My boyfriend and I test drove a Cube today. Before I say anything else, I'd like you to know that I drive a tuned VW Corrado SLC and my boyfriend drives an '08 STI hatchback. We are used to sporty, quick cars.
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The dealer only had two - a white base model with the floor mat package and a dark grey Krom. The Krom had apparently already been sold despite having just arrived at the dealership, but the base model was available for test driving - good for me because I want one (well, a 1.8S) with a manual transmission.
In person, it looked quite nice and not as small as I had imagined. The doors felt solid but lightweight (compared to the honkers on my car anyway), and the white paint looked gorgeous. It had a slightly pearly sheen, almost sparkly up close - that will be my second choice if I can't get a blue one for whatever reason. The base interior was pretty nice looking, and the seats were VERY comfortable. It felt so spacious that it was hard to believe I was in such a little car! The cargo area was also not as small as I thought it would be, although the cargo organizer would be an excellent addition to make the door frame flush with the flattened seats.
Being 5'7" tall, I felt right at home in the driver's seat. The pedals were spaced nicely and my feet and legs were comfortable, and the steering wheel was at just the right position for me (I didn't spend much time fiddling with the seats, but it was easy to move them forward/back). Visibility was fantastic, of course, but I didn't drive it enough to get a fair impression of that. I am curious about how it fares at night, because one review mentioned that light glare can be pretty significant on the windshield.
The Cube was incredibly quiet, and compared to my car the ride was smooth as could be...but that might not say -too- much because road noise in my Corrado is tremendous, plus it's not very comfortable ;o) The transmission felt wonderful to me, soft and not "grabby" at all, which makes the car very easy to drive. This is great for folks like me who just want to be at ease while driving, but people who want a more exciting ride will likely find it boring.
Despite the fact that this car is, in general, significantly slower than my and my boyfriend's cars, it was pleasantly peppy and I didn't feel nervous merging into traffic. It would certainly take some getting used to, but it didn't appear to have any trouble climbing hills or getting up to highway speed. I didn't think it was very loud even on the highway, but do take my opinion with a grain of salt. I'm used to a bumpy, loud car!
The steering also felt very soft, which I was initially uncomfortable with, but I quickly found that it was actually reasonably responsive. As for the turning radius, I did a u-turn at an intersection with no difficulties. I have no complaints about the brakes - they were neither squishy nor stiff.
Overall, I was impressed. It seems ideal for what I'm looking for in a car - great visibility, comfortable and easy to drive, quiet, unique. One thing that concerns me, however, is the reliability...but at least parts and labor would be far more reasonable than for a Corrado. I'm still not completely set on purchasing one and will wait at least 2 or 3 months before making a decision; I'd first like to get a better idea of its safety specs, the Cube/Versa's reliability as well as some opinions by Cube owners.
If I could sum the Cube up in a single word, it would be...soft. Soft clutch, soft steering, soft seats, soft (curvy) interior and (rounded) exterior.
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The dealer only had two - a white base model with the floor mat package and a dark grey Krom. The Krom had apparently already been sold despite having just arrived at the dealership, but the base model was available for test driving - good for me because I want one (well, a 1.8S) with a manual transmission.
In person, it looked quite nice and not as small as I had imagined. The doors felt solid but lightweight (compared to the honkers on my car anyway), and the white paint looked gorgeous. It had a slightly pearly sheen, almost sparkly up close - that will be my second choice if I can't get a blue one for whatever reason. The base interior was pretty nice looking, and the seats were VERY comfortable. It felt so spacious that it was hard to believe I was in such a little car! The cargo area was also not as small as I thought it would be, although the cargo organizer would be an excellent addition to make the door frame flush with the flattened seats.
Being 5'7" tall, I felt right at home in the driver's seat. The pedals were spaced nicely and my feet and legs were comfortable, and the steering wheel was at just the right position for me (I didn't spend much time fiddling with the seats, but it was easy to move them forward/back). Visibility was fantastic, of course, but I didn't drive it enough to get a fair impression of that. I am curious about how it fares at night, because one review mentioned that light glare can be pretty significant on the windshield.
The Cube was incredibly quiet, and compared to my car the ride was smooth as could be...but that might not say -too- much because road noise in my Corrado is tremendous, plus it's not very comfortable ;o) The transmission felt wonderful to me, soft and not "grabby" at all, which makes the car very easy to drive. This is great for folks like me who just want to be at ease while driving, but people who want a more exciting ride will likely find it boring.
Despite the fact that this car is, in general, significantly slower than my and my boyfriend's cars, it was pleasantly peppy and I didn't feel nervous merging into traffic. It would certainly take some getting used to, but it didn't appear to have any trouble climbing hills or getting up to highway speed. I didn't think it was very loud even on the highway, but do take my opinion with a grain of salt. I'm used to a bumpy, loud car!
The steering also felt very soft, which I was initially uncomfortable with, but I quickly found that it was actually reasonably responsive. As for the turning radius, I did a u-turn at an intersection with no difficulties. I have no complaints about the brakes - they were neither squishy nor stiff.
Overall, I was impressed. It seems ideal for what I'm looking for in a car - great visibility, comfortable and easy to drive, quiet, unique. One thing that concerns me, however, is the reliability...but at least parts and labor would be far more reasonable than for a Corrado. I'm still not completely set on purchasing one and will wait at least 2 or 3 months before making a decision; I'd first like to get a better idea of its safety specs, the Cube/Versa's reliability as well as some opinions by Cube owners.
If I could sum the Cube up in a single word, it would be...soft. Soft clutch, soft steering, soft seats, soft (curvy) interior and (rounded) exterior.
