ANYONE who fancies driving the ultimate head-turner no longer needs to splash out supercar cash, or drive a 5.0-litre car emitting a ground-shaking V8 roar.

A little over £14,000 will put you in to a Nissan Cube and bang in the middle of the automotive spotlight. However, owners who think it’s hip to be square will need a thick skin, as everyone you meet feels obliged to offer an opinion on its styling and most will be anything but complimentary.

The Cube — the clue’s in the name — has the boxiest body on the road and is proud of it. From its pug-nosed front to its J-Lo-inspired, fridge door rear, the Cube is totally unconventional. Even its designers describe it as looking like a ‘bulldog with sunglasses’.

The extraordinary exterior is more than matched by the quirky interior, with a ‘subtle wave formation’ sweeping across the instrument panel, glass roof, door panels and seat shapes, and a ‘water drop’ design in the headlining, loudspeaker grilles, cupholders and climate control system.

Even an item as ordinary as a sunroof gets the Cube treatment, for as well as a traditional blind on the triple-layered glass roof, it has a ‘shoji shade’, inspired by Japanese shades made of rice paper, which can be drawn across the sunroof, allowing light in while cutting heat.

The Cube first appeared back in 1998 and quickly became the car to drive in Tokyo’s trendy areas. It was designed specifically for the Japanese market, where the country’s crowded streets mean that cars need to be compact, yet big enough to carry families.

But now, with a million sales under its belt and a cult following, Nissan felt the world was ready for a dose of Cubism. So the latest Cube is the first to be sold outside Japan and the first to be available in left- and right-hand drive.

Whatever you feel about its looks, the sheer practicality of a box on wheels is hard to beat. Based on a chassis shared with the physically much larger Nissan Note, the Cube gives plenty of interior space for five.

And bold styling, airy-fairy ‘colour environments’ and frivolous extras like a fluffy dashboard mat, are underpinned by some seriously normal Nissan engineering with an electronic stability program, anti-lock brakes and advanced suspension.

To make sure the car meets European drivers’ needs for sharper handling and improved high-speed stability, Nissan employed 52 engineers working in the UK and Spain to ensure the car delivered the right blend of ride comfort and handling. They did a good job.

The car is naturally nippy and easy to manage in town, but the 1.6-litre, 110 horsepower petrol engine delivers ample poke to allow the car to whizz along UK motorways without making a fool of itself.

Equipment levels are high, with all models equipped with an i-Key with a start/stop button – allowing vehicle unlocking/locking even when the key is in a pocket or bag – along with manual air conditioning, Bluetooth and cruise control.

Upgrade to Kaizen trim and you get a combined audio and touchscreen navigation system, a rear parking camera, automatic headlights and wipers and full climate control.

Nissan is offering a simple two grade line-up in the UK, starting at about £14,000, with manual and automatic versions and a 1.5-litre, diesel-powered model.

It’s surprising what designers can do when allowed to think out of the box.