PAST ISSUES

736: Suzuki Swift Sport Suzuki’s bargain hatch proves big fun can come in small packages 732: Dualis & X-Trail Nissan introduces a new SUV while its marquee model continues to play tough 728: Toyota Vanguard Head off to the concrete jungle with a bit more vehicle than you need 724: Subaru Impreza S-GT Japan’s automotive loudmouth learns some manners 720: Tokyo Auto Salon 2008 Get ready for some modification mayhem at Makuhari Messe 716: Dodge These! Chrysler introduces three muscle-bound imports to Japan 712: Licensed to Drive We guide you through the bureaucratic jungle 708: Tokyo Concours D’Elegance Exotic autos from the past and present glide into Roppongi 704: Car Knows Best Automakers are introducing technology that will let your ride decide if you’ve had one too many 700: Range Rover & Land Rover We put three SUVs from the fabled British maker through their paces 696: Aston Martin V8 Vantage Channel 007 in this latest incarnation of the marquee automaker’s “baby” 692: BMW R1200GS Adventure The storied bike maker competes with itself to create a three-in-one masterpiece 688: Lexus LS460 The new sedan is big, fast, safe, classy—and unremarkable 684: Alfa Romeo Spider We unleash the Italian monster on a 1,200km road trip 680: Ford Mustang The American classic goes back to its roots 676: Citroën C6 The French automaker's latest eccentricity pushes its own boundaries 672: Nissan’s Pino and Otti Japan-friendly K-cars pack a big punch 668: Jaguar XK Forget James Bond—this is the UK’s sexiest export 664: Mazda’s Axela, RX-8 and Roadster Here’s the word on Japan’s resurgent automaker: buy, buy, buy! 660: Mazda’s Axela, RX-8 and Roadster Here’s the word on Japan’s resurgent automaker: buy, buy, buy! 656: Alfa Romeo Brera This gorgeous Italian coupe is both poised and sexy 652: Premium wheels Business is good for Rolls-Royce in Japan, with an eagerly awaited convertible due out next year 648: Citroen C3 Pluriel The quirky French automaker barrels into the 21st century 644: Jeep Commander& Grand Cherokee Off road and on, these 4×4s do their military heritage proud 640: BMW Z4 M Roadster Beemer’s monster convertible provides the most fun you can have sitting down 636: Name dropping What your car is called says something about you—and even more about automakers’ marketing departments 632: BMW Mini Cooper S All hail the mighty Mini! 628: Mazda Roadster Redesigned and retooled, this two-seater is now a car for enthusiasts 624: Hyundai Sonata A rev-happy South Korean import tries to find its niche in Japan 621: Lexus IS350 Toyota brings its upmarket brand to Japan—finally 616: Volvo XC90 V8 A bit sleeker and a lot more spacious, this SUV still puts a premium on safety 612: Chrysler 300C This black beauty recalls the golden age of motoring 608: The Big Ideas Tokyo Motor Show 2005 was a concept car bonanza 604: Tokyo Motor Show 2005 The automotive world’s big players zoom into Japan with some high concepts in tow 597: Three brothers We put a trio of Nissan sedans through their paces 593: Ducati 1000S DS Multistrada The boys from Bologna deliver an Italian masterpiece for your garage 589: Mazda Demio Sport A worthy cousin to the Atenza and RX8, this roomy sedan is happy around town and in the country 585: BMW K1200S The boys from bavaria clothe an iron fist in a velvet glove 581: Chrysler’s Cruisers The American auto manufacturer concentrates on the body beautiful 577: Suzuki Skywave 650LX If you thought scooters were just for kids, think again 573: Cadillac STS 4x4 America’s flagship automaker recaptures its former glory 569: Tour de Force Yamaha’s FJR1300A offers an unbeatable blend of poise, power and price 565: Alfa Romeo