The Box Car

The Nissan Cube, The Honda Element, The Scion xB, The Kia SOL...

     I find it depressing that there are four cars on the market that resemble the shape of my favorite breakfast appliance, the toaster. It all started with the release of the Honda Element in December 2002. When this vehicle was first released I was a mere 4th grader. Being young, my eyes were drawn to this alien car. I asked myself and my parents why anyone would want to drive a car designed to resemble a box? To me, it seemed like a step backwards in the world of design. Is a box aerodynamic? Does it provide greater safety when in a car accident? Is it fuel efficient? While its design does have a five star crash rating, the cube design only grants its drivers 20 miles to the gallon. So not only will you be driving an UGLY car, but you'll also be spending high amounts of cash on gasoline. 
     Just when I thought the element was enough, Scion came onto the scene in 2004 with something even more hideous, the xB. Now Scion really took the term "box car" to heart and trumped Honda by making their version even more geometric with near 90 degree angular design. What really set me off about the release of this car was that I was seeing them EVERYWHERE! Why were people spending money on these cars? What was the appeal? 
     One day during my junior year of highschool I was lucky enough to discover that my friend in fact owned an xB. I was delighted to have my first experience inside the mysterious "toaster". What I found shocked me, the car was entirely crafted out of cheap plastic. The dashboard size overruled the amount of space allotted for driver and passenger. The glove box could hold a single pair of gloves. The backseat had little to no leg room and the overall vibe made me feel like I was in an extremely small car. It was magic! How could they have possibly designed a car that appears so spacious on the outside yet make one feel so confined once inside? Once again I was at a loss, confused by the mysterious box car trend. 
     While Scion went super boxy, Nissan got a bit "artsy" when releasing their Cube in America in 2008. Complete with shag carpet on the dash, asymmetrical rear window, oval shaped drive and passenger windows, 20 color option led lights sporadically placed around the cabin, and random hooks to hook your do-dads to, the Cube plays on the idea of "cool". Now what do I mean by cool? I mean hip, modern, fashionable, young, flashy. This car is obviously designed with youth in mind or even the young at heart. The younger set aren't going to care that in 2010 nearly 46,000 Cubes were recalled, they are going to eat up that fact that their car comes complete with a "trippy light show" at their feet. The Element and Sol are just box cars, the Cube is a piece of art (regardless of how ugly I think it is). 
     There is no denying that these cars all have been created with a strong statement on design. Taking a simple shape and converting it to the design of our most common form of transportation in the United States. I may think it's ugly but I guess there are millions who think otherwise, because the number of box car's is increasing. The demand is obviously enough to continue to produce these vehicles and even create new models entirely. Will every company come to have their own version of this toaster car? 


P.S. everyone should make it a goal to ride in a box car at least once in their life, it's an experience ;)


Cred:
1. http://www.autocarparts.com/c_Honda_Element/
2. http://www.autoincar.com/tag/nissan-cube/