All Cars, All the Time

Edmunds Tests the Versa





The onslaught of the the B cars continues here in the USA. Latest up is the Nissan Versa. Nissan is making big claims about the benefits of volume production and how its customers will benefit. The Versa is based on the Renault/Nissan "C" platform which has spawned the Nissan Cube, Micra/March, Renault Clio and Modus and in a stretched form the Nissan Cube(3), Note, and Tiida. Nissan says that because of all this volume, they are able to pack more features into the car without jacking up the price. The interior has a nicer grade of plastics (by most accounts) and a quick glance at the option sheet shows available features like keyless ignition and Bluetooth connectivity, so from that perspective it seems as if the Versa can be loaded up quite nicely.

The hatchback is up first and should arrive around June with the sedan arriving in December.

What has been apparent to me from the reviews that I've read is that the Versa is no Honda Fit when it comes to sportiness. However, the back seat is supposed to be quite massive--Edmunds put two 6'5" car salesmen in the back to prove the point and Motor Trend says that the Versa has as much rear passenger legroom as a Maxima.

You couldn't have asked for better timing. Gas prices are on the minds of the masses and it's great PR to have a new, fuel efficient model arriving in your showrooms if only to draw attention to your entire model lineup--which in Nissan's case is being completely revised.

You can find the Edmunds article here. Interestingly, Edmunds refers to the Versa as being related to the Renault Megane (which they misspell--update: okay they fixed that part) when in fact it's related to the Renault Clio. Hopefully they'll fix the gaffe soon.