Nissan Cube Debuts in LA: All new urban warrior sets funky style note

The Nissan Cube will be in showrooms here in the spring. It didn\'t take much creativity to come up with the name; either they designed it first and then named it, or came up with the name and told the designers to create a car to fit. As the veil was lifted off the car on the stage, you could hear the audience collectively declare: \"It looks like a cube.\"

Nissan actually volunteers that Cube\'s design inspiration was an appliance box like you used to play in as a kid. Because it could be anything you wanted it to be, from a yacht to a doghouse.

Look at the pictures yourself, to decide if the cube thing is good. Five of us from OnCars gaped in contemplation, or maybe confusion, at the asymmetrical shape. No wonder the confusion: \"incognito canine,\" Nissan calls it, and your guess is as good as ours. One of us loved it, one hated it, and presumably (hopefully) the other three felt something in the emotional middle.

Nissan also says it\'s, \"A pocket-sized fun-and-function cocktail mixing the charm of Godzilla and the wit of Mothra,\" which oh yes helps clear things up. More, if we knew who Mothra was.

For all its exterior cubism, the interior is totally curvy. The seating position is tall and the turning radius tight, so it parks easily. It will get up to 30 mpg with its 1.8-liter engine using a CVT transmission, with 6-speed manual optional. Price has not yet been determined, but expect it to be under the Scion xB, as it\'s slightly smaller.

With personal accessories such a pet blankets (we are not making this up) to be sold by dealers, the idea appears to create a Cube cult like the Scion xB cult.

Meanwhile, off in the corner, there was the similar, simpler, Kia Soul. \"What does the Soul have that the Cube doesn\'t?\" we asked the Kia man. \"Uh... character? Style? Sense? Should I go on?\" Just the sweetly competitive nature of the car biz.