GT and 156 GTA With stunning looks and power to spare, these two Alfas are an enthusiast's dream 560: Driving the Future The talk of the auto industry in 2004 was hybrids, safe driving and intelligent vehicles 556: Deja vu Blast to the past on Harley-Davidson’s Road King Custom 552: Sports sensation Nissan's new SUV breaks out of its class 548: Lean machine Lighter, faster, stronger and sexier—a diet works wonders for BMW’s R1200GS 544: Kings for a day The Honda Elysion is master of all it surveys 539: Rules of the road New traffic laws are on the horizon. Turn off your cellphone, watch where you park and don’t ride in gangs, Chris Betros warns. 537: Open roadster William Bonds gets up-close with the elements courtesy of the Nissan Fairlady 350Z convertible. 535: Extreme makeover Volvo sheds its stodgy-but-safe image for sleek-and-sporty with the new S40 T5. William Bonds likes what he sees. 533: Sporting chance Mazda has brought the station wagon up to speed with its Atenza Sport Wagon 23Z. William Bonds takes one for a spin. 531: Street smarts Automakers are taking car safety to new levels with sophisticated warning systems that almost do the driving for you, reports Chris Betros. 529: Speed zone Just down the road from Ueno Zoo, a virtual hog heaven has everything for the motorcycling enthusiast. Steve Trautlein cruises on over. 527: Italian Stallion The Alfa Romeo 147 carries on its maker’s reputation for hot cars with unmatched sex appeal. William Bonds gets carried away. 525: Hot wheels A cross between a snowboard and a scooter, the Wheelman is a quirky Australian invention that's grabbing attention worldwide. Tim Colquhoun takes one for a ride. 523: Mean Machine William Bonds gets behind the wheel of the Nissan Skyline 350GT. 521: Show stealers Toyota stunned attendees at the recent Geneva and Melbourne auto shows with two concept cars that represent a powerful vision for the future of motoring. Tim Colquhoun reports. 519: Mighty mouse Subaru goes boldly against the tide with its new R2 minicar. Justin Gardiner admires this latest feat of audacity and engineering. 517: Trail blazer Nissan's top-selling 4x4 features cool touches for winter sports fans. Justin Gardiner drove the latest X-Trail to the slopes 515: Up to speed The Formula One circus is gaining momentum as the season opener in Australia draws near. Tim Colquhoun takes a look at the latest developments. 513: Good save Hybrid cars are the rage this year with Toyota, Honda and Subaru touting their gas-electric vehicles. Chris Betros looks at what they're offering. 512: The road ahead Despite the lack of a full-fledged Tokyo Motor Show in 2004, domestic manufacturers have a bevy of weird and wonderful offerings in store for this year. Justin Gardiner previews the lineup. 509/10: Top of the class Justin Gardiner finds his favorites from this year's Metropolis test drives. 507: Mom-mobiles Japanese mothers are trading in their once ubiquitous mama-chari bicycles for a new breed of K-car. Justin Gardiner tries a couple of the most popular mini-cars. 505: Cubic's rube Nissan has lengthened its highly successful Cube a few centimeters and added an extra row of seats. But, as Justin Gardiner finds out, the result is a bit puzzling. 503: Globe trotters Kerstin Gackle and Volker Aldinger left their native Germany on April 1 and pointed their Yamahas toward Australia. Eight months later Justin Gardiner caught up with the couple in Tokyo. 501: Back to the future Cutting-edge technology and futuristic vehicles highlight the 37th Tokyo Motor Show at Makuhari Messe through November 5. Justin Gardiner offers a guide. ISSUES 499- ISSUES 449- ISSUES 399- ISSUES 349- ISSUES 299-

