We got the car in the middle of last July so I decided to reflect on it after a year of ownership.

Overall assessment: A very good all-around car for what it is but not the best at any one category other than rear seating room for two adults.

We've been consistently disappointed by the gas mileage. The car after one year has delivered 10-20% worse gas mileage than we realistically had reason to expect out of it.

Comfort: The upgraded seats of the SL plus CVT make this the most comfortable small car I've driven long distances in (2,000+ mile trips). If I were still commuting over 1 hour a day it would have been worth the upgrade to the SL.

Cargo: great room for a small car (I've hauled some big things in it) but giving up the rear legroom for a fold-flat cargo area would have served us better.

Mechanically: Outside of a defective battery that came with the car we've had nothing other than normal maintenance trips to the dealer. Support from West Covina Nissan has been excellent. We feel lucky considering the trouble other people are having with their dealers and cars. Despite our good fortunes with mechanics and the dealers we don't have a real sense of confidence in it. Before anyone gets fired up with that statement, it's just a feeling. We don't feel we can depend on this car as solidly as our previously owned Altimas (2), Civics (2) or Corolla (1).

Bottom line? A very good all around car as a primary small car, especially for the price. Unfortunately it's not the car we were looking for or thought we were getting. We wanted better gas mileage, didn't need as much comfort and would have been better served in a different vehicle.

I think that's a fair assessment. We've had our Versa SL for about 13 months and we like it. We've had a few pesky rattles and squeaks to deal with and we have the dreaded steering wheel clunk. Our gas mileage has been disappointing in town (the majority of how we use it) but it has been great when we do travel on the highways for long trips. The car still impresses me with it's level of comfort and the amazing interior space. We have more rear seat leg room than my mom's full size Buick LeSabre. I'm not kidding. Anyhow, overall I really like the Versa. Would I buy another one? I'm not sure. I'd look pretty hard at a few other cars first....but maybe.

This made me think a bit. My car is now 2 years old as of July 16. I gave a ride to a co-worker today & he said it still had the new car smell.

My car is also almost at the 2 year mark(august).

This was my first "new" car purchase. Previously I had owned a used Taurus, Altima, Civic, and Datsun so wasn't real sure what to expect out of a new car.

Considering how great the '97(?)Altima was in gas milage and durablity (it lasted 198,000 miles and still was getting 30 mpg--we were going to throw a party at the 200K mark) I had hoped for at least that level of quality out of a car 10 years newer. And I had really hoped that it would surpass it (10 years newer technology).

I'm sad to say I don't think it has achieved that.

As far as gas milage, I partly blame the US's energy policy in not pushing for higher gas milage in vehicles overall. I partly blame car companies for only doing what they have to instead of what they should do. I partly blame the overinflated milage estimates they gave us in 2006 (36 highway, which was the #1 reason I bought the car). Still, I am getting right around 30 which is better than the Taurus did, which is what I wanted, so I can't ***** too much.

On the durability issue, I don't feel this is as tough of a car as the Altima. But then it is also way smaller. Was the '97 Altima considered an entry level car back then? I guess that would make a difference, comparing green apples to red apples.

I also feel that those of us that bought the 2007's probably had to expect a little more problems because it was the first batch out of the chute. I knew there were going to issues. That's why I made full use of my warranty.But that doesn't excuse the problems that people continue to have, especially on the later cars. Nissan needs to be correcting these issues aggressively.

Would I buy another one? Possibly. I would look around at what is out there now, but I think it would definitely be on the list.

PS-- on a tangent- a friend of mine pulled that old altima out of my yard a couple weeks ago and got it started again. there were some issues with fuel hoses coming undone (lost 10 gallons of gas driving down the road before he realized-I don't know how he didn't blow up), but it is running. I'm so proud of my little car!

Have had the V for 16 months and 24,000 miles.

Have averaged right at 28MPG around town.

The bluetooth module crapped out at the 6 week mark and have had not other problems what-so-ever.(Did have the delayed starting problem a couple of times but it went away and hasn't came back.)

My wife's loaded Altima sets in the garage and gathers dust as we both like to drive and ride in the V.

My only real complaint is the ride over bumpy surface roads. Hopefully when I need tires another brand will help that some.

The only other thing I would like for the V to have is either sliding or extender sun visors.

Enjoyed reading your one year assessment. I am at the same point with my Versa, one year this month, odometer at 18k.

My mileage isn't great either - my expectations of a economy car (inexpensive 4 cylinder) is something that gets in the low 30's mpg. The Versa has averaged right around 29 mpg. Not bad, but not great.

I have another expectation of a car - it should go at least 200k miles with few problems, given good maintenance. Will the Versa do this? Only time will tell. Still, my sense right now is that the Versa has the potential for going the distance. I hope I am not disappointed.

