[northern dee]

Hi everyone. First time for me on this forum - I must admit I have lurked occasionally, and found some great info. I thought it was time to "come out of the shadows".

I just bought a new 2014 Versa SV Note, metallic blue. This is my second Versa - I had a 2007 blueberry one. I waited 2 months to get that colour! Our dealerships here seemed to get nothing but gray and red ones in - not my favourite colours. I loved the old Versa so much, I bought a new one. The experience hasn't been as great as hoped - my dealership had to find my car at another dealership, and they sent it with a small scratch on the bumper. Also a dimple on the door - yikes! And of course we did the walk-around at delivery in the blazing sun, with reflection off the showroom windows adding to the glare, so I didn't see these flaws until after I accepted delivery. The dealership has been good - they will repair everything and warrant it as new, and are having 'words' with the other dealership. I'm left wondering why we pay the dealer prep fee? I know it's mostly a cash grab, but I think someone should have caught this stuff before I saw the car. It sort of took the excitement out of the purchase, that's for sure. Exchanging the car would be a nightmare in paperwork, so I am waiting to see just what the dealership offers to make this right, besides the repairs.

I'm noticing some changes, and not sure how I feel about them yet. Love the back-up camera, but find this model somewhat underpowered compared to the old one. I expected to see a difference since the engine has changed - so far I've only done city driving, and am a little concerned about the highway stuff. Our merge lanes are very short, and I'm already foreseeing problems getting up to speed quickly. Can anyone comment on their experiences? Am I worrying unnecessarily?

I like the change in the hatch - they've widened the bottom area out, and that's great for loading and unloading. I've got the hidden compartment, but haven't used it yet. I have no complaints with the interior - I do not need a fancy car, and am usually happy if I have a radio and a/c. I got a good deal on the convenience package and overall price of the car, so I actually got more than I expected.

Anyway, this is way too long. Just wanted to say hi, and thanks to everyone who posts such good explanations.

 

[08versailles]

Welcome from southern Ontario! Must...have...pics
Thanks for emerging from the shadows, where ya from?...and how are the blackflies lol

 

[northern dee]

Welcome from southern Ontario! Must...have...pics
Thanks for emerging from the shadows, where ya from?...and how are the blackflies lol

Hi. I'm in London. No pics, because the car is in getting the scratch fixed right now. I'm driving a white loaner - miss my metallic blue.

No blackflies, but the mosquitoes are almost as big this year!

 

[jas32]

Excellent! Another Note owner.

Welcome. I'm a fairly new Note owner myself, around 10 weeks old so far. I've written my "First Impressions" a few weeks ago, you may want to read it and I'm quite curious to see how it compares to your experience.

 

[Note-ified]

Hi everyone. First time for me on this forum - I must admit I have lurked occasionally, and found some great info. I thought it was time to "come out of the shadows".

I just bought a new 2014 Versa SV Note, metallic blue. This is my second Versa - I had a 2007 blueberry one. I waited 2 months to get that colour! Our dealerships here seemed to get nothing but gray and red ones in - not my favourite colours. I loved the old Versa so much, I bought a new one. The experience hasn't been as great as hoped - my dealership had to find my car at another dealership, and they sent it with a small scratch on the bumper. Also a dimple on the door - yikes! And of course we did the walk-around at delivery in the blazing sun, with reflection off the showroom windows adding to the glare, so I didn't see these flaws until after I accepted delivery. The dealership has been good - they will repair everything and warrant it as new, and are having 'words' with the other dealership. I'm left wondering why we pay the dealer prep fee? I know it's mostly a cash grab, but I think someone should have caught this stuff before I saw the car. It sort of took the excitement out of the purchase, that's for sure. Exchanging the car would be a nightmare in paperwork, so I am waiting to see just what the dealership offers to make this right, besides the repairs.

I'm noticing some changes, and not sure how I feel about them yet. Love the back-up camera, but find this model somewhat underpowered compared to the old one. I expected to see a difference since the engine has changed - so far I've only done city driving, and am a little concerned about the highway stuff. Our merge lanes are very short, and I'm already foreseeing problems getting up to speed quickly. Can anyone comment on their experiences? Am I worrying unnecessarily?

