Always wondered about this question

[Vahagn23]

Hi, I originally wanted a Honda Civic 07, but then saw the Versa and got it, because I was so sick of searching for cars and Versa seemed perfect, do you guys think Versa is better than Civic? except its engine power, because the Civic does come with more torque and HP but not a lot to be noticable.

[bulld0g]

I traded my 06 civic for the V....

[Vahagn23]

lol cool, the only thing that really attracked me to the Civic was its interior design with the RPM and the speedometer and all that, but the Versa has some cool lookings things too

[Rockhound]

Comparing the two is a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison...but I think the Versa makes a wise choice for a number of reasons. It offers great bang for your buck - a fully loaded Versa has many features the Civic lacks (I'm not even sure that Bluetooth is an option on the US Civic, and I know it doesn't have an I-key equivalent) and the MSRP for a Civic with XM radio and the upgraded stereo is pushing $24k. The Versa also has more "versatile" cargo space (in the hatch), which makes it seem more practical to me.

Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the Civic, just saying that I think the Versa offers much more value and practicality.

[Vahagn23]

The Versa is really good to me except for its MPG in the city, its horrible i went around 79 miles and only got half a tank left, why is it so low

[Great White Versa]

The Versa is really good to me except for its MPG in the city, its horrible i went around 79 miles and only got half a tank left, why is it so low

I don't know if this is the case for new Hondas, but with the Versa you will get rather poor mileage with your first few tanks of gas. If you drive conservatively for the first few months you will see your mpg rise steadily with every tank. I too, was quite disappointed with my Versa's efficiency, but it has gotten MUCH better. I have about 10k miles now and when I drive around town I get close to 30 mpg.

Welcome to NICO, I hope you enjoy your new toy

[Rockhound]

I don't know if this is the case for new Hondas, but with the Versa you will get rather poor mileage with your first few tanks of gas. If you drive conservatively for the first few months you will see your mpg rise steadily with every tank.

I've heard people mention this several times in reference to people with horrible gas mileage - but I just don't get it. I mean, I know that early gas mileage will be lower than what the car is capable of once fully broken in (perhaps 20k miles or more?)...but when your MPG is in the teens (as some have claimed) something has got to be wrong.

Our first tank in the Versa (city driving) got us somewhere around 26 MPG if I recall correctly. I've just never heard of a car getting 10 MPG less than the EPA rating during break in.

Plus, Vahagn joined the forums over 2 months ago...I'd say he should be getting better gas mileage by now.

[Vahagn23]

i should lol, I just hit 1500k miles, maybe its not fully broken in? I dont know but last fill up wasnt that bad, this fill up was horrible it barely reached around 150 miles with 1 tank all in city, hit the highway like 3 or 4 times for like 15 minutes each.

[Rockhound]

i should lol, I just hit 1500k miles, maybe its not fully broken in? I dont know but last fill up wasnt that bad, this fill up was horrible it barely reached around 150 miles with 1 tank all in city, hit the highway like 3 or 4 times for like 15 minutes each.

Well, in that case, your Versa is still quite young. What is your typical commute like? If your average trip is under 5 minutes/5 miles with a lot of stop-n-go, then perhaps that's part of your problem. Extremely short trips can greatly decrease mileage - I've seen the city MPG on my G20 drop about 5 MPG when I repeatedly drove in short trips - and it has a conventional 4-speed auto like your Versa.

[Ever Victorious]

Bear in mind that Vahagn23 lives in Brooklyn.

calling that "city" driving would be a compliment, it's more like "bore holes in your head with your pencil eraser" driving.

City driving fuel estimates assume you are able to CRUISE at 30-35 mph, with occasional stops for a minute or two. It doesn't account for stop and go driving. or stop and don't go.

The worse your traffic is, the lower your fuel economy will be.

Vahagn - do you know how to calculate average speed for a trip? Basically, take the number of miles it takes you to get to your destination and divide it by the number of hours it takes. Example: it takes me 1.5 hours when I can't use the carpool lane to travel the 25 miles to work. 25/1.5=16.67 mph... but when I CAN use them, it takes 45 minutes. 25/.75=33.33 mph.

it would be interesting to know, I get the feeling your average speed is probably 10 or fewer.

[Great White Versa]

I would go crazy driving in bad city traffic like that. When I lived in São Paulo, I was VERY thankful that I neither had a car nor lived far enough from where I worked to need to ride the bus. I worked almost two miles from my office and if I walked quickly during peek traffic hours I would get there within a minute of my roommate (we worked/lived together) when he took the bus, sometimes even before him. VERY crazy.

