NISSAN CUBE vs KIA SOUL - PERFORMANCE

"Peer into your Soul," says Kia Canada. "Your Soul is revealed," they add. Kia USA says the 2010 Soul is "A new way to roll". Nissan markets the Cube as "a new way to be connected". They say that "Cube is the new black" and encourage you to personalize and share.

Previously, we'd been under the impression that all automotive marketing was supposed to revolve around outright acceleration, e-braking into an urban parking space, and attacking corners on an ultra-black road with wildly green grass with the aid of computer generated imagery. Not so with these two cars.

Driving still matters. Of course, 0-60mph isn't everything, but you still want to know. MotorTrend's test of a Cube 1.8S with the CVT resulted in a 0-60mph time of 9.3 seconds. The Cube required 28.8 seconds to complete MT's figure eight. Perhaps of more consequence to potential Cube buyers was the fuel economy result of 23.5 miles per gallon, some way below the Cube's city figure of 28mpg. MT's brake test proved the merits of good ol' fashioned rear drum brakes as the Cube needed just 125 feet to stop from 60mph. Car&Driver's testing of the Cube took two-tenths off the 0-60mph time but required a gallon of fuel every 22 miles.

"Steering is light, yet precise, and the Cube takes corners flatter than its ponderous profile suggests," says Ed Loh of Motor Trend. C/D's John Phillips wrote the following: "There’s major suspension travel, terrific at coping with frost heaves, potholes, or the occasional dead cow. The downside is plenty of body roll, likely exacerbated by a high center of gravity."

As for the Kia Soul, performance figures aren't more difficult to ascertain but are more plentiful as a result of the engine option. Car& Driver tested the Soul Sport and calculated a 0-60mph time of 7.9 seconds; a noticeable advantage over the Cube even in everyday driving. Fuel economy with C/D's testing was identical to the Nissan. 0-60mph runs at MotorTrend proved the Kia's acceleration advantage over the Cube with an 8.7 second time; although its figure eight test was only six-tenths better. Fuel economy, again, was 22mpg.

This time, C/D's Phillips felt differently. Of the Soul, said he, "Speaking of steering, it’s terrific—nicely weighted and predictable, with crisp turn-in. The structure doesn’t feel particularly solid, but it proved rattle-free". MT's Scott Evans disagrees completely: "One quibble we have is with the Soul's steering, which feels heavy at low speeds and lighter at high speeds -- not exactly a great combination."

PERFORMANCE VERDICT

1st: KIA SOUL 7/10 - Enough smoothness mates with just enough sportiness to birth a surprisingly dynamic Kia.

2nd: NISSAN CUBE 5/10 - Never intended to be a boxy derivative of the 370Z, the Cube's comfort doesn't even pay off enough when the suspension set-up is too soft for rough roads and not fun on smooth roads.

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