

In the United States, city cars don’t do well. People here like to drive their cars outside the city, and that includes interstate highways where speed limits typically reach 70 (or even 80 in parts of West Texas). Japanese city cars with small engines can’t even keep up with the truck traffic on busy rural freeways.

In the Los Angeles announcement, Nissan called the U.S.-bound Cube "small but substantial, spirited but economical." Even with the remake for American tastes, the new Cube remains "totally square," Nissan says.

"With its unique blend of fashion and function, Cube imagines a life less ordinary," said Al Castignetti, vice president for sales at Nissan North America, Inc. "Cube is as much of a mobile device as it is an automobile, something that enhances life like people’s digital devices do," he said. "Cube is a vehicle that people of all ages can fall in love with, even when they don’t love cars."

With seating for up to five people, the Cube is 156.7 inches long, 66.7 inches wide and 65 inches tall, and has a 99.6-inch wheelbase. That compares with 167.3 inches long for the xB and 169.3 inches for the Element.

But the Cube actually is more the size of the first-generation xB, which was boxier and just 155.3 inches long. The Cube has less power than the xB or the Element – 122 horsepower versus 158 for the xB and 166 for the Element.

But that gives the Cube much better fuel economy. EPA ratings are still pending, but the same 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine is used in the Nissan Versa subcompact, where its mileage is listed as 26 mpg city/33 highway using the same continuously variable automatic transmission as in the Cube.

The xB’s EPA ratings are 22 city/28 highway, and the Element’s just 20 city/25 highway with an automatic transmission and 18/23 with a manual. A six-speed manual gearbox is offered on the Cube, but the CVT is standard.

Nissan describes the Cube as having a "unique witty design" with a long wheelbase and short front and rear overhangs, and a "bulldog stance with a wide track and wheels pushed out to the corners."

Other features, the automaker said, include "large window areas with photo-frame front windows" and an "asymmetrical rear wraparound window," wide door openings, and a rear hatch similar to the configuration of the doors of a side-by-side refrigerator (divided into two side-opening sections, one short and one wide).

Like the xB, the Cube has four regular-style side doors. The Element differs in that it has side doors that swing to the rear only after the front doors have been opened.

The Cube’s standard safety features will include antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist, electronic stability control with traction control, a tire-pressure monitoring system, six air bags (including front, side and side-curtain) and front active head restraints.

The car is geared toward a young audience, but as Toyota found out with the xB and Honda with the Element, vehicles with such practicality, economy and roominess will appeal to a broad range of consumers.

"The new Nissan Cube is not, by any measure, a pure 'youth car,’ though it especially meets the needs of young adults’ lives in the sense that it is social, expressive and practical," Castignetti said.

There probably will be a number of Cubes purchased for towing behind motor homes driven by wandering retirees, though – as with the xB and Element.

Nissan says the Cube’s "universal appeal is its social space, the surprisingly roomy interior that offers room for five in lounge-like comfort."

"It creates a third space, in addition to home and school, for interacting with friends," Castignetti said. "It’s a space that is highly changeable and adaptable to owners’ evolving lives, with plenty of room for personalization."

Three versions will be offered – the base Cube 1.8, the midlevel 1.8 S and the top-of-the-line 1.8 SL.

Standard will be a six-way manual bucket seat for the driver and four-way manual front passenger seat in. In the rear is a "lounge sofa style" bench seat, Nissan said. The rear seat reclines and slides forward or backward up to six inches. It’s higher than the front seats so the people sitting in the back can see outside better.

"In some ways, the Cube is like the big cardboard appliance boxes you used to play in as a kid – they could be clubhouses, race cars, forts, whatever your mood and imagination wanted at the time," Castignetti said.

There are various storage cubbies inside, along with six cupholders.

Other standard features include air conditioning, power windows with driver’s side one-touch down feature, remote keyless entry, power door locks with auto-locking feature, variable intermittent windshield wipers (including a rear wiper and defroster), cargo-area courtesy light and tie-down hooks, and adjustable front shoulder belt anchors.

Extras include Nissan’s Intelligent Key system with pushbutton ignition; Bluetooth hands-free phone system; a Rockford Fosgate audio system; XM Satellite Radio, an iPod interface system; and rear sonar parking assist.

As with the Scions, there will be a variety of accessories available from dealers to let buyers customize their Cubes, Nissan says. Among these are an illumination kit with 20 selectable colors, illuminated kick plates, a rear cargo organizer, pet blankets, various wheels, aero kits and more.

The automotive columns of G. Chambers Williams III have appeared regularly in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram since 1995.