2009 Nissan Cube Krom

The first thing I noticed was how shiny this Krom edition of the Cube looked in mid-evening setting sun, especially the grille. Kinda cool. The second thing I noticed was the metallic-look seat upholstery, which looked good and seemed like it would wear well. The Krom is the top-spec version of the Cube and is clearly Nissan's attempt to circumvent the aftermarket by offering a street-savvy Cube rather than having people spend the money elsewhere to dress up a base model. In that sense, Nissan is taking a page from Scion, which offers all manner of dealer-installed wheels, grilles, and other exterior and interior trim for the xB, the original Japanese box on wheels. If you like all the shiny bits, have at it. If you're looking for a cheaper Cube, there are three models, more modest in appearance and much more modestly priced, below the Krom.

Joe DeMatio, Executive Editor