"fhrblig" (fhrblig)
07/17/2015 at 22:11 • Filed to: None
2
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"fhrblig" (fhrblig)
07/17/2015 at 22:11 • Filed to: None | 2
| 10 |
I didn’t say it was a desirable car, necessarily...
A while back I mentioned that my work purchased a couple of Versa Notes. I was less than charitable about them. I may have said to kill it with fire, can’t remember. Well, today I drove one of them for a few hours, so I have a little bit better perspective on them. (Note, I try to be reserved online about my employer so there won’t be specific details about them. Suffice it to say it’s a logistics company.)
First off, I need to say that it’s a perfectly adequate car. The people shopping these probably have limited options, and most new cars are reliable and pretty efficient. It will likely be trouble-free for at least a few years given proper maintenance, and while not luxurious by any stretch, even the cheapest ones I’ve seen have A/C, Bluetooth connectivity, audio controls on the steering wheel, and an AUX jack standard. Sure, it has manual locks and windows, but that’s not the end of the world.
Being in an industry where there is lots of turnover, not to mention a country where ability to drive a manual transmission-equipped vehicle is becoming scarce, we got the CVT. Lots of people hate CVTs here, but I’ve had the opportunity to drive my partner’s Juke AWD with the CVT and it isn’t bad in that application. It works well with the turbo. I think the problem is that when a CVT is paired with a low-power engine, its dynamic shortcomings become amplified.
The Versa Note is pretty slow with the CVT. It scoots around ok at low speeds, but acceleration is not what you’d want it to be. I’ve driven an older Versa with the geared auto and the 1.8, and it actually felt pretty lively. The Versa Note feels a bit like the life is being sucked out of it. You can still fling it around corners, but it does not have a sporty feel. The 1.6 just doesn’t have enough grunt, and it’s noisy at high revs. That would be ok, but the noise is not pleasant. It just drones. Acceleration starts out ok, but just runs out of steam.
The driver’s seat is comfortable enough, though the upholstery is cheap and feels like it will wear quickly. It shows every bit of dust and dirt, too. Driving position is ok, but the knee bolster was in my way a lot. Controls are logical and easy to use. The steering was good, I thought it was just the right bit of heaviness.
The amount of legroom in the back seat is astonishing. Seriously, with the front seat in a realistic position it still almost felt like Town Car-level space. I’m genuinely impressed. And it doesn’t impact the trunk space much, either. With the seats folded, you can fit a lot of stuff in it. Shame that the seats don’t tumble forward into the huge legroom space, it could have been downright cavernous then.
My biggest issue with the car remains the terrible quality of materials and assembly. Every surface feels cheap and brittle. Things like the rear seatback release and interior door handles are so flimsy that they feel like they will be broken after 10k miles. Hard plastics abound, cheap-feeling carpet and upholstery, the hairshirt headliner, on and on. When they were delivered, the hood on one of them would not open correctly. I had to pry it open with my fingers. If you get into a Versa or Versa Note first and then drive most of its competition, you’ll notice the difference for sure. For God’s sake, my Fiat has better build quality and fit and finish.
So, how do I feel about it now? I don’t totally hate it anymore. If I really had to suck it up and drive one, I could probably live with it. I’d no doubt prefer the manual, though I probably shouldn’t assume that without trying it first. The problem for the Nissan Versa Note is that nearly every other car in its class is a better choice. I’d personally much rather have a Sonic, Accent, Fiesta, or even a Rio.
Goggles Pizzano
> fhrblig
07/17/2015 at 22:27 |
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Lots of people hate CVTs here, but I’ve had the opportunity to drive my partner’s Juke AWD with the CVT and it isn’t bad in that application. It works well with the turbo. I think the problem is that when a CVT is paired with a low-power engine, its dynamic shortcomings become amplified.
