Took The Plunge

[jldavid47]

Well, we took the plunge this weekend and replaced my wife's 1995 Olds Cutlass Ciera wagon (which we owned for 13 years) with a brand spankin' new 2009 Nissa Versa SL with ABS, splashguards, floor mats and the convenience package. Overall we got a pretty good deal too - about $85 over invoice. We were drawn to the Versa because it "feels" bigger than its size. I really liked the interior room and the controls seem to be laid out in a sane and logical manner. The better gas mileage won't hurt either.

We're going to take it on a short (300 miles each way) road trip later this month to help break it in. I'm interested in how good the mileage will actually be.

[jrw1621]

I'm interested in how good the mileage will actually be.

Probably very close to what the big sticker says of 27 city, 33 hyw and 29 combined.

The CVT transmission is very sensitive to throttle pressure. The Continuously Variability of the Transmission (CVT) is all based on how much you bury the throttle. If you stomp on the peddle the car will think that you want a lower gear and change ratios (and use more gas.) If you apply gently and smooth inputs to the gas peddle, the trans will switch ratios less often and it will feel like the car remains in a higher gear which should result in better economy.

[kc5f]

One thing that won't help is the area you're in. I remember Lisle of 40 years ago, when there were more open spaces, but I doubt you'd be able to keep highway speed around there for very long any more.

Another thing that makes a lot of difference is A/C usage. I consistently see 2-3 mpg difference in tanks where I've used A/C a lot compared to not at all.

But driving conservatively makes a big difference, whatever the conditions or temperature. Overall I'm quite happy with mine, but I drive 75-80% highway, around 70mph.

[jldavid47]

Thanks for the tip. Neither my wife nor I have "heavy" foot so we should be able to get the most mileage out of the transmission.

[jldavid47]

The difference using A/C isn't surprising - that's pretty much true in all cars. My wife currently drives just 2.5 miles each way to work. I'm sure the mileage won't look so good on tanks where that is most of the driving, but it will be better than the 16-17 MPG we were getting on similar tanks in the Olds.

Most of our highway driving here is done on the weekends and we are usually able to maintain highway speeds rather well. We tend to do a steady 60-65 depending on conditions so I would expect pretty close to EPA estimates on long trips.

[Rockhound]

Congrats! We've had our Versa for a little over a year and love it! As far as mileage goes, our early tanks were right on with the EPA city estimate. We took the car through the Ozarks shortly after we bought it, only to barely get 27 MPG, which was no doubt influenced by the hilly terrain.

In recent months economy has increased, and my wife is averaging 30 MPG on her half highway, half city commute. We also achieved 34 MPG in May when we drove the Versa down to New Orleans.

Like the others have said, we achieve that kind of mileage by keeping revs low. I really enjoy driving the Versa for gas mileage, you can accelerate adequately below 2000 RPMs with the CVT.

[sooner4x4]

Congrats on the new ride. The roominess of the V is a real plus and is what sold us on it also. A nice, well equipped car for the money.