Introduction: The original Nissan Versa also known as the Nissan Tiida was introduced in 2004 in Japan. It only arrived to North America by 2006 as a model year 2007 vehicle. This was the first time Nissan attempted to compete in the subcompact market that was once dominated by Toyota and the Korean automakers. Unlike other automakers Nissan didn't attempt to compete on features but instead it directly went after the price tag and space inside. Nissan believed that offering North Americans the option of a inexpensive car with a sizable interior was the key to success. It turns out this was indeed what the market wanted and the Versa was easily the strongest seller in its segment. For the second generation of Nissan Versas, things have changed. The Nissan Versa sedan was released first in 2012 and was based off the Nissan Latio and no longer using the Tiida's design. The Versa hatchback was released in 2013 now following the direction of the Japanese Nissan Note. For the North American version its now called the Nissan Versa Note. Both vehicles are using Nissan's new V platform which decreases weight and increases rear legroom. Nissan is planning on once again dominating the subcompact sector with its previous strategy of low cost and lots of space which worked well last time.
With regards to the previous Nissan Versa it was not a car I actually liked in the same way I like the new Hyundai Accent or enjoyed like the Mazda 2. However there wasn't a whole lot to hate about it either because of its low price and overall it seemed you were getting what you paid for. So while I was not expecting much, I was certainly expecting to see improvement from the older design.
Performance: Unlike the previous Nissan Versa the 1.8L 4-cylinder engine is no longer available. This did give the original Versa the distinction of being one of the more powerful cars in the segment. This time around they only provide a 1.6L 4-cylinder engine which produces 109 hp and 107 lb.ft of torque. This engine is coupled to either a 5-speed manual transmission or the Nissan CVT. Both cars given the CVT accelerate from 0-100 km/h in about 11 seconds. This is in contrast to the older car which was capable of accelerating to that speed in 9.5 seconds. Fuel economy has apparently improved and this is likely the scenario if driven under the same conditions as government regulated tests. However due to how slow the new car is, I highly doubt you'll notice the mild increase as you'll be working that engine harder than the old unit. Highway overtaking? Forget it, even the CVT is no help here due to how little power you have to work with. I never liked the noise of the old 1.8L but with the CVT and how slow the 1.6L engine is, the drone is very long and incredibly annoying.
My Score(both): 3/10 - The engine does as you expect it to its a tad bit better on fuel, its slow and given the CVT its really noisy.
Handling: The old car handled rather decently but it was always lacking in steering feel. The new cars have indeed been given a new platform and it kind of shows...they're worse. The new cars when taking corners roll more than the older cars despite the sedan actually being shorter. The steering feel is even more lacking in feel than before, they give you very little feedback in regards to how much turn you've made. I don't know how Nissan has managed to make this small car feel like a large car with regards to agility but they have and these cars are worse for it. The ride comfort is the only area where I don't feel any worse, but its also no better. Both cars feel mostly the same, although the Note feels a tad bit better than the Versa sedan.
My Score(sedan): 3/10 - Lousy steering feel, lousy handling with so so ride comfort.
My Score(Note): 4/10 - A notch better in handling over the sedan, otherwise the same problems.
Interior: The previous Versa was never a looker with regards to the interior but it was at least usable and the corners cut were not always as obvious. The interior of both sedan and Note are pretty much the same and without a doubt show that Nissan went out of its own way to cut yet more corners. First to the only positive points, the interior headroom is once again better than its competitors. Rear legroom is definitely improved over the old car's already generous amount. The new stereo is better than the ancient unit of the old car. After that, things start to go a bit wrong. The HVAC controls however are extremely lousy with regards to quality, they're noisy and have a 33 cent store feel. Most of the other interior fixtures are either nasty looking or feel nasty including the gear lever. A pillar visibility is actually reduced in both sedan and Note. Rear visibility however hasn't changed, the Note does offer a backup camera as optional equipment not that its needed. The build quality is not reassuring either, previous Versas were poorly made and these current cars have already been recalled for bolts not tightened properly. Both Versa Note and Versa sedan are made in Aguascalientes, Mexico.
My Score(both): 3/10 - Roomy and spacious, but very low rent and not well made.
Styling: Normally I give cars a 5/10 on styling if I feel they've made a effort to try and be different despite me thinking they're really ugly. However with regards to the Nissan Versa sedan, its a hideous car where I see absolutely no effort to style it correctly. I find there are no noticeable lines and get a sense each piece was picked simply because it cost less. I couldn't find a single angle where the sedan looked good, and if it was given the rear lip spoiler it further increases its ugliness factor. The design is a total mess. Now the Note is a far far superior effort over the sedan. It has a MPV shape which isn't exactly ugly nor pretty. Nissan seems to be attempting a new styling language with the oddly shaped headlights integrating with the grille. The rear is standard hatchback with oddly shaped tail lights. I'll give it some credit for trying out different shapes, I don't think it worked but its alright.
My Score(sedan): 1/10 - Hideous, its styling by accountants.
My Score(Note): 6/10 - Modest looking hatchback, minor attempts to change styling but not enough.
Value for money: Both cars are very cheap. However when you buy the cheapest versions of both cars you will be missing some features. The base Versa sedan S is a manual only vehicle with no A/C, no power anything, pretty much a bare car with no actual notable features. If you want anything from the sedan you must buy the SV which adds $3000 extra to the price. The Note has almost the same problem except you can a few other items the sedan omits like choosing the CVT. The models I'm reviewing are the SV models which are both near $15K, suddenly these two cars are not that cheap. They're competing against the Hyundai Accent which is an all around better car unless you care for headroom. The Mazda 2 is a superior car to drive. Even the Toyota Yaris with its ancient equipment I feel is a better buy. When you remove the price tag advantage of the Versa it shows the real weakness in aiming for a very low base MSRP, the overall cars are simply below standard. Between the two versions, the Note is a better value than the sedan not only in its more flexible options but the sedan is just too ugly.
My Score(sedan): 3/10 - Not good value, inflexible options and in SV form too expensive.
My Score(Note): 5/10 - Acceptable at best, some decent options, and it does offer good headroom over competitors.
Overall(sedan): 13/50 - Its ugly and rubbish.
Overall(Note): 21/50 - Not very good.
Conclusion: I feel these cars are a sign of the horrible state of the world economy and even world thinking. Unlike how things once were where people value a product's quality and all around value, a lot of people are simply looking at the cheapest price. I as any consumer would love to see lower prices for everything, however I'm not willing to accept a huge loss in quality if that's what a lower price entails. These cars specifically target the car driver who wants the absolute cheapest car that doesn't feel small. I briefly touched on this in the value section, when you build a car based on the notion of a low MSRP you have to make sacrifices throughout the whole car to achieve that reality. The terrible drive, the bad engine, the ugly interior are all things that were sacrificed for that low, low price. Worse still I doubt many drivers want to accept the omissions on the cheap S versions, that means the price is no longer $11K or $13K but more like $15K. If you were going to pay that much...why not buy the Hyundai Accent or Mazda 2 which were built to be cars of that price rather than the lowest of the low? I liked the Mazda because of how much it did with that tiny budget, it didn't make you feel awful for paying so little for a car because so much of it was so nice, you do see some elements of cheapness but after a nice drive you forget about it. These Versas are the opposite, I feel terrible every time I drive them as it always reminds you that you're on a horrible budget with no sense of positivity. How do you feel good about yourself when your car is so miserable and just spreads that misery to you?
