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Are cheap vehicles like the Versa Note unfairly judged?
A lot of us Club Lexus members most likely fall into one of two camps, possibly both - car enthusiasts and simply Lexus enthusiasts. As such, I would bet the average person reading this post thinks of cars as having some intrinsic value beyond their utility as a point-A-to-point-B solution. That said, many people are not at all "into cars" and see them as necessary evils. For them, cost and practicality are paramount. Costing little and yet accomplishing a lot of life's mundane chores are feats the 2015 Nissan Versa Note achieves handily. At one point in time, the sedan version of the Versa was the cheapest new car on sale in the US, but it got stellar fuel mileage and was not a tiny vehicle either. So, why do most journalists seem to rant about just how terrible these vehicles are?
Yes, those are in fact aftermarket wheel covers.
This is my wife's 2015 Versa Note SV, in Brick Red. Or, was it "Red Brick"? I've seen it written both ways by our dealership's service department, sometimes even appearing as just "Brick". No matter, this car is red no matter what building material served as its inspiration. This might be a controversial opinion of mine, but I actually really like the look of the Versa Note, and have since day one. It looks like it was actually designed, unlike its sedan sibling, which looks like it had Nissan styling language haphazardly inserted at the last moment.
We got this car with just 3,000 miles on its odometer, give or take, as it was a retired loaner car at the very same dealership, which saved us nearly $2,000 compared with a new one. It now has close to 63,000 miles, and it's loped along for all those miles with no unexpected issues - though, to be fair, we have been very diligent with maintenance.
Compared to its predecessor, the Versa hatchback, the Versa Note really stepped into the 2010's. It gained a CVT instead of the older car's 4-speed automatic, and it gained a smaller, weaker engine, dropping from 1.8 liters to 1.6 liters, and 122 horsepower down to 109. However, it also lost weight, meaning fuel efficiency and overall acceleration weren't worse than before - in fact, with its 40 MPG highway, the newer Note trounced the older Versa hatch's 34 highway. On top of that, Bluetooth for hands-free calling (on SV and above trims), and... well, not much else, mean this car is affordable and a good value.
But what's it like to live with?
When you first hop into a Versa Note, its mission to be a practical, no-nonsense daily driver is blatantly obvious. The step-in height seems to be almost intentionally set to the average height between a conventional compact sedan and a compact crossover. Older people would probably have no issues with it, given the low amount of bolstering on the seat bottoms and generous headroom.
Once seated, a driver would see that there's no real nonsense in the gauges or steering wheel setup either. It's a sort of version of a three-dial cluster, with an oddly-LCD fuel gauge. The whole panel is backlit in a bright white, which fortunately makes the gauges very easy to read if a bit big. There's no touchscreen - just a traditional, if you will, LCD display. The radio's limited capabilities mean little more than this small screen would be beneficial to the car's occupants. And, the climate controls? Well, they're certainly a throwback, complete with a fully-manual switch to toggle recirculating air. Moreover, they're surrounded by piano-black plastic, which requires constant dusting and occasional wiping to avoid looking quite dirty.
That said, there are plenty of places to stick things, like a slot that almost looks made for a smartphone next to the manual handbrake, and a slot underneath the climate controls which we use to store pens, should we need them. The Versa Note also has a driver's armrest, though the front passenger and the rear passengers will have to do without armrests. The beige-colored cloth seats in our car match the red exterior paint nicely, but they do look rather cheap. Beige cloth inserts can also be found on the doors.
The steering wheel is "leather wrapped", but even from day one, I was never convinced it was real leather. It feels more like plastic that is simulating leather, and it has never felt soft. I will say that I prefer the appearance of this steering wheel to an un-apologetically-urethane item, as the stitching adds visual granularity that a urethane wheel lacks. The steering wheel is adjustable for tilt only - no telescoping, but fortunately, I can find a comfortable position, if a bit upright.
"Is it quick?"