Cubic's rube

Nissan has lengthened its highly successful Cube a few centimeters and added an extra row of seats. But, as Justin Gardiner finds out, the result is a bit puzzling.

When Nissan launched its new Cube last year, it ran a TV advertising campaign depicting a pair of gangly American basketball players clambering out of the back seat. The boxy design afforded the car class-beating interior space, and was downright cool to boot. Sales among Japan's singles took off, hammering Toyota's similar Bb wagon into submission and inspiring Honda to come out with some equally cool offerings aimed squarely at the same market. One such machine was the bizarrely proportioned Mobilio-same squared-off corners, more glass, even more space and…a third row of seats.

Then came word that Toyota also had a compact three-row vehicle in the works, the Sienta. Nissan had no immediate answer to these cars that were set to carve out a new niche in the market, so the decision was made to stretch their best selling hit 7 centimeters and throw in a few more seats. The "3" in the name Cube3 reflects that third row, while the reading "cubic" hints at the volume of the car, according to Nissan, but the resultant car is a bit of a paradox.

Seat yourself
For a small car, the Cube3 is undeniably roomy, but for a seven-seater, it's incredibly cramped. You won't get a basketball team in the back of this machine. Giving the middle-row passengers a non-cramp-inducing amount of legroom leaves precisely 12cm of knee room in the back. Nissan makes no pretense that three adults can sit in the rearmost row, but does reckon that three can fit across the middle seats. Three Japanese idol singers, maybe, but the rest of us would be better off not trying. All the rear seats are set quite low, giving lots of headroom and adding to the airy feel of the cabin, but also meaning that none of them give under-thigh support to adults, who are forced to perch on them rather like parents at an elementary school PTA meeting.

The front seats (sorry, seat-it's a bench) also provide very little support, making the car unnecessarily tiring to drive for extended periods. The only advantage of bench seats that springs to mind is that they are handy for making out at drive-in movies. Unfortunately, the middle of the Cube3's bench is made of thinly padded hard plastic, elevating anyone who tries to shuffle across a few inches, and giving them quite a pain in the rear. Underneath this plastic hatch is one of the Cube3's many cubbyholes. Like its shorter sibling, the cabin is packed with handy pockets and boxes. We had the press car for four days, but are far from certain that we found all of them.

When not needed, the rearmost seats fold down into the floor, courtesy of an ingenious cantilever system, which transforms the car into a far more usable platform. The standard Cube is spacious enough, but lacks trunk room; the Cube3 in four-seater guise has plenty, and thanks to the flat floor and vertical walls of the trunk, that space is highly practical. The side-hinged rear door (incorporating the signature wraparound window) is wide and low, easing the loading of heavy goods. The squared-off corners also mean that no guesswork is necessary when parking in tight spots-what appears to be the end of the car is the end of the car-plus a turning circle of just 4.7m takes the pain out of negotiating Japanese supermarket car parks.

Nissan added 7 centimeters and another bench to make a Cube to compete with other three-row wagons

An uphill climb
One might expect that the Cube3's barn-like dimensions would affect its aerodynamic performance and one would be right. It is buffeted by side winds and the bow waves of heavy trucks on highways, and opening the front windows at any speed over 60km/h causes mini tornados in the back seats. The 1.4-liter lean-burn engine can whip the big-little car along at speeds well in excess of the national speed limit, but getting there takes a while and the four-speed automatic fitted to our test car suffered the all too common Nissan trait of hypersensitive kick down. Spending an extra ¥150,000 on the Xtronic Continuously Variable Transmission (with 6-speed semi-automatic option) would be a wise investment.

With seven of Tokyo's finest gaijin crammed inside, the little motor did manage to creep up our favorite test hill (behind Akasaka's TBS studios), but only just and with a bit of scrabbling wheel spin. We can't help thinking that a 1.6-liter unit would be better suited to the car, and probably give better mileage as the driver would spend less time with the accelerator on the floor. Unfortunately, the brakes are less than confidence inspiring, so the aforementioned half-ton of gaijin elected not to be test dummies in a descent of the Akasaka hill.

So if this three-row small car isn't fit to haul adults, to whom is Nissan hoping to sell it? The answer, of course, is young mothers. The Cube3 is ideal for the archetypal school run, which means it will probably sell well in the countryside, and possibly abroad, but is unlikely to become a common site on central Tokyo's roads.

The Nissan Cube3 costs ¥1.4-¥1.65 million. See http://www.nissan.co.jp/CUBE/CUBIC/ for details (Japanese only).

Photo credit: Justin Gardiner

Discuss cars and bikes with METROPOLIS readers at http://forum.japantoday.com