S or SL?

[Lissylauan]

Hi, I was looking for a place that'll give me good insight into the Versa which I am thinking of purchasing. This site is great, by the way.Anyways, I was wondering if you would suggest the S or SL?I was planning on getting the SL with convenience package but then found out my interest rate on my loan is pretty high so I took that off. Now I'm debating whether I should get the S and save money or go ahead and upgrade to the SL?Also, the SL does come with a jack to play my ipod right? Thanks!

[starlight0229]

I'd go for the SL, you do get the ipod jack and you get crusie control, an arm rest and nicer fabric, just to name a few...

[cnsmike]

I vote for the SL. If you get the S down the road you might say, "I wish I would have gone for the SL" This way you have what you really want.

Mike

[Althalus]

I vote for the SL. If you get the S down the road you might say, "I wish I would have gone for the SL" This way you have what you really want.

Mike

I agree. ****, I got the SL and wish I had gotten the sunroof and other options. To hell with my credit, lol.

[ThirstyRoss]

I agree. ****, I got the SL and wish I had gotten the sunroof and other options. To hell with my credit, lol.

Agree, I would have gotten the sunroof as well if it was possible. Oh well!

[nsrZ32]

IMO, the price tag on the SL was too high for what you get. I couldn't justify spending that kind of money on a small economy car. The S had more than enough to keep me happy and the price was right.

[ms_stylin_versa]

I'd say get the SL because for the bit of extra money you get a lot more (like a damn armrest).

[Ever Victorious]

As a counter point, I would have to say the SL IS worth the extra $$. Most S models have the power package, which makes the MRSP difference only $1300, not $2000. For this $1300 you get:

Cruise control with steering wheel mounted controls6-disc MP3 changerAlloy wheelsFlat woven seat fabricArmrestSoft-touch armrest/door rest materials (softer than on the S model)

The Versa spans multiple different car "type" needs, despite nsr calling it an "economy" car. After having owned a V and thoroughly test driven a new Sentra, I have come to the conclusion that there is absolutely no need for the Sentra in the lineup.

I bought the SL with the convenience package for a few reasons.

1) I use the car for work. Sometimes this entails medium- to long-range freeway cruising between clients. Sometimes up to 150 miles between individual point.

2) In my line of work, I sometimes find my hands REALLY full when returning to the car. Having the iKey was absolutely wonderful in these conditions.

3) I had become addicted to satellite radio from driving around my wife's SUV. The Convenience package allowed me to add a Nissan factory XM system, and use the steering wheel controls to manipulate it.

4) Bluetooth handsfree calling was also a lifesaver. I am going to have to go back and refit my wife's SUV with such a system since our state's new cell phone laws are going into effect soon.

5) the cloth on the SL is WAY more durable. if you want your seats to look good after 100k miles, buy a seat cover or an SL.

Now, there were a couple downsides to my particular selection.

1) ABS... was almost nonexistent when I bought mine. And at the time, you could not get ABS and the convenience package on the same vehicle. Now you can, but you have to buy EVERY package to get it. ABS may be important to you because non-ABS equipped Versas tend to fishtail in panic braking.

2) I didn't need alloy wheels. this is the only thing I wish I wasn't paying for on the SL.

now I apologize for this next section... first time my wife has seen me post in here, and she is looking at all the smilies...

:hide

we now return you to NICO... and my apologies again.

[br4dysays]

geez, all this hate im always reading about the S's fabric on the seats. Is it really THAT bad?

i dont want my seats to be look ****ty.

[Lissylauan]

Thanks so much for all of the insight, it has helped narrow it down a lot.I'm definitely looking now at a Versa SL with ABS package. I was originally like I said going to add the convenience but in the end it all came down to what I really need and that wasn't one of them. I would like it yes, but I don't need it.

Thanks everyone!

[Bubs daddy]

I agree with EV. The SL is definitely worth it. It also comes with two map lights overhead, vanity mirror lights, and 6 way adjustable drivers seat.

I had my mind made up on an S model and just for the heck of it, sat in an SL. No comparison. The fabric in the interior doors, headliner and seats alone sold me. Much higher quality. The touch areas were also of a better grade.

I have always been glad I made the decision to get the SL and I believe the extra cost is more than worth it.

[Ever Victorious]

geez, all this hate im always reading about the S's fabric on the seats. Is it really THAT bad?

i dont want my seats to be look ****ty.

The S seats will look fine initially, but will wear out much quicker than the SL seats. It's a fundamental difference in the types of fabric.

[cnsmike]

I got a sunroof on the car I bought a year before the Versa SL. It has been opened maybe a total of 5 times? Personally I did not get the sunroof because I could not justify the extra expense.

[gfxguy]

I'd actually talked myself into getting the S despite my usual insistance on alloy wheels and cruise control. Now, I don't have one yet (and may not get one), but I've done a lot of research.

[whole bunch of stuff deleted]

Tell you what, I'm not a salesman and I don't want to be one. Go to CarsDirect.com, select the Nissan Versa from the list, pick which style you want (sedan or hatchback), and you'll get two choices: the S or the SL. For each one, click "Add to Compare", then click on the "Compare Selected" button.

From then on, it's all up to what's important to you, and you'll have a pretty good "real world" price comparison between the two models.

I've ultimately decided that if I get a Versa, it'll be an SL. If you add up all the big things that you might want (alloy wheels, new radio, cruise control - which doesn't even come with the S power package), you're going to easily make up the difference in price, but then, after that, there's a bunch of little niceties that you couldn't even reasonably upgrade to if you wanted, like the nicer cloth, the maplights, the six way adjustable drivers seat, the armrests, dual illuminated vanity mirrors, mini overhead console, and a bunch of other "minor" things. Just go to cars direct (or Nissan's site, but with CarsDirect you get real world pricing) and compare.

[CopyChief]

I will add my vote here, to the SL. No question.

More than the fabric of the seat, I understand there's also a layer of "memory foam" on the SL. This makes the seats seem much, much more comfortable, in my opinion.

I am usually not one to go for lots of packages when I shop for a car, but I could not be happier with the convenience package.

Also, if you want the CVT, you'll need to go with the SL.

If you want cruise... you'll need to go with... well, you get the picture.

Initially it may be hard to see the difference between the two, but if you're going to keep the car for a while I believe you will be happier with the SL. If I were doing it again and did not feel like I could afford the SL package, I believe I would wait the extra few months until I could afford it.

Of course, this is only me, a Versa owner for a few months, projecting my beliefs and experience on you. Not fair, but I suppose that's what you ask for when you're posting on a board!

Best of luck with your choice.