In fact, this car is very slow, both in its responses as well as its numbers. The CVT tries to imitate fake shifts when anything more than 1/4 throttle is applied, and they are very, very fake, with a slurred action that only seems more slurred when pressing the gas pedal farther down. I've seen Motor Trend achieve a 0 to 60 time of 10.4 seconds in an SL, which certainly sounds about right with how this car feels. A Corolla will feel quite peppy after driving this Versa Note, in part thanks to its less-rubbery CVT. It's not all bad, however. If I'm very gentle on the gas pedal, the car is actually smooth when taking off, and it mostly stays quiet. There's certainly more engine noise than the average vehicle, but the relative quietness as low revs almost seems intentional, so as to encourage me to go slowly.
Handling, too, would seem to suggest I take it easy around corners. With steel wheels and 185/65R15 Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus tires, it's no autocross king. The suspension, a MacPherson strut design in front and torsion-beam rear, is tuned rather softly. This leads to some excessive body motions over imperfections, but it also filters out smaller imperfections well. The torsion beam in back occasionally causes some judders that even my firmly-sprung GTI can't replicate, but the overall ride quality is soft. Handling feel is a bit vague and mushy due to the highly-boosted steering, but it weights up at higher speeds, creating some semblance of confidence. If the steering rack were a touch quicker, I'd say this car would be at least 25% more fun. It takes just a little bit too much input to throw it into a corner, making it feel as though the car just doesn't wanna.
With its surprisingly airy cabin (if you ignore lateral knee space) and soft, but not floaty, ride, it makes a fine grocery getter, which is essentially its intended purpose. On longer trips, which this very car has seen, it can be a bit noisy and gets blown around by the wind. The gas mileage does come in handy, though...
Ownership
It's often said on the internet that Nissan's continuously variable transmissions are ticking time bombs. Maybe that's true, but with 62,000 miles, we haven't run into any issues with the transmission yet. We're close to finishing the loan on this car, and we are debating how long we want to keep it. But, it's largely been reliable. There have been some issues, which were driver-induced, such as taking a brief off-road stint which resulted in a bashed-in oil pan and some suspension problems. After fixing those, the car has been driving just fine since. It's also had its front bumper replaced twice due to collisions, along with one of its two headlights. None of these accidents seem to have upset the car long-term, however.
The only real unexpected issue was a squeaking sound under part throttle, especially when coasting and then easing into it. This was happening at about 55,000 miles, and it was found to be a cracked drive belt. Fortunately it was easily fixed, and the overall character of the drivetrain improved tremendously after replacing it. The accelerator pedal has felt more directly connected to something after getting that repair done. Mechanically, the Versa Note has been a peach outside that.
Conclusion
It's hard to recommend the Versa Note when there are lots of other compelling options, like, say a Honda Fit (perhaps the most obvious one). In fact, I tried to convince my wife to check out the Fit before getting her Versa Note, but in her mind, the Versa Note was both cheaper and fulfilled all her requirements, including having just a touch more perceived interior space than the Fit (mainly due to headroom). Plus, her previous car was, in fact, a Nissan Versa hatchback. Why change brands, if it is working out fine? Having said that, this car, in a vacuum, is actually incredibly easy to get around in, and cheap. I actually kind of love it for how darned simple and carefree the ownership experience has been. For many people, that's the best possible car ownership experience. What do you guys think?
It's hard to recommend the Versa Note when there are lots of other compelling options, like, say a Honda Fit (perhaps the most obvious one). In fact, I tried to convince my wife to check out the Fit before getting her Versa Note, but in her mind, the Versa Note was both cheaper and fulfilled all her requirements, including having just a touch more perceived interior space than the Fit (mainly due to headroom). Plus, her previous car was, in fact, a Nissan Versa hatchback. Why change brands, if it is working out fine? Having said that, this car, in a vacuum, is actually incredibly easy to get around in, and cheap. I actually kind of love it for how darned simple and carefree the ownership experience has been. For many people, that's the best possible car ownership experience. What do you guys think?
