Versa is an Impressive Surprise!

Small entry level cars are supposed to be SLOW, CRUDE, CHEAPLY FINISHED, CRAPPY RADIO, CRAMPED, NOISY, but at least FUEL EFFICIENT.

By way of contrast, the Versa (at least the SL with CVT and Technology Package) is:1) Reasonably Quick2) Pretty Smooth Riding with limited tire slap and Comfortable Seats,3) Nicely Finished Interior with REAL padding and lots of storage crannies along with that HUGE Glovebox,4) A wonderfully transparent hi fidelity radio with all the bells and whistles including 6 CD Changer, MP3, IPod connectivity, Subwoofer, Steering Wheel Mounted Controls, and BlueTooth Connectivity.5) Truly Spacious For 4 REAL sized adults with wonderful ease of Entry/Exit6) Controls and instruments that are logically and simply laid out and visible at night unlike many other dashboards which are laden with buttons and pictographs and use RED backlighting which the eye can't even focus on when dilated.7) Extremely Quiet on the Highway (again with the very low reving CVT)and8) VERY Fuel Efficient (again on the highway with the low reving CVT). I recently logged a 400+ mile trip where my Versa delivered 42+ mpg U.S. at a steady speed of 65 mph. I filled it before and after the trip at the same pump and believe me it was filled to the brim after the trip. This WAY exceeds the EPA highway number.Fuel economy of the CVT equipped Versa around town is O.K. but there are better alternatives in this mode. Mine has never been able to actually achieve the City rating and the city I live in isn't exactly huge with a lot of stop and go traffic.

All in All, a very commendable effort from Nissan/Renault. After six months and 6,000 miles of ownership, I still enjoy driving this car every time I get in it.

Is the Versa PERFECT???? No. Such a vehicle has never been built and never will be. But in a world of compromises and an effort to meet a price point, the Versa is an amazing effort. I'm afraid most the Automotive Journalists JUST don't get it. Since they're "Enthusiasts", they all want race cars. They think the Honda FIT looks great and has sportier handling. They can have it. I personally think it looks like crap, especially from the rear 3/4 view. And the FIT's lack of a Left Foot dead pedal prevented my from even taking a test drive. The FIT just wasn't comfortable. The journalists also tend to think the interior of the FIT is better finished than the Versa. I don't know what they've been smoking. My friend drives a new Honda Civic and he is always raving about the interior in my Versa. I will grant that the FIT has better cargo flexibility than the Versa but that's it for me and cargo hauling wasn't the primary reason I purchased the Versa. If I wanted to haul cargo, I could have bought a short wheelbase Caravan for less money. As far as the Toyota Yaris goes??? Well, I won't even go there. When Toyota figures out that the Instrument Panel belongs in front of the driver, I might take a closer look.

Excellent write-up. I agree (almost) completely. The Versa SL honestly does seem like a much more expensive car than it is. You only made one point that I don't fully agree with. You mentioned the instrument placement on the Toyota Yaris. I have a Scion xA with a center mounted gauge cluster. At first I thought I would hate the speedo being in that spot. It takes all of about 5 minutes to get used to it. Once you've driven it, you not only don't mind it, it's kinda nice. I don't have to move my hands to see the gauges. Anyhow, like I said...nice write up.

Amen.

I'm sure glad that I didn't see the JD Power's ratings of the Versa before our purchase, or I might have had second thoughts. So far, my wife and I absolutely love the car and it has exceeded our expectations in just about every category.

matt_a wrote:...You only made one point that I don't fully agree with. You mentioned the instrument placement on the Toyota Yaris. I have a Scion xA with a center mounted gauge cluster. At first I thought I would hate the speedo being in that spot. It takes all of about 5 minutes to get used to it. Once you've driven it, you not only don't mind it, it's kinda nice. I don't have to move my hands to see the gauges. Anyhow, like I said...nice write up.

Here I go again (I must be in a poo-poo mood, I'm going to pee in this pond too...)

My friend has an xA ... I drove in it for longer than 5 minutes (actually almost an hour) and I never got used to the center cluster... I've also never had to move my hands to see my instrument panel... Do you drive holding onto the top of the steering wheel and leaning over into the space between the two seats? In that position, the xA puts the cluster right in front of you... that position is also pretty unsafe IMHO.

/peeing

Wow, as much as this is going to make me sound like a paladin... I drive either at 10 and 2 (which is now unsafe because of the airbag, but they still put the little steering-wheel bumps there...) or at 8 and 4 ... or usually just 4 since I'm not supposed to bend or use my left arm...

sigh. I am resigned to the fact that I haven't really lived life and I'm still in my 20s... I've never played naked twister... (another fact that I was forced to face today at work... sometimes I wonder when we actually work at work... but I know stuff gets done because I turn it in... hmmmmm....)

LOL...no, I do NOT drive leaning over into the center of the car. Yes, I do sometimes drive with my hand on the top of the wheel. I am also active on a Scion forum and nobody who owns one has a problem with the gauge placement. You get used to it very quickly.

The only other Versa owner I know of is a friend of a friend who paid a little over $20,000 not including interest for a loaded SL model. I paid $14,600 for a loaded S model and I think thats where the real value is at. I don't understand the paying $5,000 more in options for a $15,000 car. I can take that $5,000 difference and put in a kick-but audio system, some rims and still have $4,000 left over. I got a good deal on set of Enkei GF-1 complete installed for $320. That leaves $700 for the audio.

Don't take me wrong, I still agree with you. I think the SL is a lot of car for the money, probably one of the best deals out there in fact but I think that the S model is the real steal.

Anyone agree with me, or think I'm crazy?

monkeybear wrote:Anyone agree with me, or think I'm crazy?

