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Here are my first impressions on our new Nissan Versa Note after 600 miles of use in about 3 weeks. We have the SV model with no added options except for floor and cargo mats.
The car handles, rides and performs very well. It feels like a much larger car with a solid, smooth, quiet ride for a sub compact. Considering the exterior size, the interior is simply amazing with lots of room for both passengers and cargo.
Overall fuel economy for my first 2 tanks (95% city/5% highway use) is 28.5 mpg (actual calculation based on fuel used over distance traveled). The dashboard average MPG display showed 30.5 mpg. I’m hoping to see some improvement with a broken-in powertrain. Performance is appears to be adequate although I’ve refrained from pushing it hard, at least for now.
The CVT transmission, although designed to make it feel as similar/identical to a conventional transmission, has some unique quirks which I assume are normal (this is my first car with CVT). The torque converter appears to lock up as soon as it crosses 10 MPH at which point it lets the CVT take over. Interesting that on light to medium throttle acceleration it even gives you a “fake” shift between 10-30 MPH (depending on your throttle opening), momentarily dropping the engine speed about 200 RPM for about ½ second, just enough to change the engine sound briefly. When coming to a stop, the engine speed hangs for a brief period around 10 MPH. I think this is when the CVT transfers control to the torque converter. Not quite the typical smooth transition on a conventional automatic.
Yes, there’s quite a bit of hard plastic all around the interior although it looks good and feels very smooth to the touch. It is an inexpensive car after all, so I somewhat expected it. All controls and the dashboard layout are very simple and straightforward which is the way I like it.
A few items that surprised me for a car in this price/size class:
• Very quiet cabin at all speeds (obviously helped by dual door seals and great aerodynamics)
• Nice solid “thud” when the door/s and/or lift gate are closed
• Chrome interior door opening levers are a nice touch, makes the car feel more substantial
• Leather covered steering wheel (although I would have preferred smooth leather instead of grained)
• CD Player plays MP3 CDs (no need to carry as many disks)
• Dedicated audio volume adjustment for Aux Input
• Steering wheel audio volume control
• Built-in bluetooth/cell phone feature on the radio
• Rear Wiper has both intermittent and full on positions
• Separate dashboard light intensity control with headlights on or off positions
Some items lacking or wished it had:
• Variable speed intermittent wipe feature for the front wipers (apparently standard on SL pkg)
• Sun visors are a tad too small even with the slide out extension
• Auto up for the driver’s power window (well at least it has auto down)
• A bit of padding on the arm rests on the door
• Center armrest for the front passenger
Overall, after researching this car for quite some time, comparing it to other brands, and owning it for a few weeks, I am quite pleased with our purchase decision. It addresses all the things we wanted in a small car and our intended use mainly as short trip, running around town transportation. I just hope it turns out to be a durable and trouble free vehicle.
The car handles, rides and performs very well. It feels like a much larger car with a solid, smooth, quiet ride for a sub compact. Considering the exterior size, the interior is simply amazing with lots of room for both passengers and cargo.
Overall fuel economy for my first 2 tanks (95% city/5% highway use) is 28.5 mpg (actual calculation based on fuel used over distance traveled). The dashboard average MPG display showed 30.5 mpg. I’m hoping to see some improvement with a broken-in powertrain. Performance is appears to be adequate although I’ve refrained from pushing it hard, at least for now.
The CVT transmission, although designed to make it feel as similar/identical to a conventional transmission, has some unique quirks which I assume are normal (this is my first car with CVT). The torque converter appears to lock up as soon as it crosses 10 MPH at which point it lets the CVT take over. Interesting that on light to medium throttle acceleration it even gives you a “fake” shift between 10-30 MPH (depending on your throttle opening), momentarily dropping the engine speed about 200 RPM for about ½ second, just enough to change the engine sound briefly. When coming to a stop, the engine speed hangs for a brief period around 10 MPH. I think this is when the CVT transfers control to the torque converter. Not quite the typical smooth transition on a conventional automatic.
Yes, there’s quite a bit of hard plastic all around the interior although it looks good and feels very smooth to the touch. It is an inexpensive car after all, so I somewhat expected it. All controls and the dashboard layout are very simple and straightforward which is the way I like it.
A few items that surprised me for a car in this price/size class:
• Very quiet cabin at all speeds (obviously helped by dual door seals and great aerodynamics)
• Nice solid “thud” when the door/s and/or lift gate are closed
• Chrome interior door opening levers are a nice touch, makes the car feel more substantial
• Leather covered steering wheel (although I would have preferred smooth leather instead of grained)
• CD Player plays MP3 CDs (no need to carry as many disks)
• Dedicated audio volume adjustment for Aux Input
• Steering wheel audio volume control
• Built-in bluetooth/cell phone feature on the radio
• Rear Wiper has both intermittent and full on positions
• Separate dashboard light intensity control with headlights on or off positions
Some items lacking or wished it had:
• Variable speed intermittent wipe feature for the front wipers (apparently standard on SL pkg)
• Sun visors are a tad too small even with the slide out extension
• Auto up for the driver’s power window (well at least it has auto down)
• A bit of padding on the arm rests on the door
• Center armrest for the front passenger
Overall, after researching this car for quite some time, comparing it to other brands, and owning it for a few weeks, I am quite pleased with our purchase decision. It addresses all the things we wanted in a small car and our intended use mainly as short trip, running around town transportation. I just hope it turns out to be a durable and trouble free vehicle.
