Americans already have heartily embraced the extreme boxiness of Toyota's Scion xB, and now two similar vehicles have joined the xB in the marketplace —- the 2010 Kia Soul and Nissan Cube.
The Soul arrived first, going on sale in March, but the Cube is right on its heels.
While the two are quite different in their styling, the concept is the same: a small box on wheels, with lots of interior space, that doesn't leave a big footprint (like one of those SUVs that people love to hate these days).
For this report, we tested the Soul, which one of my colleagues took one look at and declared it to be a "clown car." He even started humming a circus song.
The Soul does have a clownish look about it, but that's a huge part of its charm.
Prices begin at $13,300 (plus $695 freight) for the Soul base model with a 122-horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual gearbox.
No automatic transmission is offered with the base engine, though.
The other three Soul trim levels —- Plus, Exclaim and Sport —- come with a 142-horsepower, 2.0-liter four cylinder and a choice of the five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic.
Prices range as high as $18,900 for the Sport version with all available options.
Our tester was the Exclaim model with automatic transmission ($17,900 plus freight).
Standard features on the base model include a chrome grille, auto-off headlights, solar glass, black door handles and side mirrors, air conditioning, tilt steering column, power door locks, power windows with driver's side auto-down, external temperature display and digital clock in the radio, dual-level glove box, rear-window defroster, cargo area light, body-color front and rear fascias with black inserts, black side molding, rear wiper/washer, variable intermittent front wipers and 15-inch steel wheels.
Moving up to the Plus model brings cruise control with steering-wheel-mounted controls, Bluetooth phone connection, dual 12-volt power outlets, tweeter speakers, dual visor vanity mirrors, dual map lights, keyless remote entry, privacy glass, body-color door handles and (power) side mirrors and 16-inch alloy wheels.
With our Exclaim model came the sunroof and fog lights, along with quite nice 18-inch alloy wheels that helped exaggerate the clownish look.
Inside, this car won me over from the start. The large, high doors allow for easy entry and exit. This car that seems so small on the outside is quite cavernous.
The front bucket seats were as comfortable as I've found in a car that sells for under $40,000, and the interior layout was designed to be practical and useful.
Rear passengers have easy access through the large rear doors, and there is plenty of head- and legroom. Three can sit back there quite comfortably, which is unusual for a car this small.
Access to the cargo area is through a rear hatch that rises in one piece. There is enough room for a couple of suitcases or sports gear even with the rear seatbacks in place, but the cargo space can be expanded to 53 cubic feet by lowering the 60-40 split seatbacks.
I found the 142-horsepower engine to be more than adequate for most of my driving.
The automatic transmission shifts quite smoothly, but could use an extra gear to help with fuel economy. Even so, our tester was EPA rated at 24 miles per gallon city/30 highway, not bad for a car with this much carrying capacity.
The smaller engine has mileage ratings of 26 city/31 highway.
Standard safety features include anti-lock brakes, active front headrests, front seat-mounted side air bags, roof-mounted side-curtain air bags for both rows, electronic stability and traction control, electronic brake-force distribution with brake assist and a tire-pressure monitoring system.
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