What should I know about the manual 6spd?

[Zung]

We're going to be buying our 2nd Versa. First one is an SL, CVT transmission. I can no longer carpool with my wife, so since I love it so much (especially the convenience package) I'm getting another one for my self. It also helps that my cousin is a salesman at the dealership, and can get us a deal.

All my other cars have been stick shifts, and I loved driving them. So I'm looking at getting the manual Versa for myself. I took one out for a test drive today, but it poured buckets of rain as soon as I took it off the lot, so it wasn't really a fun drive.

I plan on going back when the weather is better, but in the meantime I thought I'd ask around here what people thought of their 6 speeds. For you guys who enjoy shifting, do you like like it on the Versa? Anything I should know?

By the way, the model I'm looking at is the SL, and it has ABS, XM radio, the convenience package, the audio package, and moonroof. Black interior, Black Exterior.

[Joker69]

Hey I got a 6 speed and I like it, very chill and smooth. Its my daily driver and iIhave no problems with it, mine is an S model though, with no ABS.

[KimberKenobi]

I miss shifting... and I've driven V-squared so I've had a little experience with the 6-speed...

Here are my thoughts... I'm not particularly pleased with the manual versus the CVT... the CVT revs much lower than the manual on the highway.

My 'Kik was a 5-speed and the top gear was taller than the top gear on the V. As far as manual transmissions go, I wasn't impressed.

But EV loves it! As do many on here that own the 6-speed.

Good luck whatever you decide ;oD

[SPL Versa]

I really enjoy the 6 speed on my Versa.

I had an 03 Focus 5-spd before, and compared to the Focus, I definately prefer the Versa. Much smoother.

[boxcarbill]

the 6 speed is very close ratio. You don't get any more overdrive out of it just an extra gear. Pay close attention to your test drive while shifting. The accelerator has a significant delay or lag time on throttle up AND down. I've got 950 miles on mine and I still can't shift it smoothly.

I realize this lag time improves mpg but it's annoying.

[zenwick]

I agree that the top end isn't much of an overdrive. 3K rpm in 6th gear takes you to about 61 mph. Of course, if you're trying for great gas mileage, you won't want to go much faster than that.

My other issue with the 6-speed is the clutch throw is looooong. At first I was having trouble reaching the floorboard with my left foot, but I reclined the seat a bit and moved it closer, that seems to work better.

[boxcarbill]

having to push the clutch pedal to the floor means your clutch plate is new, it's a good thing.

[zenwick]

having to push the clutch pedal to the floor means your clutch plate is new, it's a good thing.

It may be a good thing but my left knee doesn't think so.

[boxcarbill]

I figured if an aftermarket parts manufacturer could figure a way to produce a replacement 5th gear that would give a .6 ratio output the transmission could be shifted from 4th to 6th then to 5th. This would suite me just fine, and produce some decent overdrive for high speed freeway driving.

[Ever Victorious]

You must be referring to some REALLY high speed highway driving. The manual V is actually surprisingly efficient cruising at 70 MPH. Not many places where it is legal to cruise faster than that in the US.

[matttail]

I have a manual S and like it quite a lot. I've just rolled over to 10k miles last night. Your shifting will be perfectly smooth in 2 days if you can pay attention to how you shift and make changes in your habits. If you expect that you can shift this exactly the same as the last manual you were in then you'll be out of luck. But that's just something to pay attention to in your test drive.

I personally love my manual, 6th gear is nice and I've done a lot of cruising at 75 to 80 mph for 5 hour trips and I personally have been getting 30mpg on those trips. I live in Chicago area now so that driving has been on the plains between Chicago and St. Louis with AC on. I come from the west and miss the higher speed limits there. From what I've done though I feel confident that the V would be up to cursing at 80 to 85 with out issue.

