"fhrblig" (fhrblig)
07/19/2015 at 12:38 • Filed to: None
2
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"fhrblig" (fhrblig)
07/19/2015 at 12:38 • Filed to: None | 2
| 13 |
The other day I made a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! about how I don’t hate the Versa Note as much as I did the first time I drove it. I still don’t like its CVT, and wanted to see if the manual is better. Well, thanks to the lure of a free $50 gift card with test drive, I now know.
I drove a sedan just for comparison purposes. Is the manual better? The short answer is “Yes, but...”.
There were two things about the manual I didn’t care for. First, the clutch pedal travel is really short. That makes a smooth shift a bit hard at first. The pedal is light, but you can still feel it. That automatically makes it way better than the Mitsubishi Mirage’s clutch. In the Versa, I got used to the short travel but it was mildly annoying.
Second, and I noticed the same thing in the Mirage, the gear lever feels oddly tilted forward. (The Versa Note is pictured here, the interiors are mostly the same.) It doesn’t look like it, but it feels that way. 1st, 3rd, and 5th gears feel too far forward and down. 2nd and 4th feel like they are located where the neutral area should be. It’s hard to get used to. Also, the knob doesn’t feel quite right in your hand. I usually grip the shifter from the top (my Fiat has a round ball-like shift knob which is perfect for that), but this one sort of forces you to grip it from the side and I’ve never liked that.
Besides those two things, the manual made a marked difference in performance. You still run short of power in some cases but it’s not as glaring as it is with the CVT.
As far as the driving experience in the sedan, it felt more floaty and had more body roll. You wouldn’t call it sporty, but I’ve driven worse.
All in all, I could probably live with a manual Versa and not want to kill myself. I think I’d still choose something else though.
jkm7680
> fhrblig
07/19/2015 at 12:42 |
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They’re such horrible looking cars though.
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fhrblig
> jkm7680
07/19/2015 at 12:46 |
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The Versa Note looks ok to me, but I don’t know what they were thinking when they designed the sedan. It’s just so unattractive. It has a huge amount of room, though, and a big trunk.
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jkm7680
> fhrblig
07/19/2015 at 12:47 |
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I basically consider them cheap, below average cars that are mainly bought to be parts of rental fleets.
Steve in Manhattan
> fhrblig
07/19/2015 at 12:51 |
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Having driven more than a few different manuals (among them Lancia, Jag, VW, Toyota, Volvo, Saab, Honda) I think it’s a case of getting used to it. Climbing out of CRX Si into then-GF’s Saab was very strange - clutch engaged near the top, longer throws, gear lever lower with poor feel. If you drove the Versa for 6 months, then climbed back into your Fiat, it would feel strange indeed.
whoarder is tellurium
> fhrblig
07/19/2015 at 12:58 |
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I knew it would be better with a manual trans. KNEW IT.
Towards the end of my rental time with the CVT Versa Note, I kept O/D off or in “L” around town. Felt a lot peppier that way.
Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
> fhrblig
07/19/2015 at 13:02 |
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At work we have a fleet of six CVT sedans and one previous-generation hatch with the geared auto. The three-year business leases are coming up for the hatch this year and the first two sedans at the beginning of next year. I’d like to see them replaced with anything but more Versae. Honestly Base-O-Matic Kia Souls would be ideal. We use the cars to go to dealers and pick up cars and for UPS or parts runs.
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fhrblig
> Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
07/19/2015 at 13:16 |
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I lobbied for the Soul, and the Sonic too. In the end, the Versas will probably be ok. I just wish we’d got the Soul instead.
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fhrblig
> Steve in Manhattan
07/19/2015 at 13:20 |
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One thing I love about my Fiat is the location of the shifter. At first I thought it would be weird having it so high up, but the placement is perfect.
MultiplaOrgasms
> fhrblig
07/19/2015 at 13:20 |
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It’s not hard to make a cheap and spacious sedan that doesn’t look like it’s constantly reminding you that you couldn’t afford anything else.
Neither of them is a massive looker, but they are Quattroporte Vs in comparison to that Versa.
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fhrblig
> MultiplaOrgasms
07/19/2015 at 13:23 |
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Yeah, especially considering the other sedans in the class (in the US) are almost all better looking. Except for the Fiesta, it’s so narrow looking. But even the Fiesta sedan looks better than the Versa.
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Steve in Manhattan
> fhrblig
07/19/2015 at 13:23 |
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I forgot about an Alfa I drove that had the shifter higher up like that. It seems to make sense. One of the oldest automotive testing cliches is that “the shifter fell readily to hand,” but yours looks like it does just that.
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MultiplaOrgasms
> fhrblig
07/19/2015 at 13:37 |
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I’m not an expert on the US Subcompact market, but I am inclined to agree.
Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
> fhrblig
07/19/2015 at 16:23 |
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If you can find a Soul (2012 or older) with a stick they are eeeeeasy as hell to drive. Six speeds, for some reason, too. Stop and go traffic was of no consequence. However the fuel economy was worse than the Cube and the xB and the Fit and the Note.