The Nissan Versa Review

I bought a used Nissan Versa 2007 a couple of weeks ago. I traded in a 2000 Chrysler Neon, and I am very pleased with my purchase. My Nissan is a nice navy blue 5 door hatchback with six-speeds. I wanted to write a simple review of the car for those of you who are considering or interested in buying this vehicle.

The Versa is equipped with a peppy 122 hp 1.8 litre 4-cylinder engine and has a six speed manual transmission. The engine in comparison to its competitors, which have a 1.5 or 1.6 litre engine and 103-110 hp, is impressive. As a part of Nissan Advanced Air Bag System, there are six standard air bags around the car. These airbags are situated in front of the driver and front-passenger, as well as the side-impact airbags and roof-mounted curtain side-impact airbags. It is a car with a lot more zip than you would think. Highway driving is nice and efficient thanks to the six speeds, which also allows you to give it a little more kick by playing with the 5th and 6th gears. The fuel economy is said to average 26-27 mpg for city driving and 31 mpg for highway driving. I haven’t had the chance to figure this out myself, since I’ve had the car for about 2 weeks.
The suspension is a little stiff, but still makes for a smooth ride. It has 15 inch wheels (185/65) that give you good control on the road. In my opinion, the shifter sticks a little when changing gears, or sometimes needs a gentle nudge going into 2nd and 3rd gear. But that is made up by the fact the clutch barely needs to be touched when taking off in first gear and when shifting. It handles with accuracy and is a nice combination between what I would describe a larger sedan and a go-kart!

This leads me to the size of the car. From the outside, the car is not as compact as say a new Hyundai Accent, but it is shortened due to the hatchback. Living in the city, I find it really great to not have the trunk of the car to calculate when parallel parking. The inside of the car is the most shocking quality of the Versa. For a compact car, it is extremely roomy. This is due to the fact that the engine has been placed in the far front of car and the wheelbase has been extended out to the far corners. It has more backseat space than some sedans. The backseats can be put down to leave enough space for someone or even two people to sleep in the back!

The style of the car is focused around a more European design. This is no doubt because of the partnership of Nissan with Renaud, a european car company. The square shape of the car and its bubbled headlights and backlights give it a unique look that I think is quite “euro”. The side mirrors down bend inward, but are heated for those of you who endure winters! This feature is offered on the base S model and SL.

The interior design is nice whether you purchase a base S model or the higher SL model. When I first got the car, the interior design was the first compliment I received. It seems people are surprised at how “chique” the interior is. It has the designs of a high-end luxury model, which I think is really nice. The seat material on the SL model is a little nicer than on the S model though. Reading the Nissan Versa reviews said the beige interior especially seems too light and would inevitably get stained quite easily.

A brand new 2009 Nissan Versa in Canada is around 13,998 CAD. I know that the Nissan Versa Sedan is advertised as the cheapest car in its class in the US, starting at less than   $10, 000. However, there are always taxes to add on and extra accessories that you may want for your car, which can bring the price up by thousands. I obviously bought my car second hand in order to save some cash. It is said a car losses 35% of its value as soon as it leaves the lot, and a total of 50% of its value after 2 years of ownership. Therefore, in my mind a second hand car was a good option for me.