The fuel pump/regulator problem worries me, even though I have yet to experience it. I would feel a lot better about Nissan if they would step up and offer a warranty enhancement on this issue, out to at least 100k or 7 years. That would be reasonable given the number of problems reported on this forum. I hope Nissan has made some changes in design or materials to correct the problem in new cars and replacement parts. I am not convinced they have yet.

My only unresolved issue has been the front suspension clunk. I have another appointment (3rd try) in a few days. Hopefully this will be resolved.

Hi hi! New person here, just thought I'd reflect on the first year of ownership as well.The V is my first car ever and I fell in love with it at first sight. It was the first ar I test drove when I was getting near the point of purchasing a car. After I drove Altimas, Yaris (so small x.x), Fit (small as well), Mitsubishi Lancer, Toyota Corolla, etc... I walked all around the auto mall in my area testing out cars (I never driven anything but my mom's '99 Infiniti I30 and my dad's old 95 Mercedes C320). But a week later I came back to the Nissan dealership and said I wanted that one and pointed to the car. We haggled over prices (I was getting about 2k less prices when talking to other Nissan dealerships) and I got the best price (even brought the emails with me).So... I purchased the V mid June of 2007 (I can't believe it's been over a year!!). I also get the "your car smells new" comment once and a while. I've been sooooo happy with it, except 2 things: the gas milage (which seems to be an issue for most owners) and the lack of wind resistance. I don't do a lot of freeway driving, but when I go down to LA, I have to take the I-5 and it passes through a lot of really windy places... I have to keep a strong grip on the steering wheel to keep me in the lines. I know this can be fixed with lowering the car, but the prices keep me away from doing it.As for the gas milage, I'm not sure what exactly is causing it. In town (which is mainly where I drive) I get around 22 MPG... My best highway record is 32MPG and that's with 90% highway driving with cruise control most of the time. Which is far off from what it said on the window when I bought the car.I got the non-hatchback version... but the more I see the hatchbacks roaming around the more the look grows on me.... but... there's something about the tail lights that just looks weird (to me anyhow).I don't drive it much and am only at 9700 miles on it. This car is definitely going to be a keeper (good thing my boyfriend likes cars so much... free labor!).And just a quick question... is it better to follow the maintenance schedule by the month or mileage? I've been doing it by the mileage.

I'll do a little hindsight here. I traded my Versa in exactly 366 days after purchase (thanks to the leap year).

I didn't have mileage problems until the end, where inexplicably the car suddenly dropped from consistent 30 MPG tanks to consistent 26-27 MPG tanks. No support from the dealer. In fact, they blamed everything under the sun except the car (wrong fuel grade, phantom ethanol).

The car did ride pretty well, and had a good seating position for a small car. Winds blew it around pretty easily, as did ruts in the road. I have not experienced this problem in the Spectra, despite driving down the same roads under the same conditions.

The seats were VERY comfortable to sleep in, and reasonable for shorter jaunts around town. I've come to find that the Spectra's seats are very supportive and hold up better on longer journeys, but aren't comfortable for resting. The much-touted legroom that the Versa offers isn't actually so unique. The Spectra has MORE front passenger knee/leg room, and just a hair less rear legroom. My legs still don't touch the back of the driver's seat, though.

No other car could touch the features for the price. But features alone do not make a car. Lack of dealer support, repeated trips for MINOR issues (that would become major if not properly addressed), plus the coup de grace of the shifter issue, and the model was doomed for me.

I could overlook the problems in the individual model and go on to buy another Nissan model, if it wasn't for the really crappy support I got at the end. Like, I've had better support from Hewlett Packard. And Circuit City.

So, in a nutshell... great concept of a car. Execution, however, is epic fail.

Just a side comment... the dealership doesn't make the car, they sell the car to you. That shouldn't be a downfall on the car itself (although it probably does add insult to injury). If their support for the Versa was bad, then by default any car you buy there would have bad support. And if the car you buy never needs support that fact still doesn't go away. Bad support is bad support.

BethAviv wrote:Just a side comment... the dealership doesn't make the car, they sell the car to you. That shouldn't be a downfall on the car itself (although it probably does add insult to injury). If their support for the Versa was bad, then by default any car you buy there would have bad support. And if the car you buy never needs support that fact still doesn't go away. Bad support is bad support.

Since you're new here, you probably don't know the whole story of my Versas. Here's the greatly condensed version.

In the 37,000 miles I have put on 2 Nissan Versas, I have been to dealerships (multiple) a total of 14 times to address 23 issues under warranty. 6 of these visits have been repeat visits to re-address 8 issues.

In the 53,000 miles that we've owned our Hyundai Tucson, we have been to the dealership for warranty repair once. And never needed to go back because the problem was solved. In the combined 113,000 miles that we have driven Kia/Hyundai products, we have gone to the dealership a total of 3 times for 3 issues. All 3 issues were resolved the first time.

For those doing the math, that means now that the rate of dealership visits is 14.26:1, and the rate of failures is 23.39:1, when you compare my Nissans:my Hyundais.

Slice it however you want, the car or the dealership... they both let me down, big time.