"Frosted" (frostedbuns)
06/17/2014 at 15:58 • Filed to: None
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"Frosted" (frostedbuns)
06/17/2014 at 15:58 • Filed to: None | 1
| 9 |
Here's a comparison that has probably been done to death but oh well. My father and I share a common love for economy boxes. Literal boxes. On wheels. That's why he purchased a 2010 Scion xB about a year and a half ago. It's part of what drew me to the 2010 Nissan Cube that I purchased a couple of weeks ago. Today, I took some time to wash the inside and outside as well as drive each car for a little bit and compare them.
Let's start with the exterior.
Scion:
The Scion is much sportier looking with sharp lines and angles all around. The optional spoiler helps the sporty look as without it, the rear end takes on a more egg like shape which spoils the angular front end a bit. The paint is too cheap though. It's ridiculous how easily it can be scratched.
Nissan:
The Cube just looks tiny. And it is pretty small. Far shorter lengthwise than the Scion but maybe a couple of inches taller. The windows feel massive though and give great visibility when driving. The wraparound window is very unique and garners a lot of attention, though not everyone will love it. I certainly do though.
And onto the interior.
Scion:
It's cheap. Almost offensively so. Nothing in here is pleasant to touch. Even the steering wheel is a scratchy plastic. The seats are far too hard to not have any bolstering. The radio only sounds good because it's aftermarket. And why are the gauges in the middle of the dash? That's silly. But the seats fold flat and give you plenty of cargo space. It's utilitarian. You get a sense that this is literally just an A to B and back kinda of car, nothing more.
Nissan:
The SL trim is a nice place to be. Seats are nice and soft and the leather wheel is an excellent touch. The dash plastics are a little bit on the cheap side still but far less offensive than the plastics in the Scion. The small screen in the dash is also quite a nice feature though if it weren't for the backup camera, it'd be pointless since navigation isn't standard on this trim. It's nice to have a deep trunk but since the seats don't fold flat, there is something left to be desired in terms of cargo room.
And now to performance. Or lack of such.
Scion:
It's got a 150 horsepower Camry engine. It does 0-60 in 8.5 seconds. It has a good bit of understeer around corners and it feels a bit heavier than the cube. But it's quick in and out of traffic. Steering is light enough around town, though there's not much in the way of road feedback. It's faster than the Cube though.
Nissan:
The Cube has a 122 horsepower engine that is shared with a Versa S. Zero to sixty takes 9.3 seconds. It's not very fast but being a city car, neither one really needs to be. It handles well though some body roll is present and cornering too hard makes you feel like the Cube might tip over. The Scion stops better being that it has disk brakes all around though the Cube is light enough that the rear drums still stop it just fine.
I couldn't really choose which car is better. The looks are subjective though I prefer the Cube. The Scion has more power and is a little quicker but you also get worse fuel economy. If you're looking for a practical, fuel efficient city car though, both would be great choices.
dinobot666
> Frosted
06/17/2014 at 16:12 |
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Hey, that Scion has a raging 158 horsepowers under the hood! Every bit counts right?
I also think it's a pretty decent alternative to the grossly oversized current crop of "mini"vans that have morphed into nearly full sized vans. I'd shy away from the Nissan cube if is equipped with a problematic Jatco CVT.
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Frosted
> dinobot666
06/17/2014 at 16:16 |
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36 more horsepower for .8 seconds quicker and 3-5 MPGs worse isn't really a great trade off.
I've only been reading about CVT issues with the 09 Cube, the year they were introduced to the US. I assume then that a year later they figured it out? Nissan also put out a statement saying the only people affected were about 20% of 09 model owners.
RazoE
> Frosted
06/17/2014 at 16:17 |
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1st gen xB would wipe the floor with these two. Too bad a bird's fart will push it off course; it's that light!
oldestyoungn
> Frosted
06/17/2014 at 16:25 |
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Cousins!
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Frosted
> RazoE
06/17/2014 at 16:27 |
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I also had a 1st gen xB as my first car. It was also not fast with the Yaris engine but yea the lightness made up for that.
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RazoE
> Frosted
06/17/2014 at 16:28 |
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It is slow, but so easy to toss around and drive like a hooligan!=D Too bad the gas tank is so tiny..
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RazoE
> dinobot666
06/17/2014 at 16:29 |
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TRD Supercharger bumped it up to 200hp and kept the warranty intact, but it was somewhere north of $3000. No thank you.
Mosqvich
> Frosted
06/17/2014 at 16:51 |
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I'd choose the Cube. I think it looks better. But I'll stick to my Bavarian machines :-)
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dinobot666
> Frosted
06/17/2014 at 17:06 |
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Eh, Nissan has been on the charm offensive with their CVT program. They've given 100k warranties to Rogue owners with a CVT. I think they've even extended the warranty program to other Nissan vehicles with the CVT.