I had flashbacks to 2008 when I was helping my (now) wife choose her first car (not shared w/ her fam). We test drove the 3 door Yaris hatch. She loved the bubble-ish look of it and when we pulled into the Honda dealer to test drive the Fit, she refused to even sit in it. 'Why should I sit in the Fit when I already know what I want?"
I had flashbacks to 2008 when I was helping my (now) wife choose her first car (not shared w/ her fam). We test drove the 3 door Yaris hatch. She loved the bubble-ish look of it and when we pulled into the Honda dealer to test drive the Fit, she refused to even sit in it. 'Why should I sit in the Fit when I already know what I want?"
Yeah, I've been in the same mindset myself before. When my 2010 Camry was getting close to 60,000 miles, I decided maybe it'd be a good idea to get a new one. (In retrospect, it was a Camry, of course, so it would have likely been fine.) I didn't really look at any other types of cars, as I immediately knew I wanted another Camry. I should have shopped around more, as I was ultimately not happy with the '15 Camry SE I bought. It felt too similar to my 2010 in many ways, and had disappointing handling for an "SE" trim, which seemed like it was trying to be sporty. I ended up trading that for the Lexus after just 1 year and 8 months.
That whole experience changed me in terms of how I think about cars.
Friend of mine bought a Versa sedan last year. She needed something cheap and just to get around town in. For her, the perfect car to fit her budget. Speaking of inexpensive vehicles, our 04 RX was totaled so went out to find a replacement vehicle. Realized that neither of our cars are high mileage- the 14 has 33k, and the 04 was used to run to the store, etc., and was averageing 2-3k/year. Looked around and the Kia had plenty of room, all the new safety equipment -blind spot/LKA/auto braking, etc.- and thought why not? I know 3 people with them that have been very happy and we decided we would rather spend 20k on a vehicle that's going to sit a lot than 40-50k for an NX or something similar. Actually, the Kia also feels a lot roomier than the NX. I realize it's not the quickest but we're talking around town, so for that something small is perfect.
I would say the vast vast majority of car owners are NOT enthusiasts in the least. Much like vanilla is the most popular ice cream flavor. Camrys, Accords and now RAV4's and CR-V's dominate the road. They're not particularly engaging, and they're rather appliance like, although they'll try to market it as not.
It's why resources like Consumer Reports and J.D. Power are indicated as more influential in purchase decisions than say Motor Trend or Car and Driver. Most people care about the main functionality first.
But that's not particularly sexy to today's auto journalists and marketing departments that are usually simply looking for metrics like horsepower numbers, or 0 to 60 or roadholding grip, vs. how is this car to actually live with in day to day situations. Although they try to address this with their more long-term type reviews.
Cars like the Versa Note are wonderfully comfortable, largely problem free, and go about their lives providing reasonable, dependable transportation. Most automakers look to minimize problems. A few cars look make it fun as well.
They say if auto enthusiasts had their way, everything would be a diesel, 6 speed manual, all wheel drive, station wagon. Probably brown in color. And they'd sell 10.
I don't agree with, and never have agreed with, the commonly-held theory that auto "enthusiasts" necessarily have to be sport-oriented, aggressive drivers, or simply seek psychological thrills from driving. One can be a true automotive enthusiast (as I am) without being a speed, high-G-cornering, sport-seat, drifting, burnout, stop-light-contest, or ticket-gathering enthusiast. To me and to others like me, even mild-mannered driving always was, and always will be a pleasure.
But that does not necessarily mean driving around in something like a Versa Note. While the Versa is (admittedly) slightly larger and roomier inside than its primary Kia Rio and Hyundai Accent competitors, it is, first and foremost, a car for people who simply don't have much to spend, want basic no-frills daily transportation, and are generally not concerned with having a lot of equipment on their vehicles.
Jalopnik seemed to like the poverty spec Accent when it first came out....with manuel of course, when driving slow cars fast is seemingly fun. For a commuter, I could live with it as long as it had Carplay/Android Auto.
