1k mile road trip (mpg & other comments)

[07Vsdn]

Driving down to Tennesee from Indianapolis (4 adults, no A/C, luggage, 75mph) I got just over 28mpg.

Filled up in Sevierville. Drove around in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and the Smokys (Cades Cove and Clingman's Dome) for 200 miles and even with the mountain climbs with 4 adults inside we got 28mpg! Brakes held up to the extended braking of the long declines. Tried to use the "OD OFF" button as much as possible.

Yesterday filled up in Pigeon Forge, TN and made it to Columbus, IN, about 325 miles. Just over 31 mpg!!!! (4 adults inside, trunk full of luggage, A/C on most of the way, cruise set at 75)

Before the trip my parents kept saying they didn't think it would be big enough for the luggage. I told them, "That car is not as small as you think... They sat in the back and said they wanted to buy this car from us when we wanted to sell it. LOVED the back seat and mentioned numerous times how spacious it was.

Not much wind buffeting on the way there but on the way back we were driving north right in front of a storm front heading east in KY and were really getting buffeted by the wind. But, I saw a lot of other cars getting moved around in their lanes, too.

Driving up the very steep roads to our cabin... got some funny smells coming out of our car! I checked the oil and it hasn't burned any! Since it is a highway commuter car I'm going by the 7500 mile interval. It's got just over 6k now...

I'll change it before our trip out to New England in 2 months!

[kc5f]

We've made several 500+ mile trips with adults in the back, and it's always been more comfortable than even my wife's Honda Odyssey minivan.

Even though I drive mostly highway, as well, I've always stuck with the lower "Schedule 1" service intervals, and have gotten well over 200,000 miles out of each of the last few cars I've owned, even though they were always lower-end cars like the Versa.

[msb0b]

I just finished a 2000 mi trip. This is the first time my 6MT Versa hatch gets to go on a long trip. I managed between 28 mpg and 32 mpg. 28 mpg if I keep the speed at 80 mph with the engine turning at 4000 rpm. 32 mpg if I take it easy at 65~70 mph. That 6th gear should really be taller.

[07Vsdn]

I think our car, with the CVT, at 75 mph, cruises at 2500 rpm. I remember because going up the hills it would hit 3000-3200 to maintain 75 but then would go back down to 2500 on the level roads.

4500 at 80 sounds pretty high!

[kc5f]

That's one reason I went with the CVT after 34 years of driving sticks. The gear ratio on the Versa 6MT keeps the engine at much too high rpms for my taste at the 65-78 mph I run most of my commute. (And I don't miss the shifting, either!)

[versabundus]

What I don't understand, is why doesn't the cvt get better mileage with the lower revs? I get a consistent 33 mpg combined with the 6speed.

[kc5f]

I don't know about other folks, but when I drove a stick I used to put the clutch in and coast whenever possible, and I averaged 35 mpg in a car EPA rated at 29. I probably would have gotten decent mileage with the Versa 6MT, too, but didn't like the rpm's at speed. So instead I deal with the CVT causing engine braking instead of coasting, which I think is one of the reasons for the discrepancy.

[boxcarbill]

I think they are shooting themselves in the foot with the high engine rpm on the 6 speed. What a waste to have a six speed without more overdrive. It's probably designed that way to sell more cvt trannies.

With all the roads one can do 80 mph on it really shows shortsightedness on Nissan's part.