Automobile Blog April Archive

2007 Nissan Versa Review; It Ain't Big, but it's Littl

By Brian White at 04/14/07 07:25

If you're looking through your choices amongst the scant few micro-compacts on the market this year, you're not going to find many, but one you will find is the all-new Nissan Versa. It's a little car, and when I say that, I'm not kidding. It packs a gaggle of bigger car options, and at the price point, you might just consider the bigger cousins even if you're in the city, or trying to stretch your dollar.

Nissan has faced the same problem as every car maker in recent years, that of striking the balance between in-city and suburban desires, economy versus comfort, and mega-big compared to teeny-tiny. The Nissan Versa is indeed everything it promises, in that at the very least it's a small car, ideal for metropolitan parking and what not, but likewise, it's exactly what it promises at the very most; a very small car at a price comparable to bigger cars.

The get-up-and-go is fair to good, but I'm stuck comparing it to it's nearest sibling, the Nissan Sentra, which is bigger and more comfortable, and still boasts the luxury of the mirror-identical 28/35 EPA MPG. It corners like a dream, handles like a charm and parks like nobody's business, but all of that is secondary if you don't have room enough for the things that matter most. In my case, I have three children, and though my mini-micro Nissan Pathfinder from 1987 still fits car seats in the second row three across (literally, all three of them,) the Nissan Versa was hard-pressed to handle two, even with gap between them for a gallon of milk, and forget about trying to cram a human being in there.

The comforts were fair to good, such as the pseudo-suede accoutrement that lined the cabin. For fake leather, they were great, but I can't even venture the first guess as to how they'll weather over time.

I could go on about the fair-to-midlands for days, but the bottom line is that the car feels like an abject entry into an introductory class that Nissan no longer wishes to subscribe to. Once you factor in the minimum requirements of consumers and legislators, I just don't see there being much money left to haggle over the bottom line, and this car, though nice enough for sure, ends up feeling like a forced attempt at super-economy in a world that just can't afford it.

With a sticker price of around $14,000, you're better off stepping up to the Nissan Sentra, which retails at a mere $1,000 more, but affords a lot more space, equally as much more comfort, and precludes the driver from the perpetual feeling that they are about to be driven over by just about everything else on the road.

Nissan makes a great car, don't get me wrong, but for an extra $20 a month to the payment, you really should think seriously about the Sentra instead, unless your only concern is cramming yourself into that odd, little parking space just in front of the meter. For the biggest, most crowded cities, this is a great car, but this ain't Tokyo, and for the price, you owe it to yourself to step up to a more serious car, especially considering it's going to be damn near the same price, pull the same fuel economy, weather the same lifespan and look arguably half as embarrassing at the valet.

2007 Nissan Sentra Balances Economy with Comfort

Nissan has long been reputed as a manufacturer of cars that are inexpensive to purchase, economical to operate and as durable as any car on the road. The 2007 Nissan Sentra seems to be no exception to this reputation, and it looks good too.

I've had my fair share of economy cars in my life, dating back however embarrassingly to my 1977 Datsun B210. It was a rickety, ugly car, but I was proud of it for the few years I had it. Nissan has come a long way since then, but what surprised me most was the size of the car. Though an entry-level economy car, the Sentra is as big inside and out as a Honda Accord. It's genuinely a mid-sized car, with enough cabin space and a trunk as big as many full-sized cars.

Big is a mixed blessing, but unless your days are spent parallel parking, it's a good thing, because the fuel efficiency is still there.

For the size and comfort, both of which are fair, the mileage is great. My mom fell in love with her 1986 Honda Civic hatchback because she could beat 30 mpg with mostly freeway driving. It was tiny, gutless and not terribly comfortable, but it was a good car. This one is bigger, far more comfortable, and sports an impressive 26 / 36 mpg.

And it's still plenty peppy. If you don't think gas mileage is important, I might suggest you actually look at what your paying for gas. If you commute ten miles to work (and most of us drive further still,) and you compare your fuel cost to a less economical screamer at 18 mpg (which is plenty common), you're savings is significant. That's a 50% difference, which means you're paying just $10 a week instead of $15. That's a savings of $260 per year, or maybe $1,000 to $1,500 over the time you're making payments on it.

If saving $1,000 to $1,500 (and that's assuming gas prices don't continue climbing) doesn't seem important, consider using the difference to add in some luxury features you might have otherwise felt were out of reach.

With a sticker around $16,000, even a modest down payment or trade in, the price will keep your payment in the low $200 range, assuming fair credit. Between the reasonable purchase price, low cost of ownership, heritage of durability and exceptional resale value, you're not going to find a much better deal in a car.

The interior isn't luxurious, but it isn't Spartan either. If you got this as your rental car, you'd be delighted. It's roomy enough, comfortable enough, and though it's an entry-level car, it doesn't have a "cheap car" feeling, like you might feel in a Chevy Aveo, which I have personally vowed to never again drive or even be a passenger in.

The deal-breaker may be the styling. Personally, I think it's a handsome ride, but tastes in styling can be as unique as the drivers who buy them. The stock wheels are still good and the outside appearance is premium. I've driven a lot of cars, and for the price, this has as much of a "wow factor" in its looks as just about any. Again though, this is a matter of taste, but a glance at the picture alone should give you an idea as to how you feel about it.

The biggest consideration to me (aside from the fact that you can buy two of them for the cost of even an entry level luxury car,) is that Nissan's reputation for longevity has been exceptional for a very long time. My everyday driver these days is a 1987 Nissan Pathfinder that has 244,000 miles on it. It doesn't leak a drop of oil, always starts on the first shot, and has never cost me a penny in anything other than predictable maintenance (oil changes, brakes, tires and a preventative change of the timing belt and water pump.)

With a track record like that, a Nissan may be the last car you'll ever need to buy. I mean, styles change and a new car is always nice, but at the very least this means that when you sell it, you'll get a fair price and do so with a clear conscience that you did right by the buyer.

The Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS) is optional, but at $250 I can't emphasize how important it is to get it. If you've never had this feature, you need to check it out and never look back. I'd say it should be standard, and not for my benefit as much as the benefit of the panicked driver behind me on a slick day. For the price, you can't go wrong.