09 Nissan Cube vs. 10 Kia Soul vs. 09 Scion xB: 300-Mile Test-Drive
02-25-09, 06:16 PM
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09 Nissan Cube vs. 10 Kia Soul vs. 09 Scion xB: 300-Mile Test-Drive
http://www.popularmechanics.com/blog...s/4306145.html
LOS ANGELES—We've long respected the car that introduced us all to the boxy, small-car aesthetic—Scion's iconic xB. And more recently, we've been impressed by the spunk of the new Kia Soul and the superhip asymmetry of the Nissan Cube. As fuel prices continue to roller coaster, inexpensive cars with a small footprint—physically and environmentally—that can still deliver plenty of space will appear on more American shopping lists.
But how do these very different yet similarly boxy rivals stack up against one another? We decided to find out. So we took all three on a 300-plus-mile drive throughout Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties. We hit canyon roads, freeways and, yes, plenty of traffic too, to find out which is the King of the B-cars.
In terms of pure funk (coolness, not odor), none of these three has more of it than the Cube. The design is very simple, very Japanese and very hip. Underneath that sheet metal is the same chassis Nissan uses for the Versa. And the powertrain is the same too—a 1.8-liter four-cylinder that produces 122 hp and 127 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed manual or Nissan's Xtronic CVT. Our $15,585 Cube S came with the CVT. Around town, the Cube and its CVT deliver sprightly acceleration. The steering is light and quick too. It was the easiest of these three to maneuver, into parking spaces and through shopping centers. The suspension is the supplest of the three—soaking up large potholes with ease. But once the road begins to curve, the Cube proves it isn't the sportiest box of this group. The suspension is soft, and the steering feels more artificial and less indicative of what those front wheels are actually doing than, say, the Kia. The Cube isn't sloppy; it's just not the best tool of these three for twisty roads.
On the freeway, the Cube had noticeably more wind noise than the other two. This little box has the smallest engine, and that meant it has less gusto and requires higher rpm levels to maintain speed up the large hills. When working hard, we thought the Cube had a coarser engine note than either the Soul or the Scion. Still, it delivered a solid 30.8 mpg—putting it in the middle of this pack.
Inside, the Cube is an amazingly fun place to spend time. The experience is more vanlike than the other two—it's shorter, taller and offers a great view from any window. And when the Cube is on the scene, the Scion and Soul are practically invisible to onlookers. Everyone swarms the Cube. When it comes to utility, we particularly liked the asymmetric rear door that offers two detents, one at about 9 inches and the other all the way open. Nissan smartly engineered this rear door to open away from the curb and that, along with a large opening, makes loading just about anything easy. Likewise, we found comfort in the rear seat: good for three adults thanks largely to the enormous headroom and flat floor. In terms of shoulder room, however, the Cube was tighter than the Soul or Scion. The Cube may not be the largest or sportiest here, but it does offer plenty of practicality, value and the freshest, most authentically quirky design of the bunch.
This might sound odd, but our $17,789 Scion was the most upscale and mature of the three boxes here. In this company, the Scion is the grownup. The xB is longer and wider than either the Cube or the Soul by a good margin and offers a much more powerful engine. Under the hood is a 158-hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 162 pound-feet of torque paired to a five-speed manual. The combination delivered spirited around-town performance and plenty of passing power and torque for long freeway grades. In a drag race, the Scion would probably beat the Soul by a nose and the Cube by several car lengths. Yes, for this class of vehicles, the xB is quick. It's the one you'd feel most comfortable taking on a cross-country road trip.
The xB may be the long-distance cruiser but it isn't the sportiest drive here. On our canyon-road section, the xB felt sure-footed, but its large size meant there was more body roll, more mass to handle and a stability-control system that came on often and intrusively. The power and sophisticated shift action of the five-speed manual meant it was still fun to drive. But not nearly as much as the Kia.
When it came to hauling people and cargo, the Scion won big. The rear seat offered the most shoulder and hip room of the three. If you've got to haul five passengers, the xB is the best choice. We also liked the Scion's dash and comfy fold-down armrest. The xB may be the largest and most powerful here, but that added weight and zip resulted in a slightly lower 28.6-mpg than the other two.