Couldn’t agree more. The Subaru Legacy CVT is excellent compared with autos in general, while the Mitsubishi Lancer CVT is...well, a total turd. There are good, and there are terrible. And as you said, engine pairing could have a whole lot to do with it too.
carcrasher88
> fhrblig
07/17/2015 at 22:29 |
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I don’t know if it’s been said before, but Nissan needs to bring this to the US...
...with this under the hood...
...an MR16DDT from the normal Juke. 188 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque, a Nissan Versa Note Nismo S with this engine would be on par with the Ford Fiesta ST on torque and up 8 hp over the ST.
The Fiesta ST is becoming a pretty popular hot hatch in the US, so I really don’t get why Nissan isn’t jumping on this gravy train and putting this together?
I mean, if they can stuff a GT-R engine and drivetrain in a Juke, they should be able to put a normal Juke engine with the same displacement as the basic Versa Note under the hood pretty easily.
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fhrblig
> carcrasher88
07/17/2015 at 22:32 |
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I would totally be willing to overlook the build quality issues if they did that. Hell, I would have bought a Saturn Ion Red Line, because the one time I got to drive one it was both terrifying and fantastic. And the Ion was an otherwise awful car.
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fhrblig
> Goggles Pizzano
07/17/2015 at 22:33 |
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That’s why I didn’t bother driving a Mirage with a CVT. It was bog slow with the manual.
boxrocket
> fhrblig
07/17/2015 at 22:39 |
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I spent a day in a Versa Note SL.
It was OK. I liked the around-view camera system, and the seats weren’t bad. They missed the opportunity to make the interior more interesting, like the Cube’s ripple headliner.
I find it preferable to the sonic in every way, less exciting than the Fiesta, less clever than the Yaris and Fit, less fun than the Mazda2, and more interesting than the Golf.
I’d buy a Leaf before the Versa Note. I don’t have a log commute.
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carcrasher88
> fhrblig
07/17/2015 at 22:44 |
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Yeah, the only other requirement I’d have if they brought such a Versa Note here would probably solve that issue: instead of building it in Mexico with the other Versa Notes, they should have it imported from Japan, just like the Juke.
Also, it turns out the US-spec ST is also built in Mexico.
Also, I re-read the stats of the Fiesta ST, and it’s actually 196 hp and 214 lb-ft of torque. The 180 hp/177 lb-ft torque figure is for the Euro-spec model.
In that case, the RS Nismo version of the MR16DDT would be more fitting, as that has 215 hp and 210 lb-ft of torque.
Or, they could go the same route like the Juke, and make the normal MR16DDT the engine for a Versa Note Nismo, and the higher power version for the Versa Note Nismo S.
If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
> fhrblig
07/17/2015 at 22:46 |
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I just don’t understand why anyone would buy a brand new cheap car. For the same price you could be getting a 5yo model from a market segment or two up and be much happier with it. Is there that much of a stigma against used cars? Who’s sitting there thinking ‘ I have to have a new car but I can only afford a Mirage so I guess I’ll buy that instead of this nice 2010 Fusion.”?
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fhrblig
> If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
07/17/2015 at 22:53 |
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I got my love of bare-bones new cars from my parents. My mom bought a brand new 1986 Honda Civic hatchback with NO options whatsoever. She loved that car. Six years later I got to learn driving a stick on it and I understood. It was fun! It was hot as hell in summer on those vinyl seats, but it was honest and reliable. My dad bought a new 1992 Ford F-series with the inline six and 5-speed and no options (except 4WD), and still has it. That was fun in a different way. I myself had a 2009 Ranger with just a couple options and it’s probably the best vehicle I’ve ever owned (apologies to my current car).
Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
> fhrblig
07/17/2015 at 23:08 |
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A Kia Soul is not much more expensive and worlds better as a car.
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fhrblig
> Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
07/17/2015 at 23:11 |
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I tried to convince them of that before they bought these, but we do already have a lot of Nissans in our fleet. And the Versa Note does get significantly better MPGs, which is not a small consideration for a fleet manager. I’m going to try to put my foot down more in the future, since I do actually have influence. They were just in a hurry this time.