The Japanese small-car invasion is on, and it's like 1970 all over again. Honda and Toyota have just introduced their new (or at least new-to-us) subcompacts, the Fit and the Yaris, and now Nissan is joining the fray with the 2007 Versa.

What sets the Versa apart is its roots. While the Fit and Yaris have both been sold in other markets as entry-level cars, the Versa is sold as the luxury-oriented Tiida in places including China and Japan -- markets where "small" and "luxury" are not mutually exclusive.

Lucky for us they made few changes when they brought the car to North America. The Versa hatchback will go on sale in July; a sedan will join it next January.

Let’s be honest. No one wants to buy an entry-level car. If money grew on trees, we’d all be cruising the boulevards in top-dollar, fire-breathing sports cars or diamond-encrusted sedans. However, circumstances and reality being what they are, many of us have no other options. Does that mean, though, we’re relegated to cheap plastic and tiny tires?

Not anymore, now that the 2007 Nissan Versa—starting at around $12,300—is here.

The Versa is not a new vehicle; it’s just new to us. It’s sold as the Tiida in Asia, where it's considered a small luxury car. Since "small" and "luxury" are rarely used in the same sentence in America, we’re reaping the benefits of an already-established vehicle.

The Versa is on Nissan’s global “B” platform, and represents its entry to the “B” class cars that have started to migrate to North America. This class should prove to be quite popular now that gasoline purchases require a co-signer. The Versa also allows Nissan to move the Sentra up-market in size, power, and price. It's a real car that you won’t be embarrassed to be seen in.

Short front and rear overhangs and a long (for the segment) wheelbase of 102.4 inches (versus Honda Fit at 96.5 and Toyota Yaris at 96.9) give it a much more substantial look. Standard 15-inch tires (versus 14s for Fit and Yaris) also prove that the Versa, like all Nissan vehicles, is designed for sporty driving. There are four trim levels, five packages, and some stand-alone options; the fully loaded price is about $17,000.

Inside the Versa there’s room and more room. Six-footers sit comfortably in the rear, the cargo area with standard cover is close to 18 cubic feet (almost a third more than Yaris), and front door pockets are deep and useful. Since it’s a luxury car in other markets, the materials feel worlds better than on most subcompacts. The armrests are thickly padded instead of a piece of cardboard covered by cheap fabric. The seats are supportive and comfortable, and the dash, instruments and all interior pieces look more upscale than expected. Nothing feels tinny or cheap, or appears as if it was added as an afterthought.

What you get for that entry price on the 1.8 S model is amazing: air conditioning with filtration, audio system with CD (Yaris doesn’t even give you a radio standard!), tilt steering column, rear window defroster, front/side/side curtain airbags, tire pressure monitoring system, and a quality look and feel that will pleasantly surprise you. If you want more, Nissan delivers. On the 1.8 SL you get a higher-level audio system, auxiliary input jack for an MP3 player, cruise control, remote keyless entry, and power doors/locks/mirrors. Options include a Rockford Fosgate audio system and Bluetooth® phone compatibility.

As with many Nissans, Versa is king of power in the segment. Where the Toyota and Honda products offer 106 and 109 horsepower respectively, the Versa steps up and delivers a standard 122 horses and 129 lb-ft of torque. Yaris only produces 103 lb-ft of torque and Fit only 105.

The Versa engine is a newly developed 1.8-liter DOHC inline aluminum four cylinder that was designed for the Versa platform, as well as for the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). Under full load the noise tells you there's a four-cylinder under the hood, but once you reach cruising speed it's as quiet as any luxury sedan.

Even the transmission is smoother than Nissan’s previous CVT. Steering response is tight and responsive, and even though the brakes were drum in the rear, the front discs provided excellent stopping power. The Versa is nimble, well-balanced, fun to drive, and doesn’t make you feel as if you’re in a subcompact, which is something you can’t say about the Yaris and Fit after driving them both. If there's one negative, it’s the center storage console. You have to lift the cover to buckle the seatbelts: a bit awkward, but forgivable.

If you want to pay more for more features, have at it; the Versa offers the Intelligent Key entry and start system optional, as well as a power sunroof, redundant steering wheel audio controls, and leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Since fuel economy is the topic of the day, Versa with the CVT will achieve 30 mpg in the city and 36 on the highway. When equipped with the 6-speed manual, those numbers are 30 city/34 highway. When the 4-speed automatic arrives later, the numbers drop slightly to 28/35 city/highway.

To compete with the Yaris’ sport package, Versa also will offer one for the hatchback with rear roof, side sill, and front and rear chin spoilers as well as foglights. The Versa will go on sale in July, and closer to that time is when the final prices will be announced.

For whatever reason I'm stoked about this segment of auto coming to the States in a big way. In the fall of '04 I toured Europe and was amazed by the proliferation of the Smartcar and others like it. The Europeans were driving, well, smartly. The number of gas-guzzling SUVs were at a minimum, driven mostly by Americans living there.

