Post by
nissangirl74 »
https://forums.nicoclub.com/nissangirl74-u124660.html
Fri Aug 21, 2009 9:07 pm
I'll be the first to admit that when I first saw the Cube, I did not like it. When Greg told me he was thinking about buying one, I seriously thought about taking him to have an MRI. Considering everything he owned was either over 30 years old, or boosted, I wondered what the appeal was. Simple. He wanted a simple car for his commute. First requirement on the list...an automatic tranny. Another oddity because we both prefer manuals.
Anyway, to make a long story short, Greg buys the car. I am a bit disappointed at the lack of power during take-off but other than that, it's OK. I always like to do comparisons though, so I asked the dealer to let us know whenever a manual arrived so I could test drive it and see for myself the difference.
Apparently the manual models are few and far between because I didn't get to drive one until last week. But it was worth the wait. What a difference the manual makes!!!!! OK, to be truthful, first gear is still slower than two turtles racing in the mud, but at least when you are manually changing gears you feel like you are getting somewhere.
First gear - 4,000 rpm - 25 mphSecond gear - 4,000 rpm - 35 mphThird gear - 4,000 rpm - 45 mph
However, after you climb out of third, the higher gears hold a LOT of promise. It would be very easy to get a speeding ticket on the interstate in this thing. It shifts remarkably smooth, the gears are close together, the car in itself handles well, and you never feel like you are going as fast as you are.
This car will NEVER be a 10 second car...even with boost. It's just not gonna happen. The model I drove (the 1.8) is as base as you can get. It had power windows and door locks, tilt steering and A/C, and that's about it as far as the amenities go. It didn't even have an armrest! However, with the manual transmission, I would daily drive this car til it fell apart. Especially if it was also lowered and had wider tires. With a few simple mods and the manual tranny, you can have a car that is fun to drive AND gets some attention!
If anyone is in the market but still riding the fence on which model to buy, my suggestion is to go test drive every one of them. (There are 4.) I've driven 3 of the 4 and they had some drastic differences so you need to be sure.