I would like to take the V though Southern New Mexico and Arizona - that big stretch of nothing between Texas and Cali. There's something like 300 miles of a lot of dirt, no radio stations come in and no cell phone service, and the posted speed limit is 80... but I was doing 90 and most people were passing me. Or drive through Montana if they're still doing the Safe-n-Sane speed limit.

I also don't notice any delay between when I press the gas and when the engine revs. I was just trying this out yesterday and press the gas and within half a second the engine is revving and the tach goes up. I can easily peel out on the tires when I make a start, so there's no delay there. I have also done some passing on two lane highways and have no problem going from 40 or 50 up to 70mph while passing a car. If it's a tight space I throw her into 4th gear, step on it and shift back into 6th about half way through the pass. An other note here, I'm not sure if it was this thread or an other, but someone said they pushed the gas pedal all the way down and felt it wasn't going very fast - if you're in gear and shove the pedal down hard it is possible to make the clutch slip instead of pushing you forward. You'd probably notice a funny 'hot' smell afterwards if that's happening.

Anyways, I love my manual and recommend it to anyone who knows how to drive a stick.

[The Edge]

I have a manual S and like it quite a lot. I've just rolled over to 10k miles last night. Your shifting will be perfectly smooth in 2 days if you can pay attention to how you shift and make changes in your habits. If you expect that you can shift this exactly the same as the last manual you were in then you'll be out of luck. But that's just something to pay attention to in your test drive.

I personally love my manual, 6th gear is nice and I've done a lot of cruising at 75 to 80 mph for 5 hour trips and I personally have been getting 30mpg on those trips. I live in Chicago area now so that driving has been on the plains between Chicago and St. Louis with AC on. I come from the west and miss the higher speed limits there. From what I've done though I feel confident that the V would be up to cursing at 80 to 85 with out issue.

I would like to take the V though Southern New Mexico and Arizona - that big stretch of nothing between Texas and Cali. There's something like 300 miles of a lot of dirt, no radio stations come in and no cell phone service, and the posted speed limit is 80... but I was doing 90 and most people were passing me. Or drive through Montana if they're still doing the Safe-n-Sane speed limit.

I also don't notice any delay between when I press the gas and when the engine revs. I was just trying this out yesterday and press the gas and within half a second the engine is revving and the tach goes up. I can easily peel out on the tires when I make a start, so there's no delay there. I have also done some passing on two lane highways and have no problem going from 40 or 50 up to 70mph while passing a car. If it's a tight space I throw her into 4th gear, step on it and shift back into 6th about half way through the pass. An other note here, I'm not sure if it was this thread or an other, but someone said they pushed the gas pedal all the way down and felt it wasn't going very fast - if you're in gear and shove the pedal down hard it is possible to make the clutch slip instead of pushing you forward. You'd probably notice a funny 'hot' smell afterwards if that's happening.

Anyways, I love my manual and recommend it to anyone who knows how to drive a stick.

Sorry to tell you but when you press the accelerator, half a second is way too long for the engine to respond, It's instantaneous with a cable throttle. I do notice a slight delay in response when you press the pedal but that's expected with drive-by-wire throttles and the delay isn't that bad.

[matttail]

Half a second is less time then you can really keep track of. This is less time then it takes you to move your foot from the break to the accelerator. About the same amount of time it takes you to send a signal from your brain to your foot to move when you're drunk.

It's also less of a delay in acceleration then what you'd get if your throttle cable is a little slack and you have to push the gas in further before it gets tension.

I think if you're ever in a situation where you need (need, not want) faster responses than what you're getting, you're either taking lethal risks in your driving or you should have bought something besides an economy car.

[Ever Victorious]

I have to partially disagree with you matt... It's not that we "should have bought another car" or are taking risks, part of it is that you have to change your footwork fairly substantially (at least if you're driving a manual) because you have to let your foot off the gas sooner when you go to shift. Otherwise, the engine revs UP when you push in the clutch. Puts a little more wear on the clutch... also, over time, that little bit of unnecessarily burnt gas is ultimately gas you don't get for fuel economy.

