Before attempts are made to weight the benefit of certain features found inside a Nissan Cube or Kia Soul, take note of the price symmetry. Basic Souls are priced $715.00 beneath basic Cubes with destination charges included. Outside of options ticking, U.S. Cubes accelerate to $14,690; $16,790; and $19,370 for the Cube Krom. Meanwhile, Souls can be had for $14,950 or $16,950 with charges for an automatic transmission totalling $950. Base Cubes and Souls are fitted with manual transmissions only. Moving up the Cube ladder, a continuously variable tranny is either a no-charge option or standard equipment. Be careful, Canada: MSRPs, standard equipment, and options vary significantly.
Kia takes standard equipment seriously. Every Soul in America is air-conditioned. All but the base model are equipped with Bluetooth connectivity and cruise control. Soul ! and Soul Sport make use of eight speakers to pump up the volume. 4-wheel discs with ABS and stability control? Standard across the board.
The safety story is.... similar at Nissan. ABS and stability control appear on every Cube, as well. However, all rear brakes are drums, not discs. Bluetooth isn't available on the base or S models. Nissan does equip every Cube with keyless entry - Kia does not. The Cube also offers up a Rockford Fosgate 8-speaker stereo system. Rock the fos's gate, yo.
And though the Soul is the bigger and generally better-equipped car than the Nissan Cube, Kia's car tips the scales between 2,560 and 2,820 pounds. The Cube isn't a heavy car; but it is heavierweighing in between 2,762 and 2,864 pounds. Obviously, this relates directly to fuel economy where the Cube is a 24/29 mpg car with the 6-speed manual or 28/30 with the CVT. Kia's Soul is only slightly better with its smaller engine at 26/31 in city and on highway or 24/30 with the larger engine, regardless of transmission.
Generally speaking, these cars are comparatively equipped and similarly priced. That being said, instances in which the Cube is more heavily laden with features generally result from either cosmetic or somewhat frivolous accouterments. Moreover, Kia's pricing advantage may be slight but is generally paired with lower finance rates or lease deals which make its leg-up in pricing stand out.
FEATURES VERDICT
1st: KIA SOUL 10/10 - Somewhow encumbered with less weight and less cost, the little Kia cuts muster as one of the best-equipped small cars in America.
2nd: NISSAN CUBE 8/10 - Reading the market correctly, Nissan knew Cube buyers wanted features above all else. Slightly less for slightly more doesn't win comparisons though.
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