Nissan Cube (10-10) - Review

Review by Simon Harris on
Last Updated: 21 February 2011
Nissan's Cube was an instant hit when it first went on sale in its native Japan, but it still took 12 years before the firm was brave enough to bring it over here. Going head to head with the ubiquitous Mini and the Kia Soul, it majors in style with its unusual boxy design. Inside, the stylistic assault continues with velour, optional shagpile mats and a rather weird circular carpet feature on the dashboard. Under the skin the Cube is more conventional taking familiar tried-and-tested hardware from both the Micra and Note. Shorter than a Vauxhall Corsa, Nissan proves style hasn’t completely won the battle over substance by providing plenty of room for four adults. The Cube boasts distinctive looks, a practical interior, is reasonably inexpensive to buy, run and own and is well worth considering if you want a small car with a difference.
4 out of 5

Safety

In official Euro NCAP crash tests, the Cube scored four stars out of five - a good result for a car this size, especially as it was tested under the organisation's tougher regime. Introduced in 2009, this is one overall rating that covers adult occupant safety as well as child and pedestrian protection, plus a rear impact whiplash test. In the crash simulation the Cube was let down its child occupant protection during the front impact test, but all models come with electronic stability control as standard plus six airbags.

NCAP Test

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  • Adult Occupant Rating

    4 out of 5
4 out of 5

Reliability

The Cube uses much of the same technology as found in the Nissan Micra and Nissan note, so is well proven and should not present any major reliability problems for owners.

Car check problem points

Body

No problems reported.

Engine/Gearbox

No problems reported.

Other

No problems reported.