Versa "ain't get no respect"

General Discussion forum for Versa Owners
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BBISHOPPCM
Posts: 1074
Joined: Thu Jan 11, 2007 1:38 pm
Car: 2006 Murano S/AWD w/ Convenience Package

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OK, this is a rant, but some of you might agree with me...



I recently read several automotive reviews from a few different magazines, and it appears that they are all biased towards Hondas and Toyotas. If the Versa is mentioned at all, its usually in a negative light, or a simple "Nice try, Nissan, but it's still not a Honda." What gives? The last one I read was highlighting the top-ten cars for urban drivers. Without surprise, the Versa was not mentioned even once. I bet you could slap a Honda badge on a Zastava, and it'll become JD Power's "Car of The Year" for 2008. I think the real problem is lack of advertising; the last time I saw an ad for the Versa was in 2006. Not that I'm saying that the Versa is the greatest car ever conceived, but it gets way less respect than it deserves. I'm just tired of hearing how great Honda and Toyota are, when in fact, they make some of the most uncomfortable and overpriced cars in the world.


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Rockhound
Posts: 670
Joined: Mon May 21, 2007 5:26 pm
Car: 2007 Versa 1.8 SL HB CVT / 2008 Mazda3 GT

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Yeah, I hear you. I'm glad that I didn't read many of these reviews prior to my purchase - as I've found that I disagree with most of them.

Honda and Toyota deserve respect because of their track record with reliability and longevity...but I feel like Nissan doesn't get much respect despite their pretty good record (better than domestics, for sure). While they've earned their status as the "benchmark" in many segments, it does seem that the bias toward Toyota and Honda clouds many a critic's judgment. That said, in C&D's latest sedan comparo, the Camry finished last behind the Accord (1st), Fusion (2nd), and Hyundai Sonata (3rd).

The problem seems to be that when Honda/Toyota do have an issue come up, it seemingly gets swept under the rug - Toyota's infamous oil sludge problems in their I4 and V6 engines from 1997-2001 (give or take a few years) and Honda's automatic transmission failures in Accords, Odysseys, TLs, CLs, and TSXs seem to be fairly well-hidden. Toyota never issued a recall, and subsequently was sued - so they offered "extended warranties" for the affected owners.

Plus, Toyotas (aside from the Supra and MR2) have been historically very boring cars. They've tried to remedy that in recent years by upping their engine output and such, but it seems to me that Nissan, and to a lesser extent, Honda, have always had a bit more 'sportiness' to their cars' performance and design.

Although I think Detroit cheerleaders are understandably vocal about Toyota's latest quality "slide", in light of their dire situation, the fact that they forget is that Honda (and Nissan) are poised to take that position.

The JD Power ratings of the Versa are a joke. Car and Driver only tested the S model and panned it for it's upholstery and spartan interior. Ann Job (@ MSN Autos) said that it has pronounced road noise (?).

To me, every one of Nissan's offerings is competitive, if not class-leading in many areas - but it seems as if only the Altima and G35 get the most positive press, which is fine, but they're not the only worthy cars in the entire lineup.

Bubs daddy
Posts: 834
Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2006 5:29 pm
Car: 2007 Versa SL
ABS, CVT

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I agree with all the above. The Versa is the best bargain out there in my opinion. For what you pay you get a heck of a lot of car. I rented a Chevy Cobalt last year. The fit and finish were horrible. Cheap plastic. Now THAT car had a lot of road noise. Felt like I was in my old Chevy Vega. The Versa is a very quiet car, I don't what that reviewer was thinking.

The Versa is lights years ahead of small domestics (Cobalt, Metro, Focus and others) in materials, fit and finish and drive train. I also believe it's just as good or better than the Honda and Toyota.


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Rockhound
Posts: 670
Joined: Mon May 21, 2007 5:26 pm
Car: 2007 Versa 1.8 SL HB CVT / 2008 Mazda3 GT

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Bubs daddy wrote:The Versa is lights years ahead of small domestics (Cobalt, Metro, Focus and others) in materials, fit and finish and drive train. I also believe it's just as good or better than the Honda and Toyota.
Yeah, I never have understood how some cars get panned for their interior plastics - yet it never comes up for others. I've read reviews about the "hard plastics" in the Versa interior...but my friend's Yaris interior is about 99% hard, gray plastic, but I don't read nearly as many complaints about this. Plus, I've found that both the fit and finish and material quality is nearly on par with the first-gen G35 (aside from the aluminum bits and such - other than that, the dash material is eerily similar).

In the C&D test of the Rogue, they pretty much said that they hate CVTs, and think the paddle shifters are stupid (they also said that they've never liked any CVTs, despite raving over a CVT, paddle-shift equipped Audi A4 a couple months prior). About the only good thing they said about it was that it was exceptionally quiet. They couldn't get over the fact that it wasn't a good off-road vehicle (?). Talk about missing the point. It's just like they find one or two things to harp on through the whole review and then bury the positives deep in the article. Then the Honda and Toyota offerings pass through unscathed.

Similarly, I'm looking to purchase a Mitsubishi Outlander - all the reviews talk about hard plastics, yet no RAV4 or CRV reviews make such a big deal about that (and the RAV4 interior is super plasticky). Consumer Reports blasted the Outlander on release of the latest model - placing it well below the Honda and Toyota in every category - but now it's their "best pick" for small SUV/crossover. Go figure.

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jfanaselle
Posts: 591
Joined: Sat Aug 18, 2007 6:37 pm
Car: 2007 Nissan Versa Hatchback SL, 2008 Nissan Rogue SL

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Here's a good one for you guys: http://www.edmunds.com/insidel...15699 I read this article from Edmunds.com prior to purchasing my V.


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