2010 Car Comparison: Kia Soul v Nissan Cube v Scion xB

By Jim Gorzelany

The Competitors
When the first-generation Scion xB debuted in 2004 as one of the premiere entries in Toyota’s youth-oriented division, it turned heads with its starkly rectangular shape. “It looks like the box it came in,” quipped pundits. But the xB sold reasonably well among both its urban-hipster target audience and middle-age buyers who liked its easy low sticker price, easy entry/exit, and overall practicality. The xB was redesigned for the 2008 model year as a larger, more powerful vehicle with a dash of added visual panache.

The Kia Soul launched in early 2009 as a 2010 model with an exterior shape similar to the Scion’s and a likewise youthful target demographic. The South Korean offering was joined later in the year by the even-more eccentrically boxy Nissan Cube, finally hitting the U.S. after years of popularity among young Japanese in its home market. All three off these compact hatchbacks offer buyers a degree of customization via a long list of dealer-installed accessories. A few accessories are even useful, such as navigation systems, upgraded wheels and tires, or premium audio. Others, such as the xB’s illuminated cup holders or the Cube’s shag-carpet dashboard trim panel, no so much.

The Similarities

All three of these cars are boxy front-drive compacts that belie their oddball styling with inherent practicality typically found in more conventional station wagons and crossover SUVs. All have nearly horizontal rooflines that help maximize passenger headroom and cargo-carrying capacity.

Marketing campaigns for the 2010 Kia Soul, 2010 Nissan Cube, and 2010 Scion xB aim to attract young, urban-hip buyers, though their inherent practicality and affordable price points broaden their appeal to those in older demographic groups.

All three have adequately powerful four-cylinder engines that deliver reasonably good fuel economy. The Soul is rated at 26/31 mpg (city/highway) with its base 1.6-liter engine and 24/30 with its 2.0-liter version. Cube is rated at 28/30 mpg, the xB at 22/28.

All include a standard manual gearbox and offer an optional automatic transmission.

Handling characteristics for all three models are predictable and well balanced overall though none will be mistaken for a sports car.

Each lets buyers choose from an expansive selection of dealer-installed accessories for the sake of personalization. Many of these items can drive sticker prices up rapidly, however. Some, like different wheel choices, audio systems, and so on might be found for less money at your local auto-parts store.

The Differences

The 2010 Scion xB is the largest of this trio at just over 167 inches long, and has a truly spacious interior that can seat four six-footers with room to spare -- which is why xB’s are often used as taxicabs. This Scion can also out-haul many larger SUVs with about 69 cubic feet of cargo volume with the rear seats folded flat. The 2010 Nissan Cube is the smallest of these three vehicles at just under 157 inches long and has about 11 fewer cargo feet of cargo volume than the xB.

The Scion xB is the most powerful car in this comparison with a peppy 158-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder its only engine. The 2010 Kia Soul comes with a somewhat anemic 122-horsepower 1.6-liter four in its base model but all other versions use a livelier 142-horsepower 2.0-liter four. The Nissan Cube gets adequate power from its only engine, a 122-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder that’s also found in the Nissan Versa compact car, upon which the Cube is based.

The Scion xB and Kia Soul offer a choice of a five-speed manual transmission or optional four-speed automatic. The Nissan Cube comes with a six-speed manual and alternately offers a gearless continuously variable transmission (CVT) that combines the performance of a manual with the convenience of an automatic.

All three celebrate funky exterior styling, but the Nissan Cube reaches the farthest with a profile that manages to be both boxy and curvy. Cube’s round-cornered windows and rear glass that wraps onto the passenger side of the body contribute to its unique, asymmetrical appearance.

The Scion xB’s interior is purposefully bland, save for gauges mounted at the center of the dashboard instead of directly in the driver’s line of sight. The Kia Soul’s cabin décor is more expressive, with color seat inserts and available illuminated door speakers that can pulsate to the music. The Nissan Cube has what Nissan likes to call “casual lounge” seating. A concentric-ring design in the roof’s headliner brings some cosmic cosmetics, and the aforementioned dashboard carpeting introduces a touch of whimsy.

The Scion xB has the highest starting price of these three. The xB comes as one well-equipped “monospec” model that includes premium features like an iPod-ready audio system and antiskid stability control; it’s priced at $16,520 including a $670 shipping charge. (A cosmetically enhanced xB Release Series 7.0 version is offered in limited quantities). The Kia Soul is priced from $13,999, Nissan Cube from $14,710, but both are offered in multiple trim levels. The Cube’s top Krom model (around $22,000) is denoted by a chrome front-end treatment, larger 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels, and assorted exterior add-ons. The top Kia Soul Sport model is priced around $18,000 and adds a tauter suspension and other upgrades, but rides rougher as a trade off for what is only nominally improved cornering.

The Winner
The 2010 Scion xB wins this comparison by virtue of its larger interior, more powerful engine, and full complement of standard features. Spec the Soul and Cube similarly and any cost advantage they may have disappears. Few cars of any size offer as roomy a back seat area as does the xB. And this squared-off Scion can easily out-carry the competition with the rear seats up or down. Eyeballing the xB’s center-mounted dashboard gauges takes a little getting used to, but interior ergonomics are otherwise excellent. The 2010 Nissan Cube has its merits, though its look could become passé before you make your final payments. The Kia Soul is in some ways the most orthodox of these three and worth considering, particularly because Kia seems more willing to offer factory incentives on its box than Scion and Nissan offer on theirs’.