Budget mods round out Nissan Cube

Nov 14, 2009

Wheels Editor

Last month, I wrote a scathing review of the Nissan Cube, in which I called the funky little trucklet "the worst car I've driven this year – bar none."

That article attracted a lot of attention from all kinds of quarters. Cube owners reviled me for insulting their beloved choice of transport, and a high-profile Nissan salesman even wrote in to say that "your middle-aged unhappiness has taken the best out of your talent, which is openly displayed on your article."

Plenty of other people agreed with me, though, including many members of the automotive media. "I wish I could have written what you wrote," I was told by several auto reviewers, censured by their lack of clout to offend.

But perhaps the most interesting correspondence came from Chris Kasparian, a corrections officer from Orangeville, who bought a Cube this summer and has been tinkering with it since.

He invited me up to drive it, and so this week, attracted by the prospect of an afternoon's ride through the Caledon Hills in the last of the fall weather, I took the bait.

As soon as I saw him, I realized why the Cube had appeal. He's a big guy, 6-foot-4, the kind of man who might have difficulty fitting into the majority of cars.

The Cube, though, has exceptional inside ceiling height, clearing his head by at least a hand's width.

It fits him better than the Mini Cooper S he sold in 2005, the year before he bought his current other car, a Ford Mustang GT that he fiddled with so that it now makes 435 rear wheel horsepower. "I've owned a lot of cars," he told me.

He has a motorcycle, too – a new Suzuki GSX-R750 sportbike that goes like stink. He's a guy who appreciates performance.

So why the Cube, which wheezes its way to 122 hp with its little 1.8L four-cylinder engine straight from a Versa?

"I'd never seen anything like it," he said of the day he walked onto his Nissan dealer's lot.

"It really stood out. I could see it had potential."

There were a few things he wanted to fix, of course. A bit more power, a better ride and a refined look. For the extra power, he bolted on a Stillen cold air intake and a new muffler, which – amazingly – gave him about an extra 21 hp.

For the better ride, he installed coilover suspension by Tanabe, which dropped the body almost four cm, and a strut tower brace under the hood, for more stiffness.

The dropping made the 17-inch wheels sit more fully under the arches, while a clear-coat and tinted tail lights added some discretion to the final package.

Most importantly though, he picked up on one of my major gripes and ripped the driver's seat apart to fit some stronger side bolsters in its back. The seat now hugs his body better, and doesn't throw him off to the side when he goes around corners.

He handed me the keys and we went for a drive on the winding roads of the area. It's still fairly gutless, though it makes a decent sound when the revs get up above 4,000 or so. But it sticks to the road now like a box on an airport conveyor belt, and held me in place at the wheel. Far more relaxing – less white-knuckle – than the original.

It was noisy, like the original, but at least the muffler compensated a little. It still wastes its interior space by not having rear seats that fold flat, but Kasparian doesn't care. He makes a long commute every day down into the city and so far says he isn't disappointed.

So after the extra $2,000 spent, is it a better vehicle? Sure it is.

Does Kasparian deserve the ribbing he gets from his friends at the Greater Toronto Area Mustang Club (www.gtamc.com)? Of course he does. But he doesn't care.

Too many people settle for their cars just as they come from the dealer. But with a bit of thought and a little extra outlay, nobody needs to settle for second best.

mrichardson@thestar.ca

Toronto Star