I made an effort, when I first purchased the car, to deliberately change my footwork for a few tanks to see what effect it had on fuel economy. It was astounding. 2.25 MPG improvement on average over 3 tanks.

And the reason that this annoys me so much is because I have been driving the more responsive cable throttles so long that it is next to impossible for me to permanently break my footwork habits. My brain has been so ingrained with how to drive a manual with a cable throttle that I now can't switch over to how I'm supposed to drive a DBW.

[Great White Versa]

I haven't noticed any delay in the gas when shifting... but then i've always had four cylinder standard transmissions, so its probably a fairly common 'problem'.

For me, the shifting is very comfortable. The only problem that i've had since buying this car is driving my bro's 3000 GT and my buddy's CTS-V... the Versa makes it hard for me to get used to the high-powered sport clutches.

Oh, and though it doesn't bother me, I do feel/hear the shifter come in/out of each gear. And sometimes it doesn't feel like 1st gear completely engages, but i've never had the gears engage, so maybe its just a mental thing.

I hope you enjoy yours.

[Rockhound]

I haven't noticed any delay in the gas when shifting... but then i've always had four cylinder standard transmissions, so its probably a fairly common 'problem'.

It's good you're comfortable with your 6-speed...but I think the "delay" that is spoken of is that of the drive-by-wire system. Many folks coming from a cable-throttle equipped car have mentioned a slight delay in the Versa - I notice it, too, with CVT.

[nissantech06]

It's good you're comfortable with your 6-speed...but I think the "delay" that is spoken of is that of the drive-by-wire system. Many folks coming from a cable-throttle equipped car have mentioned a slight delay in the Versa - I notice it, too, with CVT.

Yes, it is. It takes a LITTLE longer than a cable to open up. My Sentra does it, too.

As far as the clutch is concerned, compared to my car, it's easier. I HATE how my clutch is.

[boxcarbill]

You must be referring to some REALLY high speed highway driving. The manual V is actually surprisingly efficient cruising at 70 MPH. Not many places where it is legal to cruise faster than that in the US.

you must not do much freeway driving. 75 is quite common in the rural west and 10% over that is usually where they'll start busting you.Besides, @ 70 the MT is causing 3200 engine rpms. It should be down around 2500 in 6th gear.

BTW: by having the computer gradually accelerate for you, a significant amount of gasoline is saved.

Modified by boxcarbill at 10:39 AM 10/15/2007
Modified by boxcarbill at 10:42 AM 10/15/2007

[boxcarbill]

And the reason that this annoys me so much is because I have been driving the more responsive cable throttles so long that it is next to impossible for me to permanently break my footwork habits. My brain has been so ingrained with how to drive a manual with a cable throttle that I now can't switch over to how I'm supposed to drive a DBW.

BINGO!

I am slip clutching between gears to compensate for the engine rpm mismatch. I hate having to do that.

[lain]

I never had any problems driving my Versa. I use to drive a 240sx with a stage 3 clutch and the only difference is well the stiffness and gear ratio. And in order to take care of the delay...I only notice it off the line. BTW yesterday I did a burn out for like 20 feet Didn't want to take it any longer dont have money for tires right now.

[scottstachowiak]

I've been driving manual transmissions since 1983 and this has to be the WORST stick shift I've ever had.The car does not calm down at highway speeds! At 70-75mph, the engine's going 3,000+ rpm in 6th gear!The lower gears are too close. Around town, I'm always shifting.This transmission clearly was not calibrated for American roads. I'd rather have a normal 5-speed transmission (as I've had in all my previous cars) than this clunky 6-speed.

2007 Versa SL6-speedFresh Powder

[NewToVersa]

The lower gears are too close. Around town, I'm always shifting.This transmission clearly was not calibrated for American roads.

You can skip-shift the gears. Well it's half-french, half-japanese...