by "Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
Published 10/04/2017 at 00:51
by "Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
Published 10/04/2017 at 00:51
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STARS: 3
My Mustang went in to the body shop for a couple of days to have the rear bumper re-finished from its run in at the car wash last month, so I have a Nissan Versa Sedan as a rental for a couple of days.
Enterprise so wanted me to review this car that they picked me up at the body shop and only charged me for an economy car. The car wash guys will be reimbursing me for the rental, but I didn’t want to get into a pissing match over renting something more acceptable.
The Car
I had reserved an “economy” car, and got a free upgrade to a compact car, this 2017 Nissan Versa SV.
Engine – 1.6L DOHC Direct Injected 4-cyl with 109hp and
107lb-ft of torque
Transmission – Xtronic CVT, FWD
Suspension – Strut with rear Torsion beam
Wheels/tires – 15” steel wheels with hubcaps and P185/65HR15 all-season low
rolling resistance tires
Brakes – vented front/rear drums
MSRP - $15,720
Rated MPG – 31 city / 39 highway
The Driving – 2/10
Right up front I have to say that there was a period of my life that I owned three Nissans at the same time. All of them had more power than this car, even my 1971 Datsun 510. In over 40 years the Nissan 1.6L 4-cyl went from 105hp in a 2000 lb. car to 109hp in a 2500 lb. car. If the Versa were rear wheel drive with a manual transmission it might be an entertaining start to a performance platform. As it is this is an overlooked afterthought of a car. This is almost the definition of the car as an appliance. Basic transportation is boiled down in this car to only the essentials.
Coming to it from the Mustang I found the ride to be barely acceptable. The economy grade tires on it might be good for efficiency, but have terrible grip. Even going in a straight line seems to give them trouble. If anything it rides stiffer than my Mustang, but with a lot more give to the suspension, choosing to roll over in the corners instead of gripping. At no time did I feel safe taking this car over 65mph.
Visually, driving around in this car makes me feel like I’m driving a crossover SUV, not a compact car. It’s tall and narrow.
Transmission – 1/10
The transmission is an abomination. The CVT might be good for fuel efficiency, but is terrible in any measurable performance category. I stood on the gas to take an on-ramp and found the CVT surging uncomfortably with the artificial shift points. At no time does it ever sound like a real transmission, despite Nissan’s efforts to put those shift points into the programming.
Brakes – 2/10
The brakes are acceptable for what they are, but I wouldn’t expect them to hold up to any abuse. I would not recommend any autocross or track time in this car, and would expect the brake fluid to boil if you looked at it wrong.
Interior – 2/10
There are seats and belts for 5 people. The seats are not comfortable. In two days of driving this thing I was unable to achieve an acceptable position with the driver’s seat. I always felt off balance, as if I was going to fall out at any moment. The seating position is tall and upright and uncomfortable. The seats bases are flat with no lateral support, but then so are the seat backs. Have I mentioned that they’re uncomfortable?
Toys – 2/10
There’s a radio, with both USB and Aux inputs. It works for some audio, because honestly you can’t listen to the engine at all. This car has no touch screen, no satellite radio, no real dash features. The instrument cluster is set up in a way that prevents you from having more than one piece of information at a time. You can see the outside temperature, the gas mileage, the trip odometer, or the total miles on the car, but not all at once. It has cruise control, and some radio controls on the steering wheel as well as Bluetooth for your phone, but I didn’t bother with any of that.
Styling – 1/10
I really feel like there was almost no effort made here to design an aesthetically pleasing automobile. This is a basic three box design car, with slab sides and some bits of chromed plastic stuck on for “style”. As previously mentioned, it sits tall, making me feel like I’m driving an off-roader, not a wimpy sedan. It does have a rear spoiler, but since it’s on a FWD car it’s useless. The side window line doesn’t align with the hood, instead choosing a line a few inches lower. Great for visibility, but who really wants to be seen driving this?
Overall – 10/60
I wouldn’t recommend this car to an enemy. The only upside is that I should only have to had in a couple of gallons of gas for three days use before I return it.
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
10/04/2017 at 00:55, STARS: 1
Would you recommend walking or cycling over this car?
"Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
10/04/2017 at 00:59, STARS: 0
Since it’s been raining in Austin, I would recommend taking the bus.