It's not often that a car's name actually matches its personality. But for the $17,645 Kia Soul Sport, the name fits. The Soul Sport was easily the most fun to drive of the three boxes here. On our canyon section, the Kia's sport suspension and robust 142-hp, 2.0-liter Four made short work of the switchbacks. The large 18-inch tires offered the most grip, and the steering provided the kind of tactile feedback through the wheel that a sporty car should. In terms of acceleration, the Soul felt nearly as quick as the Scion, and the Sport's five-speed manual was only a tick or two less refined than the Scion's.
The Soul had the firmest ride of the group, although on the freeway the "thwack" of those 18-inch low-profile tires can get tiresome. Like the Scion, the Soul has more than enough power to pass and maintain speed on long hills. And yet at the end of our trip, the sporty Soul delivered the best fuel economy—31.2 mpg.
In terms of design, the Soul was the least boxy of the group. But its flared fenders and big wheels gave this little car a muscular stance. The dash—with its cool red inserts—is perhaps the most innovative of any Kia thus far. When our three testers piled into the back seat we agreed the cushion was the most comfy of the three. Hip and shoulder clearance provided a hair less room than in the Scion. When we opened the hatch, the Kia's major shortcoming was finally exposed: the hatch opening, for loading large objects, is just too small.
The Bottom Line
After one very long day testing these three boxes back-to-back over a variety of road conditions, each car's unique personality bubbled to the surface. The Cube is the roomy and hip city car. The Scion is the powerful long-distance hauler. And the Soul Sport is the canyon carver of the group. Picking a winner is never easy. But this time, the edge goes to Kia. The speed, both in a straight line and on a windy road, the efficiency and the overall grin-inducing persona of the Soul Sport made it our favorite.
LOS ANGELES—We've long respected the car that introduced us all to the boxy, small-car aesthetic—Scion's iconic xB. And more recently, we've been impressed by the spunk of the new Kia Soul and the superhip asymmetry of the Nissan Cube. As fuel prices continue to roller coaster, inexpensive cars with a small footprint—physically and environmentally—that can still deliver plenty of space will appear on more American shopping lists.
But how do these very different yet similarly boxy rivals stack up against one another? We decided to find out. So we took all three on a 300-plus-mile drive throughout Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties. We hit canyon roads, freeways and, yes, plenty of traffic too, to find out which is the King of the B-cars.
In terms of pure funk (coolness, not odor), none of these three has more of it than the Cube. The design is very simple, very Japanese and very hip. Underneath that sheet metal is the same chassis Nissan uses for the Versa. And the powertrain is the same too—a 1.8-liter four-cylinder that produces 122 hp and 127 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed manual or Nissan's Xtronic CVT. Our $15,585 Cube S came with the CVT. Around town, the Cube and its CVT deliver sprightly acceleration. The steering is light and quick too. It was the easiest of these three to maneuver, into parking spaces and through shopping centers. The suspension is the supplest of the three—soaking up large potholes with ease. But once the road begins to curve, the Cube proves it isn't the sportiest box of this group. The suspension is soft, and the steering feels more artificial and less indicative of what those front wheels are actually doing than, say, the Kia. The Cube isn't sloppy; it's just not the best tool of these three for twisty roads.
On the freeway, the Cube had noticeably more wind noise than the other two. This little box has the smallest engine, and that meant it has less gusto and requires higher rpm levels to maintain speed up the large hills. When working hard, we thought the Cube had a coarser engine note than either the Soul or the Scion. Still, it delivered a solid 30.8 mpg—putting it in the middle of this pack.
Inside, the Cube is an amazingly fun place to spend time. The experience is more vanlike than the other two—it's shorter, taller and offers a great view from any window. And when the Cube is on the scene, the Scion and Soul are practically invisible to onlookers. Everyone swarms the Cube. When it comes to utility, we particularly liked the asymmetric rear door that offers two detents, one at about 9 inches and the other all the way open. Nissan smartly engineered this rear door to open away from the curb and that, along with a large opening, makes loading just about anything easy. Likewise, we found comfort in the rear seat: good for three adults thanks largely to the enormous headroom and flat floor. In terms of shoulder room, however, the Cube was tighter than the Soul or Scion. The Cube may not be the largest or sportiest here, but it does offer plenty of practicality, value and the freshest, most authentically quirky design of the bunch.
