BEAUTY is in the eye of the beholder as they say - and it certainly rings true as far as the Nissan Cube is concerned.

Among the descriptions given were "It looks like a Beluga whale" and "It reminds me of the cars they drove in Bugsy Malone".

Best of all and something to warm the hearts of the Nissan designers who came up with this curious creation was the comment of a five-year-old girl who exclaimed "what a beautiful car" as I drove past her family in a hotel car park.

I can think of two ways to get yourself noticed. The first would be to have a Mohican haircut and dye it pink. Alternatively you could buy a Nissan Cube.

In fact, I'd go as far to suggest that you would be far more inconspicuous if you opted for that Mohican.

The Cube is certainly a car to get noticed in - that's for sure. I've had plenty of sideways glances when at the wheel of a Maserati, a Ferrari, a Porsche or an Aston Martin but the attention pales into insignificance when compared to driving the Cube.

I actually lost count of the number of times vans full of builders pointed at me as I drove along and laughed.

To be honest, all the attention didn't bother me in the slightest. It was only when a decidedly dodgy looking duo did a double take and started to approach me on foot that I found the experience a bit unsettling.

Maybe they did want to engage in pleasant conversation to find out what the hell I was driving, but I wasn't about to hang around and find out. I simply smiled, put my thumb up and mouthed something to the effect that ‘yes it is a very peculiar car' as I drove off.

In all honesty I really admire manufacturers who dare to be different and in truth the Cube isn't alone when it comes to curious cars.

It has more than a passing resemblance to the Daihatsu Materia, both adopting a decidedly square-ish shape.

Maybe it's a Japanese thing, but whatever the case the Cube certainly has the edge when it comes to being the most avant-garde.

Whether I'd want one all the time is another matter but I have to confess I enjoyed spending a week driving one.

This car was an automatic and it felt good and easy to drive in a variety of settings, though was probably at its best when pootling around town at more sedate speeds.

Those angular looks also help when it comes to practicality, the Cube being surprisingly spacious inside for what is after all a relatively small car.

It would certainly do the job as a decent family motor, even if the children might be divided as to its merits. I can imagine small children thinking it's the best thing since sliced bread and loving its uniqueness, while teenagers on the other hand might consider it a classic example of parental embarrassment.

One of its other great strengths is that the quirky theme continues on the inside too. Best of all is what looks like a piece of deep shag pile carpet sitting on the dashboard. This circular mat, held on by Velcro, is actually an alternate means of storing those small items that you're always at a loss to find a place for - and amazingly it really does work.

I also loved the way the rear windscreen sweeps around in asymmetrical fashion, an imaginative touch that adds much to its highly individual character.

The Kaizen model has some added extras, notably satellite navigation, a reversing camera  and climate control.