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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, April 7, 2010 · 22 $ any Castrol oil change package Coupon required. Expiry: May 16, 2010 Code: 5558 8 OFF 345 Speers Rd. (at Dorval), Oakville 905-842-9299 Valid at all GTA locations. Krom edition adds a sporty touch to the Nissan cube By Lorne Drury Metroland Newspapers Carguide Magazine Over the years there have been car designs that polarize opinion, but few more so than the Nissan cube. Introduced in Canada last year, the cube is a perfect name for Nissan's box-on-wheels that is as radical a design as there is in the market today. Some love it, some hate it, but you definitely can't ignore it. And even though it's been around for a year in Canada, it continues to elicit comments on the street as I found during my recent week with the special edition 2010 cube Krom. When I first reviewed the cube at its Canadian launch last year, I wrote that everything old is new again in automotive design. When you consider the cube and competitors like the Honda Element, Kia Soul and Scion xB (soon to come to Canada), the boxy design harkens back to the early days of the automobile with cars like the Ford Model T and Model A that were also boxes on wheels. But while the cube is new to the North American stage, it has been around for years in Japan and has been a steady seller since 1998. Here, Nissan is aiming the cube directly at a younger audience particularly those who want to stand out from the crowd in an entry-level segment made up largely of lookalike vehicles. To allow customers to further customize their cubes, Nissan has a variety of accessories available. Among them is a funky interior accent illumination package that allows Nissan Cube Krom 2010 At A Glance: BODY STYLE: compact, entry-level wagon. DRIVE METHOD: front engine, frontwheel drive. ENGINE: 1.8-litre 16-valve DOHC four-cylinder engine (122 hp, 127 lb/ft) with six-speed manual transmission or continuously variable (CVT) automatic. FUEL ECONOMY: Manual 8.1L/100 km (35 mpg) city, 6.6L/100 km (43 mpg) highway; CVT automatic 7.3L/100 km (39 mpg) city, 6.3L/100 km (45 mpg) highway. PRICE: $17,398. As tested $23,098. WEB SITE: www.nissan.ca The SL starts at $20,898 and adds 16-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, intelligent key system with push button start and automatic climate control. The `cube-like' design of the vehicle of course provides generous headroom for a subcompact car. Rear seat legroom is also above average for this size vehicle although six-ft.-plus passengers may find knee room at a premium unless those in the front seats slide their chairs far forward. The rear seats also slide forward and back to increase legroom or alternatively increase the amount of cargo space behind the seat. The seats themselves provide what Nissan calls "comfortable lounge style seating" and the rear seats are slightly elevated theatrestyle for better visibility. The front seats have limited lateral support, while the rear seats do not fold flat. Continued on page 23 Nissan says "it's hip to be square" with its 2010 cube Krom compact wagon. Now in its third generation, the cube has been available in Japan since 1998. the driver to select from 20 different colours or have the colours cycle automatically. More than 40 other "personalization options" are available including an underbody package featuring spoilers and body cladding. The Krom edition has a number of exclusive interior and exterior treatments to add a sportier touch to the cube. Krom features include a chrome grille, rear roof spoiler, 16inch alloy wheels and a Krom rear emblem. Inside is unique seat trim with woven black and grey cloth seats, Titanium accents, aluminum trimmed pedals and the colour illumination system are also included in the package. All cubes come with a 1.8-litre inline four-cylinder engine making 122 hp and 127 ft/lb of torque. The Krom is packaged with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and is priced at $23,098 plus freight and PDI of $1,325. A barebones cube with no options and a six-speed manual transmission starts at $17,398. Based on the same basic platform as the subcompact Versa, the cube comes well equipped. The entry-level S model features six standard air bags (front, front side and overhead side curtain for both driver and passenger), vehicle dynamic control with traction control, ABS brakes and tire pressure monitoring system. Also standard are air conditioning, power door/window locks, remote keyless entry, cruise control, six speaker AM/FM/CD with auxiliary input and steering wheel audio controls, tilt steering column, Bluetooth hands free phone system, 60/40 split folddown rear seats, rear heater ducts, trip computer and digital clock.