I like the change in the hatch - they've widened the bottom area out, and that's great for loading and unloading. I've got the hidden compartment, but haven't used it yet. I have no complaints with the interior - I do not need a fancy car, and am usually happy if I have a radio and a/c. I got a good deal on the convenience package and overall price of the car, so I actually got more than I expected.

Anyway, this is way too long. Just wanted to say hi, and thanks to everyone who posts such good explanations.

If you're worried about the power of the engine, don't be...I have yet to find an instance where my note has issues merging into another lane in the almost year of ownership I've had it

 

[ADOversa]

Welcome! Hope you enjoy your new car!

 

[northern dee]

Thanks Note-ified. I was hoping acceleration wasn't going to be an issue. It's just the whole 'getting used to a new car' thing right now.

I read your review Jas32. I can't really say if my experience is the same. I want to compare MY car, not the loaner. I only have 250 km on mine so far - I need to drive it further and longer before I can offer a good review.

I have also noticed the 'surge' with the a/c on - it sort of startled me the first time. The old Versa didn't do that. I will be reminding myself to keep my foot firmly on the brake when needed - I don't need to be rear-ending someone. It was reassuring to read that others have had the same experience - I was wondering if there was something wrong with my car.

 

[Note-ified]

Thanks Note-ified. I was hoping acceleration wasn't going to be an issue. It's just the whole 'getting used to a new car' thing right now.

I read your review Jas32. I can't really say if my experience is the same. I want to compare MY car, not the loaner. I only have 250 km on mine so far - I need to drive it further and longer before I can offer a good review.

I have also noticed the 'surge' with the a/c on - it sort of startled me the first time. The old Versa didn't do that. I will be reminding myself to keep my foot firmly on the brake when needed - I don't need to be rear-ending someone. It was reassuring to read that others have had the same experience - I was wondering if there was something wrong with my car.

the only other wisdom i can offer is to pay attention to your load sticker in the driver side door sill as it will tell you how much weight the car can handle safely. for us down here, Nissan recommends loading the car up with no more than around 850lbs. of cargo and passengers for safety reasons and from experience i can tell you that the stickers words should be followed as the note does get bogged down pretty quickly by any weight over that. the car will still accelerate no problem, but it will take significantly longer than if you are just by yourself so you will need to plan your lane changes in those instances. Other than that, i have really enjoyed my Note and have found it to be a very reliable car so far and could not be happier about it

 

[jas32]

Thanks Note-ified. I was hoping acceleration wasn't going to be an issue. It's just the whole 'getting used to a new car' thing right now.

I read your review Jas32. I can't really say if my experience is the same. I want to compare MY car, not the loaner. I only have 250 km on mine so far - I need to drive it further and longer before I can offer a good review.

I have also noticed the 'surge' with the a/c on - it sort of startled me the first time. The old Versa didn't do that. I will be reminding myself to keep my foot firmly on the brake when needed - I don't need to be rear-ending someone. It was reassuring to read that others have had the same experience - I was wondering if there was something wrong with my car.

Regarding the AC issue, there was a recent thread on that topic which may be of interest to you.

http://www.nissanversaforums.com/general-technical-electrical/18242-does-your-cvt-do.html

Yes, I think it is all about getting used to your new car. My previous "toy" car I just recently sold was a 2005 Dodge Neon SRT4 which I owned for 9 years. Talk about a night and day difference (in terms of performance). I knew what to expect from the Note so I am perfectly fine with the way it performs overall.

 

[northern dee]

Thanks everyone.

Since I already owned a 2007 Versa, I pretty much knew what to expect. I just have to get used to the few differences, good and not so good. It is mostly for city driving, and I am really happy so far with the mileage I'm getting. I haven't actually worked it out, and don't entirely trust the calculator on the car, but the gauge seems to go down much more slowly than the old one. That was really my only complaint with the 2007 - I got better mileage on my old Sentra with just a regular automatic, no CVT.

In the short time I've had it, I've been happy with it. I am not expecting a fine-tuned $60,000 car. Quite frankly, one of my friends owns one of those, and hates the thing. She keeps looking at my Versa, and it wouldn't surprise me to see one in her driveway someday.