Nissan Versa 2007

By Bruno Bouchard

Big Deal

The renewal at Nissan started in 2002 with the introduction of the new Altima. Then came the Murano, the 350Z, the Titan and the X-trail. Pushing on, Nissan completely redesigned the Maxima, the Pathfinder and the X-terra. The showcase was reserved for the SUVS but an affordable and economical car made sense given continuing high fuel prices. So, the long awaited Versa entered the Canadian market several weeks ago.

The first thing that catches your eye is the size.  A sub-compact? Well, maybe the  engineers at Nissan need glasses and misread the order specifications. Yes, without glasses, it does seem smaller…But wait, I am right! This car could be considered a compact. The cabin space is remarkable; four adults would be more comfortable in a Versa than they would be in a Sentra. Rear passenger space tops its class. One might expect a reduction in cargo space but it’s simply not the case; I managed to store my golf bag along with three days worth of family baggage.
 Impressive it may be, but the interior has flaws. Let’s start with the very ordinary comfort level of the front seating. In fact, I couldn’t wait to get to Drummondville due to a sore back which, unfortunately, was shared by my seatmate. However, Nissan used quality materials contrary to the cheap plastic which was common in older models. We’re not, mind you, near Honda or Toyota standards. Generally, good work was done on the ergonomics although lack of storage space between the front seats seems to be quite an oversight.

The test model sports a CVT transmission. Like the one in the Murano, the Versa transmission responds well to all demands; it doesn’t hesitate and delivers adequate power. The Versa has the biggest and most powerful engine in its class: a four cylinder, 1.8 litre that develops 122 horsepower. We managed 0-100km/h in 9.2 seconds. Somewhat deceiving when compared to the Fit automatic at 8.85 seconds…almost a half second difference. The bigger engine, though, shines with its excellent in gear acceleration which happens to be more precise than those in the Fit or Yaris. The 50 litre challenge proved it last year: the big cylinder motors burn more. The Versa being no  exception:( 8.3/100km) on a Gatineau-Drummonville trip at a reasonable speed. In fact, you would certainly expect a better performance from an engine that turns over at 2000 r.p.m/ 100km/h.