My 1st rental car of 2015...

"and 100 more" (nth256) 01/05/2015 at 11:13 • Filed to: None

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10

Nissan Versa SV sedan. Too much sexy, you can't handle the sexxxy:

The Patriot is in the shop having very expensive surgery; this is my whip until tomorrow morning.

Driving notes:

Excellent visibility.

You are acutely aware of the exterior dimensions of this vehicle from the driver's seat, which is confidence-inspiring, and probably will lead to my demise.

You are also acutely aware of how close you are to other cars on the road.

While I usually loathe electric steering, this feels less buggy than previous Versas I've driven - feels tight and precise, doesn't wander. You can really appreciate how small and nimble this car is by how it steers.

As in previous Versas, there's some wonderful magic going on in the chassis tuning, which you wouldn't expect from such a sedate fleet-car design. Turn into a 90° corner at around 25-30 mph, and there nary a hint of understeer. Better yet, as you roll thru the turn, about halfway in, you feel the rear end start to come around, not so much in a powerslide-type move, but in a very intuitive, follow-your-command type way. I noticed this in previous Versas as well, and it frankly shocked me for such a low-rent econobox to feel so well-sorted.

Not sure what tires are involved here, but they feel decently grippy on dry pavement. I haven't broken them loose yet ( not that I've actually tried, Mr. Officer ).

The CVT seems much better than any CVT-equipped vehicle I've driven. Step on the gas, its goes "waaaaaaaah!" like a buzzsaw at a constant RPM until you reach your desired speed, then immediately becomes reasonable as soon as you let off. No searching, no simulated gearshifts; just binary, progressive accelleration. They've done a lot over at JATCO to reprogram these CVTs since their earlier implementations. This is how CVTs should have felt from Day One.

Rides bumpy. Not harsh, but you definitely feel everything, to some extent. I think its just due to being a small car.

Engine feels up to the task, even with 500+ lbs of living human flesh inside.

Interior is cheap plastic, looks like cheap plastic, except for the steering wheel, which is more rubbery, and feels quite nice.

It's also ugly as fuck, IMO. It looks so disproportionate from every angle.

The trunk is big, though a little awkward with the short deck lid (though not as bad as the current Focus sedan). This is a trend I detest. Everyone is moving to this quasi-fastback shape, which looks nice, but then the standard trunk becomes a tiny, awkward hatch. Do us all a favor, designers; just make all these cars liftbacks, so we can have decent access to the trunk without having to bend over to reach things up against the seat backs.

ALSO:

Gas mileage is great. The MPG average when I got it said 36.2. I have been... liberal with my use of the gas pedal, and the average has gone up to 36.4.

Overall, not a bad job, Nissan.

Vimto > and 100 more 01/05/2015 at 11:15

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As a Versa Note owner this is probably one of the most positive articles I've read online about Versas in general...they aren't terribly well liked it would seem.

and 100 more > Vimto 01/05/2015 at 11:18

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I mean, I'm coming from a long line of economy shitboxes here. I've been near a Bimmer once, in a parking lot, and I rode shotgun in a Cobra Mustang for a short jaunt on a back road. So my impression of what a good car should feel like is probably a lot different than most of the folks here.

That said, it's one of the nicest economy shitboxes I've driven. :)

Vimto > and 100 more 01/05/2015 at 11:21

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Same here pretty much...I've had a 1999 Suzuki Esteem, Mazda2 automatic, Kia Forte, before my 2014 Versa Note 5speed I had a 2012 Versa 1.6 S sedan manual. My Note has about 2000 miles on it and I was able to get 47 MPG out of it on a 140 mile roadtrip yesterday.

and 100 more > Vimto 01/05/2015 at 11:23

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Oh yes, excellent gas mileage... I'll note that in my original post!

Vimto > and 100 more 01/05/2015 at 11:25

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Yeah, I don't understand why its rated at 26 city/35 highway because I have to *try* to get less than mid-30s around town and 40+ highway. My biggest complaint is that the manual is geared too short/needs a 6th gear. It wants to be in 5th and 40 mph and hits 3000 rpm at 60 mph. Not only does that make it loud but also not as efficient as it could be. With a 6th gear itd easily crest 50 mpg I bet.

and 100 more > Vimto 01/05/2015 at 11:28

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Do you also notice how the rear end likes to get happy in turns? It feels very predictable, and really livens up what should be a boring affair, amirite ?

Alex B > and 100 more 01/05/2015 at 11:31

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I had one as a rental car too, last year though. It was a good car for what it was. If I had to live with it every day, it wouldn't be the worst.

There she is! I rented it on a trip to Colorado. It had Florida plates.

Vimto > and 100 more 01/05/2015 at 11:33

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Yeah, I think it was a lot more prevalent in my 2012 sedan (first year of the current bodystyle) than the Note - - probably because the latter is over a foot shorter but heavier so it alters the balance somewhat. They both have solid handling for what they are IMO.

My two ^^

Slave2anMG > and 100 more 01/05/2015 at 13:23

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I hope you have a big stick and some pepper spray to fight off the ladies while in that p*ssy magnet of a car. Yowza!

and 100 more > Slave2anMG 01/05/2015 at 13:27

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Fuck, dude, not like my daily driver has me pulling wool exactly.

But its cool, its cool... I make up for it with my big Wang.