Hey America! You know how you love crossovers, right?

"G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3" (gbodyman) 12/12/2016 at 12:51 • Filed to: None

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It’s a quick and dirty photoshop, but wouldn’t a Cube “4" be kinda cool? Fit it with the 1.6T from the Juke/Sentra and the e4wd system (electric motor out back to help pull the car out of snow drifts) available in Japan, tack on some plastic cladding, lift it an inch or two, and run some chunky wheels, and it could also be a minor sales success to compete more directly with the Renegade as well as swoop up Scion xB owners.

S65 > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/12/2016 at 13:07

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Me like 

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/12/2016 at 13:07

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Pretty sure we already get a fat Micra.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 12/12/2016 at 13:09

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That’s actually a fat, ugly Cube.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/12/2016 at 13:12

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...which is a fat, ugly Micra.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 12/12/2016 at 13:14

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Nope. The Cube is actually a more practical Versa.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/12/2016 at 13:19

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...which is also a frumpy, two-generations old Micra.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 12/12/2016 at 13:38

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Oh wait, never mind. Mk3 Cube was 09, so it pre-dated the V platform by a year. Still, the K12 Micra was a pretty good little economy car.

Pyrochazm > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/12/2016 at 13:43

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I don’t hate it.

This is high praise, considering my distaste for most “crossovers”. If Nissan built it I bet it would sell.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/12/2016 at 13:43

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I KNOW, RIGHT!? Why couldn’t Datsun have just released that here instead of the fat and/or frumpy versions?

Bytemite > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/12/2016 at 13:59

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But does the Cube really need to be any taller? In current form, it’s still really tall.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Bytemite 12/12/2016 at 14:00

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If it doesn’t have extra ground clearance over the regular one, can it really be marketed as a crossover?

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 12/12/2016 at 14:01

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Because Nissan isn’t the brightest bulb in the industry, and the Cube is quite possibly the most Oppo of any 21st century Japanese economy car sold in North America.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Pyrochazm 12/12/2016 at 14:02

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Would you like it more if it had a bench in the front and a column shifter?

Bytemite > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/12/2016 at 14:04

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The plastic body cladding and a slightly lifted spring to offset the rugged tires would give enough of whatever these crossover shoppers are looking for.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Bytemite 12/12/2016 at 14:08

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Yeah, you’re probably right.

Pyrochazm > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/12/2016 at 14:08

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I’m not “that” old school.

But yeah probably.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/12/2016 at 14:10

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Suzuki would like a word with you...

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Pyrochazm 12/12/2016 at 14:15

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Because that’s the way the Cube comes in Japan.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 12/12/2016 at 14:17

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The problem with those was they they weren’t quite all there. The Aerio SX was trying to be more of a tall sports hatch, whereas the SX4 wasn’t aggressive or cool enough for North American tastes. Plus, it was way ahead of the curve on the subcompact crossover.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/12/2016 at 14:23

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I’m pretty sure you just bolstered my argument about them being more Oppo than the Cube which is similarly compromised, but ultimately a fat, ugly Micra..

Pyrochazm > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/12/2016 at 14:31

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That’s cool!

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 12/12/2016 at 14:38

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The problem with pretty much every economy car introduced in the past 8 years is that they’re all trying way too hard to be sporty.

Sharp character lines, big alloys, big grilles, and sporty bucket seats are omnipresent on top trims of any economy car. The problem is that things like the Yaris SE, the Fiesta Titanium, and the Jetta SEL aren’t particularly fun to drive, nor are they commonly driven in a sporting manner.

By contrast, the Cube has soft character lines, small grilles, and rather small wheels. The seats are wide and soft, and interior spaciousness is plentiful. It’s a comfortable, economical, spacious car that makes no false pretensions and is a great friend to the owner in these times of gridlock and ever more congested cities. The shag rug dash topper, much like the car itself, served no purpose other than to be fun within the constraints of modern traffic and speed enforcement.

If the Fiesta ST is the most fun subcompact car to drive at 10/10ths, the Cube is the most fun subcompact car to drive between 1 and 5 tenths. It showed that you didn’t have to make an economy car sporty to be fun and interesting, and I think it’s very Oppo because of that.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Pyrochazm 12/12/2016 at 14:47

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For a limited time in Japan, you could even get it with a green velour interior.

Stapleface > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/12/2016 at 15:19

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As a former cube owner, I approve. Provided that Nissan gives the car something other than their crappy CVT.

The cube has a ton of interior space. When I had mine I removed the rear seat and it became a mini wagon for me. I never carry more than one passenger anyway, so why not?

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Stapleface 12/12/2016 at 15:43

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How about a 6 speed manual?

ranwhenparked > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/12/2016 at 18:57

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I think we need to just start doing that to all small cars. Ford Focus not selling well? Take the Focus hatchback and tack on roof rails and grey plastic cladding, call it the Ford XC, and boom, crossover.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > ranwhenparked 12/12/2016 at 21:08

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We need to get on a Focus RS with as much as a lift as is allowed by the SCCA rollover risk rules, recalibrated electronic damper control for a range of rallycross surfaces, and unpainted cladding ASAP. Call it the Focus Active RS-X. Start it at $40k US or so, and watch relatively wealthy rallycrossers flock to it.

Stapleface > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/13/2016 at 06:45

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Sure, and that’s what I would prefer. But since my wife sometimes drives my car and absolutely refuses to learn how to drive manual, an automatic must do for me.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Stapleface 12/13/2016 at 09:40

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Makes sense. Not everybody is comfortable operating a car with a manual transmission, and in many cases that’s okay.

Wacko > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 12/15/2016 at 13:14

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I’m my 20+ years of driving, the only car I ever owned that I still miss was my AWD 6 speed SX4. 150hp in a package the same size as a Versa.

Wacko > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/15/2016 at 13:16

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In canada we Liked our SX4s,

In general every SX4 owner really liked them.

I had oversized AT tires on mine, and was going to do the 2 inch lift, but lost it avoiding a fucken Yaris that cut me off.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Wacko 12/15/2016 at 13:26

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I love the SX4, although it’s a bit hard for me to call it a crossover as it doesn’t appear to be designed with the same intent.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/15/2016 at 13:31

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It’s not a crossover. That’s why it’s better.

Wacko > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 12/15/2016 at 13:34

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It has a great AWD system, that can be locked 50-50 front/rear at lower speeds.

in winter in normal AWD i would give it just a bit more gas and the rear would slide easily. If you consider a Juke or a Traxx a crossover than the SX4 is one too.

It was designed first as a crossover, then made in to a Sedan since Americans hated hatches.

I called mine my Cute Ute,

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 12/15/2016 at 13:34

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The SX4 is like if due to budget cuts, their rallycross team also had to design their new compact hatchback. Pretty crisp 6 speed gearbox on later models, remarkably good chassis, shockingly high output for a non-performance small car in 2007, and a rather good AWD system. Shame they’re not sold here anymore.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Wacko 12/15/2016 at 13:44

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The lock is a cool trick, but the way it shuffles the power in auto mode is amazingly seamless for a system launched in 07.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 08/23/2017 at 20:49

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It should be called a Cube squared, idk how to type that properly