Safety & Features

The Cube has yet to be tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Standard safety features include six airbags, antilock brakes and an electronic stability system; click here for the full list. The Soul and xB have similar features, but you'd be hard-pressed to find another $14,000 car with antilock brakes and a stability system standard. On this front, I'm impressed with all three of these cars.

The Cube 1.8 starts at $13,990, which is $690 more than the base Soul but $1,760 less than the xB. Standard features include remote keyless entry — it's optional on the Soul — plus power windows and locks, air conditioning, and a two-speaker CD stereo with an MP3 jack. The xB and Soul include standard USB/iPod inputs, which offer better integration for music players than the Cube's basic jack.

The 1.8 S starts at $14,690 and adds a four-speaker stereo, cruise control and a few other convenience features. The CVT automatic runs $1,000. The 1.8 SL ($16,790) includes the CVT standard; it also gets alloy wheels, automatic climate control and a six-speaker stereo with — finally! — a USB/iPod input. A Rockford Fosgate stereo with steering-wheel audio controls is optional. The tricked-out Cube Krom, which includes all these features, runs $19,370.

    See also:

    CD, DVD or USB with Compressed Audio Files (models with Navigation System)
    The file types supported by this system are MP3, WMA, AAC/M4A and ATRAC3. Explanation of terms: - MP3 MP3 is short for Moving Pictures Experts Group Audio Layer 3. MP3 is the most well known c ...

    Trunk lid
    ● Do not drive with the trunk lid open. This could allow dangerous exhaust gases to be drawn into the vehicle. See “Exhaust gas” in the “Starting and driving” section of this ...

    OFF position
    When the switch is in the OFF position 3 , the ceiling light will not illuminate, regardless of the condition. ...