The Kia Soul 03/21/2011
While some people might find "box-y" cars a bit unworthy of anyone's attention, there are still those who are drawn to their straight-edge beauty. Most of these come in the form of Jeeps and Range Rovers, but for the budget-friendly buyers, there's the 2011 Kia Soul and the 2011 Nissan Cube. Which one to buy, though?

The Nissan Cube is a little bit more expensive than the Soul, with a starting price of $14,310, but it comes with a larger base engine. The 1.8-liter, inline 4 machine runs pretty smooth with 122 horsepower and 127 ft-lbs of torque.

It's got a six-speed manual compared to the Soul's five-speed manual, according to Edmunds.com.

The Kia Soul costs $13,300 and has a 1.6-liter inline 4 engine. It, too, gets 122 horsepower, but there's only 115 ft-lbs of torque.

Monthly fuel costs are about the same, with the Cube costing only five dollars more, which can be blamed on its one-mile deficit when comparing the two car's EPA rating.

So who gets the gold medal? While the Cube has more power, it doesn't really boast much else - so the win here goes to the cost-effective, sleeker-looking and roomier Kia Soul.