Cars Nissan Versa Review

Back in the Eighties, my Dad, who lived in snow-bound Boston, needed something besides his Mercedes SL to drive during the relentless winter months. He ended up selecting a Nissan Pulsar, bought from a dealer who wryly observed that “Everybody needs a dinghy.” Basically, the 2012 Versa is today’s version of the Nissan dinghy. Like the Pulsar, the Versa is small, unprepossessing, and noisy at full chat, but eminently practical. You wouldn’t choose it as your only vehicle, but rather as a useful addendum to a well-stocked garage.

The big news for the just revamped Versa is its increased interior space. Although wheelbase remains unchanged at 102.4 inches, the substitution of Nissan’s new global “V” platform for the previous “B” chassis means that rear legroom has increased to 38 inches. As a rear seat passenger, I immediately noticed this commodious allocation of foot space. With the front seats positioned to accommodate 6 foot adults, the rear still offers enough lounging room to make long trips comfortably tolerable. Although there are no ventilation ducts to the rear space, both windows fold completely into the doors, so you can tailor your breeze at the expense of some wind noise. Also missing from the back cabin are reading lights, clothes hooks, grab handles and a fold down armrest. Still, spaciousness trumps econocar basic.
Up front, the Versa feels more expensive than its $14,560 base price would seem to indicate. Cloth covered seats offer decent support. The pistol-gripped, 3-spoke steering wheel, festooned with fingertip controls for radio (left side) and cruise control (right) looks like it belongs in a much more expensive car. Because the transmission control stalk on the center tunnel is connected to a CVT gearbox, only 2 selections of forward motion are offered: Drive or Low. The CVT makes the most of the Versa’s 109 horsepower, constantly altering engine speed to accommodate driving need. The upside of this behavior is unanticipated sprightliness in acceleration, and sterling fuel economy. We made a round trip from the Bay Area to Monterey and back on less than a single 12 gallon tank, averaging over 30 MPG.

But the Versa isn’t vice less. The downside of CVT is that you have virtually no direct control of engine speed range. The constant engine drone produced by the CVT’s torque multiplication quickly becomes annoying. The standard air conditioning unit is a tad slow to ice the cabin on blistering hot days. Due to poor counterbalance, the trunk lid, which must be opened manually via the ignition key, will whack you on the rebound if you’re not careful to open it all the way. And finally, the weenie 185/65/15 ContiContact tires look small for the Versa and fail to generate much grip in corners.

But then, you can’t expect many Chris Craft amenities in a dinghy. If solid, basic transport is all you’re after, the Versa more than fills the order. Even on a 5 hour, single day round-trip, none of the Versa’s passengers did much ergonomic-inspired complaining. The glassy, tall-roofed cabin goes a long way toward damping small car claustrophobia. The best part of the 2012 Versa is its newly enlarged rear seating area. To gain full benefit of that improvement, however, Nissan needs to add a folding center armrest, reading lights and grab handles back there. But if you’re after unembroidered transport, pared to an affordable price, the Versa represents good value.
2012 NISSAN VERSA 1.6SV SEDAN

• ENGINE: 1.6 liter inline 4

 

• HORSEPOWER: 109hp @ 6000 rpm

 

 

• TORQUE: 107 lb.-ft. @ 4400 rpm

 

 

• TRANSMISSION: Xtronic CVT® (Continuously Variable Transmission)

 

 

• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 30 mpg city / 37 mpg hwy / 33 mpg observed

 

 

• PRICE AS TESTED: $15,080

 

 

Source : Carreview.com