If we could just figure out that it is a good idea to drive cars that correspond with the task at hand, I think we would be much better off. Example, if you have a large boat to pull, use a large truck. To take one person and his/her briefcase back and forth to work, well, it doesn't take an Expedition to accomplish that task. How much would you save by switching to a Versa from something that gets 13mpg? Answer: A LOT.

This is about as tree-hugger as I get. And please don't misunderstand, I am in favor of people driving what they want. Hell, this is the USA. On the same token, I don't see why we can't be intelligent with the choices we make and not consume more than we really need.

To end my rant, I see the Versa as the perfect commuter vehicle for all of the reasons Greg listed in his post. Should I happen to not have a company car anymore, this would be the first car at which I would go and look.

Thanks for the great write-up Greg.

repo

I hate to say this on NICO but I'll probably be a Fit buyer.

I will wait until the Versa comes out though, to test drive it.

The paddle shifters on the Fit have me very interested.

I went and looked at both the Fit and the Yaris a couple of days ago. I am impressed with both of them, but the Fit especially. The ability to completely reconfigure the interior has me geeked. It would really come down to the feel and the drive for me. Of course, Nissan always seems to do great things in that area.

I like the idea of the 6MT and the extra power in the Versa, and if it was my only car, I'd almost certainly go with it over the Fit.

My situation is one where I'll have a fun RWD manual car for occasional use and the Fit exclusively for bumper-to-bumper traffic daily duty.

Hence, the 6MT is of no value to me, as I'd want an automatic, whereas the Fit's steering wheel paddle shifters are a cool feature I'd actually use. The extra power of the Versa would also be largely a non-issue, as I'd be more stoked about fuel economy than power (Auto Fit gets like 39mpg highway).

I can definitely see the Versa kicking a lot of arse though.

i test drove a fit and man was it nice. i didn't like the yaris.of course, i'm getting the versa, $12,xxx was the original start off price. they changed it, i don't know why. as a matter of fact, on all nissan products, prices went up a few weeks ago.

Cool. Any idea on delivery date yet? You'll have to post pics.

they brought one down to the dealership i work at, but they wouldn't let us get in to see how it feels, but boy-howdy that thing is roomy!after that, they took it to the next dealership in the branch.it guess it was for the sales rep to have a good idea on the car and even then they don't know **** about it.they have more detail on http://www.nissanusa.com/versa.the gtr is also finally coming to the us. supposedly it's supposed to come out next year with 280 hp i believe. i think it has a vq45 but i'm not sure. they didn't really tell us the details.

Has anyone actually sat in one?

I don't like the Yaris because of the driving position.I don't like the fit because even though it's much better than the Yaris, it is a bit noisy, and interest rates at least in Canada make it as expensive as a 4cyl accord..

PenPen, are you going to be NICO's first Versa owner?

most likely.

Hmmmm - I got an idea....

Keep us posted please?

yes sir.

Finally found the article... From Car & Driver:

Car & Driver Review of Fit vs. Versa vs. Caliber vs. Rio vs. Yaris vs. Reno

Versa comes in 2nd, hoo hoo, haha. 1/4 mi comparisons and handling stuff summary is in a chart on the last page...

Nice. Thank you!

awesome.

We have to take cert tests on the new model Toyotas, and on the Yaris test, I found this amusing:

Supposedly the Rio and Fit are the best to drive, with Kia taking some suspension tips from Mazda, while the Versa is best to ride in and the Yaris... well its a Toyota.

Jesda wrote:... well its a Toyota.

Disgustingly reliable?

Hey Nissan...TURBO DIESEL. Hello? I want a Turbo Diesel, and I want you to make it for me. I want the versa to get 45-55 mpg, but I don't want the Geo Metro experience. I don't want a Mercedes (boring), VW (ego emissions are too high), or tractor. Otherwise, I ain't driving anything but my 13 year old 240sx. It's more fun and not too bad on gas. Get me into a new car before Honda does. I dare you. The only problem with the market for turbo diesels in the U.S is that no-one has heard of them...at least not the more refined commuter-car versions. It's like a secret niche market here; for tractors, big-rigs, and a few personal trucks sold almost exclusively to the people that drive the other two for a living.P.S. I would be happy to pay the extra cost.

TravisD wrote:Disgustingly reliable?

Reliable, poor value for money, ugly, and dull. You can get reliability from Nissan and Honda, minus the negatives.

The reason diesels are less popular here is the quality of our diesel fuel. That should change toward the end of the decade.

I got the versa SL, and it was NICE, i am soo loving it, i test drived the yaris and it seemed weak, i wanted to test the FIT, but ended up going to scion, and the versa felt the best and alot of room, I CAN"T WAIT till i try to hook it up, ANY SUGGESTIONS

Jesda wrote:Reliable, poor value for money, ugly, and dull. You can get reliability from Nissan and Honda, minus the negatives.

Precisely. IMO Hondas are boringly reliable and Nissan is (having a lapse currently) excitingly reliable.Quote »The reason diesels are less popular here is the quality of our diesel fuel. That should change toward the end of the decade.[/quote]Bah! I'm not worried about quality. I just want to make my own.

Mods I hope you already banned this idiot.

Took care of the problem