2008 Nissan Versa SL Sedan

Retail Price as tested: $17,090.00

The ride and drive of the Versa was quite surprising. I was expecting a less quality ride due to the small size. I was pleasantly surprised. It has a great feel to it and handles well. If you are looking for a great car that has a ton of space and is cheaper than a hybrid but gets close to the same mpg than the Versa is the car for you.

The interior of the Versa is very large for the small overall size of the car. It has a ton of leg room and headroom as you can see from the boxy nature of its appearance. The interior actually feel larger than its is and the visibility is great. There are little to no blind spots which makes this a great car for younger or less experienced drivers. It would make a great first car for a teenager. (My kids will hate that I said that!) The steering wheel controls are laid out well and as I mentioned in the first paragraph the u-connect bluetooth connection to my iphone worked great. It takes just a few seconds to set up by telling the computer (with verbal commands) what you want to do. You can also store contacts in the address book. While not as good as Ford’s Sync it works well and is a nice built in feature. The one feature I really enjoyed was the “Intelligent Key”. You really never need to take the key fob out of your pocket or purse. Once you are close to the car all you do is push a small black button on the door handle or handle to the trunk and it locks or unlocks. Once inside all you do is turn the key switch and it starts. It is really nice when you hands are full or when safety is a concern. I wish all cars had this feature. I predict that someday they all will.

If you are looking for a small car that gets great MPG along with a great price you have found your car. The Versa got 29 mpg in my driving around town. I was very pleased with the mpg along with the way it drove. It was actually quieter inside than the Matrix I tested. This was a pleasant surprise with a car priced under $20k. One thing I always like is Bluetooth for my cell phone. I spend some a fair amount of time in a car each week and being able to talk “hands free” is an asset to any car I drive. Frankly I think it should be in every car as standard equipment. It makes talking on the phone while driving much safer. I also enjoyed the versatility of the interior. The back seats fold down to expand the already large trunk. The back seats also have the “best in class” leg room. The “intelligent key” is another great option - I will explain how it works later in this review. The Versa comes in a Sedan or 4-door Hatchback. I was surprised at how well this little car worked.

1.8 LIter DOHC 16-Valve 4 Cylinder Engine and 6-Speed Manual Transmission. The Versa also comes with a 4 speed Automatic Transmission or a Xtronic CVT Automatic Transmission. HP is 122 hp @ 5,200 rpm with torque at 127 lb-ft @ 4,800 rpm.

Engine and Transmission

The Versa I drove had the 1.8 Engine along with the 6 speed manual transmission. The Versa also comes with a 4 speed Automatic Transmission or a Xtronic CVT Automatic Transmission. I enjoyed the manual transmission and for a car of this size it would be my first choice. The engine has enough power to pull the 2,700 lbs the Versa weighs with ease. It’s actually a peppy little car. The manual transmission was smooth and had just the right ratios. The Versa could use a little “taller” O/D gear ratio as it would help increase the mpg at highway speeds.

Interior

John Rush - Host

Gearhead Radio & Drive Radio

For a audio version of my review - please visit www.gearheadradio.com.

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