This might sound odd, but our $17,789 Scion was the most upscale and mature of the three boxes here. In this company, the Scion is the grownup. The xB is longer and wider than either the Cube or the Soul by a good margin and offers a much more powerful engine. Under the hood is a 158-hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 162 pound-feet of torque paired to a five-speed manual. The combination delivered spirited around-town performance and plenty of passing power and torque for long freeway grades. In a drag race, the Scion would probably beat the Soul by a nose and the Cube by several car lengths. Yes, for this class of vehicles, the xB is quick. It's the one you'd feel most comfortable taking on a cross-country road trip.
The xB may be the long-distance cruiser but it isn't the sportiest drive here. On our canyon-road section, the xB felt sure-footed, but its large size meant there was more body roll, more mass to handle and a stability-control system that came on often and intrusively. The power and sophisticated shift action of the five-speed manual meant it was still fun to drive. But not nearly as much as the Kia.
When it came to hauling people and cargo, the Scion won big. The rear seat offered the most shoulder and hip room of the three. If you've got to haul five passengers, the xB is the best choice. We also liked the Scion's dash and comfy fold-down armrest. The xB may be the largest and most powerful here, but that added weight and zip resulted in a slightly lower 28.6-mpg than the other two.
It's not often that a car's name actually matches its personality. But for the $17,645 Kia Soul Sport, the name fits. The Soul Sport was easily the most fun to drive of the three boxes here. On our canyon section, the Kia's sport suspension and robust 142-hp, 2.0-liter Four made short work of the switchbacks. The large 18-inch tires offered the most grip, and the steering provided the kind of tactile feedback through the wheel that a sporty car should. In terms of acceleration, the Soul felt nearly as quick as the Scion, and the Sport's five-speed manual was only a tick or two less refined than the Scion's.
The Soul had the firmest ride of the group, although on the freeway the "thwack" of those 18-inch low-profile tires can get tiresome. Like the Scion, the Soul has more than enough power to pass and maintain speed on long hills. And yet at the end of our trip, the sporty Soul delivered the best fuel economy—31.2 mpg.
In terms of design, the Soul was the least boxy of the group. But its flared fenders and big wheels gave this little car a muscular stance. The dash—with its cool red inserts—is perhaps the most innovative of any Kia thus far. When our three testers piled into the back seat we agreed the cushion was the most comfy of the three. Hip and shoulder clearance provided a hair less room than in the Scion. When we opened the hatch, the Kia's major shortcoming was finally exposed: the hatch opening, for loading large objects, is just too small.
The Bottom Line
After one very long day testing these three boxes back-to-back over a variety of road conditions, each car's unique personality bubbled to the surface. The Cube is the roomy and hip city car. The Scion is the powerful long-distance hauler. And the Soul Sport is the canyon carver of the group. Picking a winner is never easy. But this time, the edge goes to Kia. The speed, both in a straight line and on a windy road, the efficiency and the overall grin-inducing persona of the Soul Sport made it our favorite.
02-25-09, 06:56 PM
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Glad to see kia is doing something different in the US market and not ready yet to roll over and die. This is well deserved from them. I bet that nissan interior feels like it is formed from a single piece of plastic. The fact that kia made something that doesn't look like anything from its competition is seriously something to take note on.
02-25-09, 06:58 PM
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what happened to XB? last gen was boxy and unique. i know it was a love/hate design, but it stood out. the current gen is boring and uninspired. i'm not liking the direction they are heading.
anyway, i'm not cool enough to drive Cube, so i'll take Soul. it's kinda cute, but it doesn't stand out too much. XB is meh. i've sat on it and actually it's ok, but it was supposed to stand out and be hip.
anyway, i'm not cool enough to drive Cube, so i'll take Soul. it's kinda cute, but it doesn't stand out too much. XB is meh. i've sat on it and actually it's ok, but it was supposed to stand out and be hip.
02-25-09, 10:12 PM
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nice to finally see that buying a compact doesn't mean giving up style. IOW, you have a choice between a cookie-cutter compact or one of the three above. The xB does look a bit bland compared to the other two but then again Toyota is rather conservative.
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02-27-09, 07:52 AM
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