Crazy... kinda.

For '07, you could ONLY get Cruise with an SL. I use cruise extensively. Also, between the front and rear armrests and the improved quality fabric only available in the SL, the $2000 step up makes sense. My personal opinion is that a moderately optioned SL is the best deal... not a stripped S and not a fully loaded SL.

Everyone's different.

Indeed, the SL has much better fabric and materials inside as well as other small items that make it worth the extra cost in my book. I suppose new wheels would be more important if you're younger. I know I loved my ET mags on my '68 Chevelle back in the day. Now, I just want a reliable, high quality car. The Versa offers it in spades.

When I was looking for a new car last year, any car that had center mounted gauges or speedometer was nixed and a deal breaker.

Everytime I see a Honda Fit, I'm so glad I got the Versa. Just a better looking car in my opinion.

Oh, and the porthole windows. Just too cool.

Wow, Bubs, after reading your post and seing your sig I was surprised, I thought I was the only one with a flux capacitor in my V

I agree with you EV. My sister is looking at a car in Seattle and called to ask about my experiences with the Versa and I told her I love it and if she was looking for the most bang for her buck...the base level SL is probably the best bet. Myabe there wil be another V in my family

monkeybear wrote:...The only other Versa owner I know of is a friend of a friend who paid a little over $20,000 not including interest for a loaded SL model. I paid $14,600 for a loaded S model and I think thats where the real value is at. I don't understand the paying $5,000 more in options for a $15,000 car....

If my SL had cost me $20,000 I would agree with you. We got our SL (with it's usual upgrades) as well as CVT, floor mats, conv. package, and mud guards for $16,300 before trade. We also got 0.7% so it's practically interest free. I felt it was well worth it.

Agreed, Matt_a, if I had paid 20K for my V I might feel I overpayed. Instead I got an SL, with Conv Pkg, Sound Pkg, Satellite, and Moonroof for 16,400..all in all a decent price for what I got.

matt_a wrote:If my SL had cost me $20,000 I would agree with you. We got our SL (with it's usual upgrades) as well as CVT, floor mats, conv. package, and mud guards for $16,300 before trade. We also got 0.7% so it's practically interest free. I felt it was well worth it.

Same here. My dealer has a nicely equipped 08 S for just a thousand less than we paid for nicely equipped SL with CVT. For us, the SL was the hands down bargain. BBB got an even better deal but there's always someone who got a better deal.

David

Well, I'm not bragging because I paid 15,900 for my first SL that only had CVT on it...but I got into an accident and totalled it so I have the benefit of two things...

1. Hindsight on how to negotiate a better deal

2. I bought an 07 they were trying to ge toff the lot the last weekend of August so they were REALLY looking to negotiate because of the new 08's coming in/ end of the month/ holiday weekend (Labor Day sales were on)

So I got an inadvertant do-over...nothing to be proud of really, LOL, I almost killed my 79 year old (now 80) grandmother in that accident...a few more inches and she could have been very seriously injured or worse...

Ahh, well if the SLs are only $1,000 more then you would be crazy not to get one. When I went to the dealership I felt bad enough having someone buy me a car that I just went with whatever I could get added to the S model for free, like splash guards and kick plates. The dealer said that SLs were $18,000ish and I wanted to spend as little as possible. That would have been alot harder if he had said 15,000ish instead. :p

Everyone I know is paying stupid high prices for cars right now. I had a friend recently pay $30,000 OTD for a used HHR. I told him to take it back but he maintained it was a good deal. Said the dealer told him that in 9 months he could bring it back and trade it in for a 2008 CRV and not lose any money. A couple of weeks later it needed new tires and a little while after that it wouldn't start up. The dealership wouldn't service it because they were not a Chevy dealership, told him he would have to go though Chevy.

monkeybear wrote:Ahh, well if the SLs are only $1,000 more then you would be crazy not to get one. When I went to the dealership I felt bad enough having someone buy me a car that I just went with whatever I could get added to the S model for free, like splash guards and kick plates. The dealer said that SLs were $18,000ish and I wanted to spend as little as possible. That would have been alot harder if he had said 15,000ish instead. :p

It all depends on packaging and what you're talking about. I just think of the $1000 reference this way:

Price of a base S and base SL are $2000 different.

It is very hard to find an S without the power package, which is $700. That cuts the difference between cars to $1300.

A lot of people who first bought SLs did so because they simply could not give up cruise control.. Cruise is now a $200 option on the S. So an S with power and cruse is $1100 less than a basic SL. The step up, for that $1100, gets you flat-woven cloth, a 6-speaker 6-disc MP3 changer, front and rear armrests, better padding and plastics in the interior, and alloy wheels.

When you say the dealer said $18,000 for an SL, it's plausible. Starting price for an SL CVT, no options, with destination charge, is about $16,500. It's easy to tack on enough options to take it over $18,000. If you get the Sunroof package, which requires audio, satellite, and Convenience, that will do it. This loaded SL can also be said to "cost more than $20,000", once you figure in tax and license, and adding on the last option: ABS.

It's all in how you compare the numbers. If you compare a fully loaded SL on a post-tax basis to a basic S on a pre-tax basis, of course the numbers look skewed.

Still doesn't change my opinion that a more or less basic SL with one or two options is your best bang for the buck.

When it came to the S vs SL issue, I just couldn't do without the armrests so I went the SL route... Glad I did! I have come to appreciate the seats - extra interior padding - 6 CD changer & power pkg.

I went for the SL stripped, got mud flaps & kick plate, but they knocked them off the price, so I got it for $14.723 +tax/lic out the door. Car/$ I think it's the best deal out there in my estimation.