I bought the xB with a manual. It is probably the reason it feels more like an old Mini and less like a gutless economy car. I think the variable ratio transmissions are a great idea, but if they make it feel gutless, well, I dunno.
The new xB...yeah, I can’t figure why they grew it so much when it was so popular as a small car. Seems like you might as well get a Pilot or Element or CR-V or RAV4 now.
The Nissan CVT takes some getting used to. I’ve rented two cars with it (that Cube and a Sentra with the same 1.8L powertrain) and what I found is that if you just lightly give it throttle off the line, it hits a dead spot about 20 mph when the tranny seems to come out of “low” and into its normal variable range. If you don’t mind annoying the people behind you, you can featherfoot it and get amazing economy around town. If you need actual acceleration, just step down on it and it does surprisingly well.
The other thing I learned with that CVT is that you *never* take the overdrive off at highway speed. On most autos, if you pop off the O/D, it’s in third gear. On that CVT, if you do it, it might as well be in SECOND. I did it once for giggles on the freeway at about 60 mph and was rather surprised to suddenly be howling along at almost 5000 rpm.
The other weird thing about the Cube aside from the looks and CVT is the steering. It’s got electric power steering, not hydraulic. Around town, it’s fantastic...perfect feel, perfect weight, turns on a dime, never kicks back, no squealing power steering pumps or grinding when you get to a lock. On the highway, it gets a bit odd, like you’re turning a force-feedback game controller, because you don’t get as much feedback from the road. It only took a few miles to get used to, but it was definitely a different feel than normal hydraulic power steering.
}:-)4