February 2, 1998 - Nissan Releases All-New Cube "Compact Utility Day-tripper" ("A Novel Type of Wagon" in their words).It was labeled 'The Cube' featured an impressive array of attributes, including sedan-like comfort and driving performance, high-level safety and enhanced environmental friendliness. Two of the most notable qualities of this unique wagon were its superb driving ease and spacious, comfortable interior.
The exterior styling was executed with a long roof and a tall body so as to achieve the packaging concept of "inside maximum and outside minimum." With its compact body size, the Cube was exceptionally nimble to maneuver.
On the inside, the spacious interior allowed four adults to travel in relaxed comfort. The hip point had been designed somewhat higher for outstanding ease of ingress and egress, while at the same time allowing generous headroom. Together with a slightly higher eye point, it provided a driving position for excellent operating ease.
The vehicle's specifications and equipment ensured outstanding functionality and practicality. A glass hatch has been adopted for convenient loading and unloading of cargo, and the column shift allowed lateral walk-through in the front-seat area. The seating configuration was also simple to rearrange for a variety of versatile uses, and storage places abounded. Available as a factory-installed option in the X and S models was the Cube Super Sound System, a powerful 140-watt audio system that incorporated a 20-centimeter woofer embedded in the floor under the driver's seat and provided with a dedicated 80-watt amplifier.
Powering the Cube was a higher output version of the CG13DE engine, which was highly acclaimed for its excellent economy and spirited driving performance. The suspension system had been specifically tuned for the Cube. Those and other measures enabled the Cube to deliver sedan-like driving comfort and enjoyment.
An extensive roster of safety features had also been adopted to provide high-level safety performance. In addition to Nissan's high-strength Zone Body construction for high-level crashworthiness, other standard safety equipment on all Cube models includd multi-reflector halogen headlamps with an optimized illumination pattern, an antilock braking system (ABS), Braking Assist, dual airbag supplemental restraint systems (SRS) for the driver and front passenger, and front seatbelts with pre-tensioners and load limiters. Also available on all models were a side airbag SRS with head protection capability as an optional safety feature for the driver and front passenger. The X and S models also adopted waterproof circuits for the power window switches.
The name Cube was chosen to symbolize the car's form, which was characterized by its cubic styling that achieves superb efficiency without any wasted space. The large-size front bumper imparted a feeling of power and depth to the solid design of the front end, and together with the multi-reflector headlamps, it created a neat, crisp front view.
The side view was accentuated by a dynamic, wedge-shaped waistline and the sharp, three-dimensional character lines that flowed from the front doors to the rear bumper to project a sensation of dynamism.
At the rear, multi-reflector combination lamps characterized by a sense of depth were mounted high within the simple panel construction. The wide window graphics had a unified look with the glass hatch to make a distinctive styling statement.
In conjunction with the release of the Cube, Autech Japan, Inc., a Nissan affiliate, released throughout Japan the Cube Enchanté and Cube Driving Helper, two new additions to Nissan's lineup of lifecare vehicles specially designed for enhanced access to facilitate comfortable travel by senior citizens or physically challenged persons.
The Cube Enchanté featured special specifications for persons with leg disabilities, senior citizens and others who experience difficulty in getting in and out of vehicles. It was equipped with a swivel passenger's seat that turned 60 degrees and slid out. Also available as a dealer-installed option was a newly developed manual wheelchair lift that makes it easy to load a wheelchair in the luggage compartment.
The Cube Driving Helper came with various features designed to enable persons with leg disabilities to drive. They included driving assistance equipment, a driver's seat with a height adjustable cushion and a folding side extension and a specially designed power steering system that cuts the steering effort in half.
Fast-forward to 2008. Ten years later and word of a new Cube coming stateside is the buzz. If you ask me it looks much better than the original. But will it have any possibilities of become a converter for the wheelchair driver? No word yet, but believe me, I will be keeing my eyes on this one.Being at first a Japanese-only automobile, some people are wondering whether or not Nissan can step up to the plate to give consumers, especially in the United States, what they really want.
For example, the 2008 Nissan Cube will come with a 1.5-liter engine, which is the same engine Nissan currently has in its versions of the Cube that are being sold elsewhere.
One disadvantage to the Nissan Cube that will be introduced in 2008 in the European and United State's automobile market is, in fact, the 1.5-liter engine. This means that not only is the vehicle not going to be very fast, but the Nissan Cube won't have room for very much more horsepower.
This will decrease the power, which will essentially increase the dislike of the Nissan Cube. However, it definitely will attract certain buyers throughout the new auto market that Nissan is marketing to.
Also, because the Cube is just like the Toyota Scion or the Honda Element when it comes to shape and size, this also means that the car is very heavy. So if automobile buyers in the United States want to drive an excellent fuel economy car, Nissan is going to have to find a way to cut back on all the weightiness of the 2008 Nissan Cube.
However, the new Nissan Cube is not going to be without advantages for the new market they're going after. Nissan has placed a big emphasis on interior room for the Nissan Cube, which is one of the reasons for the column shifter inside the vehicle instead of the floor shifter that seems like should be there.
Previous models of the Nissan Cube had the right-driver's side of the vehicle, but the Nissan Cube will be introduced to the United States with a left driver's side. Although it shouldn't make much of a difference as far as interior room, Nissan will have to be careful as to how everything turns out.
The 2008 Nissan Cube will also have many features on the outside of the automobile that rivals the Honda Element or the Toyota Scion. Nissan has seemed to round out the edges of the vehicle wherever they can, which is a reason that the manufacturer thinks that the Nissan Cube will do quite well in the US and European markets. The rounded out edges of the car, along with the front grille and front bumper design, also makes the Cube look like it was made for drivers who prefer this type of MPV.
