2007 Nissan Versa Review

Specifications

Versa Delivers Enormous Interior Volume for Low Base Price

About a year and a half ago, I wrote a news column about a small Japanese car called the Nissan Tiida, a hatchback and sedan pair that aimed to gun down the Civic and Corolla by offering the space of a full size car in a compact package. At the time, the prospect of importing the Tiida seemed kind of silly - it was underpowered, uninspiring to look at, and completely out of Nissans sporty character. Nevertheless, in that time period, Nissan has since announced that it will be bringing the Tiida over as the all-new 2007 Versa, but theres a twist.
   
Originally, I predicted that the Tiida would replace the Sentra outright, and things seemed to be running smoothly in that direction with the creation of the Tiida-based three-door Sport Concept of 2005. However, Nissan seems to have changed its collective mind by choosing a bolder strategy, using the Tiida to fortify its strong American lineup by offering it as a base, entry-level vehicle. Its forthcoming attack on the C-segment, which includes the Civic, Corolla and Mazda3, among others, comes not from offering upscale build quality and amenities, nor does it come from delivering superior performance or excellent road holding. Rather, Nissan is targeting those who want to maximize value for money by offering an enormous interior and equally large cargo area for a low, low base price.

Like the Hyundai Elantra or Kia Spectra the Versa will be offered in two bodystyles, both of which are simple and rather ordinary in design. The Nissan compact started out life as a concept car, the C-Note design study, which aimed to maximize interior space while improving aerodynamics. Minor modifications around the grille, headlamps and tail turned the tall C-Note into the Versa hatchback. The transformation to four-door sedan was simple, stylists merely adding an elongated metal box to its tail in place of the hatchback. It might not be as interesting to look at as the new Civic, but the Versa boasts a slick 0.29 coefficient of drag which should help keep things quiet at highway speeds.  

The Versas underpinnings come from Nissans B platform, an effort that was jointly developed between Nissan and its French parent company, Renault. Used in the B-segment (subcompact), it underpins a variety of Japanese and French vehicles including the Nissan Micra and Cube, and the Renault Clio III and Modus mini MPV. Aside from being rather rigid, the B brings nothing new to the game, using MacPherson struts up front and a space-saving torsion beam rear suspension. As you might imagine, the C-Segment-sized Versa is the biggest vehicle to be spawned off this versatile chassis, but all of its components are shared with the aforementioned cars, helping to keep development and production costs down.

Originally, the Tiida was launched in Japan with a new 1.5-liter DOHC engine that made 109-horsepower and 109 lb-ft of torque. Despite its low-friction internal components, it was deemed too weak for the North American market, so instead the Versa will come standard with a larger 1.8-liter engine that makes an estimated 120-horsepower and 125 lb-ft of torque. While the new model still enters into the segment with a power disadvantage, it makes up for any lack of speed with thrifty economy and low emissions - when mated to the optional Xtronic CVT gearbox, Nissan expects the car to return a scant 38 mpg combined city and highway. A regular five-speed manual will be standard equipment. 
 
So far, the result of all this hard work is a rather average looking vehicle with some optimistic fuel consumption numbers - average, that is, until you look inside. Hiding behind dimensions that are no longer or shorter than category competitors is a cabin with the most interior volume in its class, hands down. Nissan claims that the floor space distance from gas pedal to rear seat spans 80.1 inches - nearly six feet long. Thats over 3.9 inches longer than the Corolla, and on par with most full-size luxury sedans, including cars like the Maxima, and even the Infiniti Q45! Add this to its above average height, and passengers riding in back can truly stretch out.

Like its exterior, the Versas interior is plain yet functional, featuring simple styling to accentuate the cabins roominess. It doesnt have the futuristic digital and electroluminescent display of the new Civic or Mazda3, but the Versa brings a bevy of storage bins and useful cubbies to the party, all of which are placed logically for easy access. Light colors and splashes of plasticized aluminum give the cabin an airier feel than many in the class, while the vastly improved plastics, put together with tighter gap tolerances make the Versa appear like a high quality item - words you wouldnt exactly hear describing the Sentra.

On the theme of practicality, both Versa models offer large trunks. The four-door sedan has 14.5 cu-ft of space readily availably, while the five-door hatch makes use of a neat sliding rear bench, which can be configured for cargo hauling or people carrying. If you have a full load of gear a fewer passengers, slide the rear bench forward by 9.4 inches to make 16.4 cu-ft of cargo space. Should your duties consist of shifting passengers six feet tall or more, move the bench back to maximize the rear legroom. You can still carry plenty on board in the hatch with the seat shifted to the back, as 10.2 cu-ft are still available. Of course, both cars feature split folding rear seats for when the trunk just isnt enough.

In keeping with the cost-cutting spirit, Nissan wont be building the Versa overseas and shipping it across the Pacific. For all of its efforts in design, that would be money wasted. Instead, the Versa will be assembled at the Aguascalientes plant in Mexico, the current home of the Sentra. The addition of the Versa should help boost the plant to 70 percent capacity. Production will begin in 2006, with deliveries of the hatchback in late summer, and the sedan in autumn.

While the Versa seems like a solid replacement to the Sentra, Nissan has confirmed that a new Sentra will be along within two years time. Check out todays news (Nissan Launches Bluebird Sylphy in Japan) for a hint as to what it might look like.

After all this, the big question is how much? While official pricing has yet to be released, the Versa is slated to start in the mid $11,000 range. Of course, to maintain such a low price tag, the new entry-level Nissan does without many creature comforts, such as ABS brakes, the CVT transmission and more. But not all Versas will be bread and butter, as the options list includes Bluetooth cellphone connectivity, keyless ignition and a Rockford Fosgate stereo system. As far as the base model goes, mind you, no other car on the market should provide as much new metal for the money - not Hyundai, not Kia, not Chevrolet - and if the estimated price holds up, thats worth plenty of free publicity, as word of mouth quickly promotes a value leader.