Here in Vegas I get frustrated and use the casino service roads when the highway traffic slows to below 25, haha

[kc5f]

I don't know if this is the case for new Hondas, but with the Versa you will get rather poor mileage with your first few tanks of gas.

I've never understood this comment, unless folks are trying to see what their new car will do. My first tank under 31 mpg was at 5k miles, and the first under 30 mpg was at 9k miles, and that was once the winter gas formulation had kicked in and the weather was cooler.

(Of course, only 8 tanks out of my 120 have been below 30 mpg, and the lowest of them was 29.13 mpg.)

[coxcj]

I've never understood this comment, unless folks are trying to see what their new car will do. My first tank under 31 mpg was at 5k miles, and the first under 30 mpg was at 9k miles, and that was once the winter gas formulation had kicked in and the weather was cooler.

(Of course, only 8 tanks out of my 120 have been below 30 mpg, and the lowest of them was 29.13 mpg.)

I'm really starting to wonder if your car is a freak of nature (in a good way). I've been tracking my mileage from day one, and my worst tank was something like 23.8mpg and I've had 2 tanks at 32.8mpg. Since last month, I've watched the next 6 tanks of gas get progressively less mpg, where my average will soon drop below 30. I had hoped that the CVT would help considering most of my driving is rush hour on the Chicagoland highways. Now I'm wishing I had gotten the 6 speed.

[kc5f]

Well, my first car was driven in Chicago rush hour traffic, too, and I'm certainly glad I've now got my current commute, instead! I'm also glad for whatever planetary conjunction or other event that got me this car, because it's been pretty good to me. (Not even a door ding after 41,000 miles?!) But I know I probably drive a little differently than other folks, since my last car was EPA rated at 29mpg highway and when I sold it after 240,000 miles it had averaged about 35mpg overall.

[Great White Versa]

How do you have 41k miles on a Versa? How much do you drive and WHY?

Also, I used to get considerably better than EPA mileage with my last car, but i'm still a little under on my V (only marginally, though). Overall, I'm very satisfied in how little the car has cost me after a full year of ownership. I've only had to pay for one oil change. And no other maintenance has been required (that i've had to pay for)

[kc5f]

How do you have 41k miles on a Versa? How much do you drive and WHY?

14 months at 3000 miles per month. Because that's where the work is. The house is paid off and I'd never want to move out of the mountains, so I put up with a commute of 53 miles each way. But it takes just under an hour, and when I lived in Chicago I commuted 20 miles in an hour an a half. In this commute, I get to enjoy the comfort and quiet of the Versa and relax and look at the mountains in minimal traffic. Also with no problems and just routine maintenance after the (warranty-covered) air bag cover replacement a year ago.
Modified by kc5f at 12:49 PM 11/5/2007

[tweety73]

Yes , your MPG will be better with the time (assuming your keep your Versa on high maintenances ) , bare in mind that the engine is not in its full shape , up to 6K miles or so . My TIIDA is now 2K with average of 28.3 MPG , most of it in the city , on highways it can make even 33 MPG , it's not as bad I thought it will be , I wanted to buy the CIVIC as well , since it's has wheel base longer in almost 4 inches and its a bit wider and it has 5 speed A/T with 1.8 engine that should be more economical then my Tiida , But it cost more (at least here in Israel ) ,The Civic has gadget type dashboard that look nice and attractive... the only thing that upset me it that the TIIDA is narrower then most of the cars in its class in more then 2 inches !!! , the back seat could be much more efficient and the vehicle could have better road handling

I also think that if I had CVT rather then conventional A/T I could get better millage ( if the M/T version would sold here I definitely would buy it )

[Ever Victorious]

How do you have 41k miles on a Versa? How much do you drive and WHY?

He's not the only one. If I still had Versa #1 and was driving it exclusively from the time I bought it, I would have had... let's see... 7900 + 7000 + 10000 + 8400 =.... 33300. I've been on project lately, so the mileage hasn't been stacking up as quickly on Versa #2.

As it is, Versa #2 has 8400 miles and was purchased with 7 miles on the odometer on 7-13-07. Sig will be updated today or tomorrow when I fill up again.

[Great White Versa]

dang! in my first 6 months of ownership i put less than 3k miles on the car. haha. For a while i was driving a route to visit stores around the valley, but I'm back to about 2000 miles every three months, and that's with big road trips. It'll take me forever to get over 30k

[coxcj]

I'm well on my way to getting to 30,000 miles in a year. Right now I'm trying to talk my boss into letting me work from home a couple days a week. That would cut 70+ miles for every day I can stay home.

[Vahagn23]

cool, thanks for the advise, lol I cant immagine driving 40k miles.

[bulld0g]

I am at almost 21000 and I got mine in April 07