"Steve in Manhattan" (blogenfreude01)
10/04/2017 at 01:03, STARS: 1
Here’s how boring it is ... I think I rented one at some point, but I can’t remember. But I rent 6 or 7 cars a year. And to be fair, the interior isn’t all that bad, although plasticky. The exterior is unfortunate - as you said: slab sides, excessive height, and little attention to detail. Next time, just look at a Civic and a Corolla and do that.
"Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen" (distraxi)
10/04/2017 at 01:28, STARS: 2
As far as I can tell, variations on Nissan’s V platform (Versa/Tiida, March/Micra) are invariably driven by people who hate, or are scared of, cars.
Seems like a vicious circle: once you’ve owned one of these, you’ll always hate and be scared of cars, so you’ll always keep on buying hideous/cynical Nissans. It’s a nice little niche market for them.
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
10/04/2017 at 01:33, STARS: 0
Turo is your friend. You could get an interesting car for the same price or cheaper than most shitty rentals
"Svend" (svend)
10/04/2017 at 02:19, STARS: 2
That’s an ugly car.
Looks wise, it’s has no redeeming features.
"Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
10/04/2017 at 02:25, STARS: 0
I agree, it doesn’t have a lot going for it.
"Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
10/04/2017 at 02:28, STARS: 0
yeah, I could have rented a BMW...
"Svend" (svend)
10/04/2017 at 03:21, STARS: 0
I’m trying to think what the U.K. rental equivalent would be.
It’d either be the Nissan Note.
Same car but hatchback form and much better looking.
"Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
10/04/2017 at 03:23, STARS: 0
For whatever reason, in the US hatchbacks are seen as “lesser” than the sedan version, even though the sedan is cheaper. We also can’t get rental cars with manual transmissions very often...
"Svend" (svend)
10/04/2017 at 04:10, STARS: 1
In a few other markets such as India, saloons are seen as more upmarket to other body types.
In the U.K. and Europe hatchbacks are the biggest sellers because of economy, size, practicality, etc... then estates and then saloons the least.
Autos are usually larger cars such as BMW and Mercedes while regular and small cars it’s the norm to be manual, which is why I get such a surprise when I see a small car with an automatic gearbox.
This car is an ex-rental.
"Stapleface" (patrickgruden)
10/04/2017 at 06:14, STARS: 0
I think you would have been better of insisting that you don’t want an upgrade and will wait until they have an economy car for you. I think I’d prefer the Mirage over a Versa.
I experienced Nissan’s CVT when I had a cube, which was essentially the Versa with a different body. I equated the driving experience to driving a sofa. It’s just kind of there, and not at all engaging to drive whatsoever.
"Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve)
10/04/2017 at 07:27, STARS: 0
Interestingly, though, the Versa and Versa Note have excellent owner satisfaction ratings. I think this is more due to the fact that a new car with a warranty for under $13k is better than a beater or a bus pass for most people.
The company cars where I work are almost all Versas (Versae?) with the CVT. They suck. The pedal on the right converts gasoline into noise. I’ve noticed, though, that the CVT does interesting things with engine braking. It seems to supplement the brakes well.
I drive the Versas (Versae?) like the “reasonably priced car” when I have to take one.
"Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost)
10/04/2017 at 07:40, STARS: 0
I test drove a Versa Note a couple of years ago with a friend, and it was actually OK, though unexciting. Of course it also had a lot more options on it than this car does. I’m still reluctant to take this Nissan over 65mph...
"The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock" (jukesjukesjukes)
10/04/2017 at 08:06, STARS: 0
The Juke is on the same platform, but it drives surprisingly good. A manual, & turbo engine would do that.
"Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve)
10/04/2017 at 08:20, STARS: 0
in our fleet at work, we have one prior generation versa hatchback. It actually feels more solid and planted and then the versa sedan that we have. It’s also better to drive because it has a conventional automatic with a torque converter instead of the CVT
"Now_looking_for_a_cheap_car" (viper2626)
10/04/2017 at 09:17, STARS: 0
I’ve tried looking at TURO where I am , in the Ann Arbor MI area. Most of the cars are priced to the point where they don’t make sense
"Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen" (distraxi)
10/05/2017 at 00:17, STARS: 0
If Wikipedia’s to be believed, the Juke’s on the previous generation (B) platform, along with some other cool stuff like the Cube and Renault’s Clio, Twingo, and Wind. V platform only has dogs for now
Not that the platform’s to be blamed - cynical program management is. It’s perfectly possible to make an economy car that’s actually desirable, whatever platform you start from. They just chose not to.