Would you pay $300 for a piece of carpet to put on your car’s dash? That’s what Nissan dealerships were purportedly charging for this strange add-on for its Cube vehicle.
The TikTok account TFL Studios (@tflstudios) showed off the feature in a viral clip that’s accrued over 778,000 views. Numerous commenters were stunned at the mini-rug’s price point, wondering just what in the heck Nissan was thinking.
Carpet ride
The top of the video begins on a round, fuzzy patch on top of the Nissan Cube’s dash. A text overlay at the beginning of the clip calls the add-on the “strangest feature.” As the video progresses, the TikToker gives the low-down on the particulars of this unconventional option.
“This is the weirdest feature ever fitted to a modern car,” he claims. “This is a $300 factory option you can get for the Nissan Cube. A small piece of carpet that attaches to the dashboard.”
He pats the carpet down and when he does, it moves in place on the car’s dash. It doesn’t appear to be anything more than a small rug. He says it is removable, and demonstrates this functionality.
When he does, beneath the carpet is a small, circular piece of velcro that looks taped onto the dash. However, he does point out that the dash has a shaped indentation for the carpet in the Cube. But in terms of any additional functionality, the car reviewer says that there really isn’t any. It purely looks like an aesthetic choice Nissan made for the Cube.
“You can even see there’s a cut out for it,” he says. “Now officially this was for design. It didn’t serve any purpose.”
A strange ride
Following this, he places a smartphone on the piece of carpet, which jostles around in its groove.
“You could put things on it. And maybe prevent them from sliding around,” he speculates. “But what a weird thing, having a circular shag carpet. The whole car is weird.”
Next, he directs his attention to the center dash’s control panel. In this area, there’s a giant air conditioning control knob. It’s placed smack dab in the middle of the vehicle and sports a striking orange backlight. “You’ve got this bizarre-looking round climate control,” he says.
But the unique design choices don’t end there. Following this, he points to the ceiling of the car, which is decked out with undulating circles. “Even the headliner is strange. It looks like a ripple of water,” he concludes.
Younger crowd
Car shoppers in the mid-aughts to the mid-’10s may recall specific “edgy” vehicles manufactured for younger buyers. These cars were often outfitted with bold design choices, highlighted with stylistic marketing campaigns. Some may have thought these design cues were either too ugly or heavy-handed for their tastes.
But in 1998, Volkswagen decided to bet big on its iconic Beetle model once again—it proved to be a wise move. The fun, wholly unserious design resonated with many young buyers. It also didn’t hurt that it was often referenced in pop culture, like Mandy Moore’s “Candy” music video.
Presumably, other car manufacturers took notice. Toyota launched its own youth-focused brand: Scion. On paper, these cars seemed like a first-time driver’s dream. You get all the reliability of Toyota’s legendary drive trains. However, you aren’t beholden to the manufacturer’s more conventional designs.
The Scion brand actively sold vehicles in the United States between 2003 and 2016. Throughout that duration, eight models were introduced for the youth-geared namesake. But one of the introductory models, the xB, is what garnered a lot of attention.
Not outside the box
While its counterpart, the xA just looked like a re-badged Toyota Matrix hatchback, the xB was different. Its lower road stance and angular, box design resonated with buyers. In fact, from 2003 until 2011, the xB was Scion’s most popular car brand. That is until it was surpassed by the manufacturer’s slick swoop-hatch, the TC.
But for those 8 years, the xB was clearly intriguing buyers. This is probably what prompted Nissan to bring the Cube stateside. The vehicle already existed in Japan since 1998, and it persisted on the country’s assembly lines until 2019.
Cars like the Scion xB, Nissan Cube, and Chrysler PT Cruiser, all feel like they’re cut from the same cloth. Heck, even the mid-2000s Thunderbird and ’98 Volkswagen Beetle belong to this rarefied group of weirdo vehicles. Ones that were manufactured to be relatively low-cost offerings for drivers desiring more aesthetic flair.
@tflstudios The strangest $300 option 🤯 #car #carsoftiktok ♬ Sunset in Calabasas – Adrian
Commenters were gagged
Several viewers couldn’t believe dealerships sold the carpets for that much. “The whole car not even worth $300,” one person wrote.
Another replied, “$300 for that ‘feature’ is absolutely insane.”
Some commenters said business strategies like this explain Nissan’s financial woes. Maybe their widely despised CVT transmissions have something to do with it, too.
Someone else echoed the aforementioned sentiment. “And they wonder why Nissan is bankrupt,” they said.
This TikToker shared a personal anecdote about a family member who bought a Cube. Moral of the story: don’t. “My cousin bought a green Nissan Cube brand new when they came out. The CVT transmission blew on him twice. One on 7k miles and the other on 20K. He got rid of it soon after,” they said. “Such a slow piece of junk.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Nissan via email and TFL Studios via TikTok comment.
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