Jalopnik seemed to like the poverty spec Accent when it first came out....with manuel of course, when driving slow cars fast is seemingly fun. For a commuter, I could live with it as long as it had Carplay/Android Auto.
I think a lot of that comes down to how the car is tuned, though, and of course the "manuel". With the Versa Note CVT, it's best driven as gently as possible, IMHO. It feels reluctant to turn in. I will say, for what it is, especially considering its rear drum brakes, the braking is not terrible, in fact better than would be necessary. That doesn't make it fun though.
I think a lot of that comes down to how the car is tuned, though, and of course the "manuel". With the Versa Note CVT, it's best driven as gently as possible, IMHO. It feels reluctant to turn in. I will say, for what it is, especially considering its rear drum brakes, the braking is not terrible, in fact better than would be necessary. That doesn't make it fun though.
True. I actually rented a Note in 2017 in Kansas (but it was plated in MO). It was definitely adequate for just driving around. TBH, I might have kept it during my trip but it didn't come with a cargo cover on the hatch; travelling with luggage far from home, didn't want to end up with broken glass. Ended up with a Fiesta sedan with the awful DCT (definitely not a FiST), because it was the only choice that Hertz had at the airport during my second leg of the trip.
I will say, for what it is, especially considering its rear drum brakes, the braking is not terrible, in fact better than would be necessary.
On most vehicles, particularly with front-engined/FWD ones, most of the braking-load is up front. That's why rear-engined Porsches have such short braking distances.....in addition to large disc-rotors on each wheel, on sudden-braking, the center-of-gravity shifts to the approximate center of the vehicle, where all four wheels can do about an equal share of the braking. With FWD (and some front-engine/RWD vehicles), sudden braking shifts so much of the weight up forward that the rear brakes do very little before impending wheel lockup, which, of course, ABS prevents. That's also why many front-heavy vehicles do not have ventilated rear disc rotors....they do not produce as much heat.
A lot of us Club Lexus members most likely fall into one of two camps, possibly both - car enthusiasts and simply Lexus enthusiasts. As such, I would bet the average person reading this post thinks of cars as having some intrinsic value beyond their utility as a point-A-to-point-B solution. That said, many people are not at all "into cars" and see them as necessary evils. For them, cost and practicality are paramount. Costing little and yet accomplishing a lot of life's mundane chores are feats the 2015 Nissan Versa Note achieves handily. At one point in time, the sedan version of the Versa was the cheapest new car on sale in the US, but it got stellar fuel mileage and was not a tiny vehicle either. So, why do most journalists seem to rant about just how terrible these vehicles are?
Yes, those are in fact aftermarket wheel covers.
This is my wife's 2015 Versa Note SV, in Brick Red. Or, was it "Red Brick"? I've seen it written both ways by our dealership's service department, sometimes even appearing as just "Brick". No matter, this car is red no matter what building material served as its inspiration. This might be a controversial opinion of mine, but I actually really like the look of the Versa Note, and have since day one. It looks like it was actually designed, unlike its sedan sibling, which looks like it had Nissan styling language haphazardly inserted at the last moment.
We got this car with just 3,000 miles on its odometer, give or take, as it was a retired loaner car at the very same dealership, which saved us nearly $2,000 compared with a new one. It now has close to 63,000 miles, and it's loped along for all those miles with no unexpected issues - though, to be fair, we have been very diligent with maintenance.
Compared to its predecessor, the Versa hatchback, the Versa Note really stepped into the 2010's. It gained a CVT instead of the older car's 4-speed automatic, and it gained a smaller, weaker engine, dropping from 1.8 liters to 1.6 liters, and 122 horsepower down to 109. However, it also lost weight, meaning fuel efficiency and overall acceleration weren't worse than before - in fact, with its 40 MPG highway, the newer Note trounced the older Versa hatch's 34 highway. On top of that, Bluetooth for hands-free calling (on SV and above trims), and... well, not much else, mean this car is affordable and a good value.
But what's it like to live with?
When you first hop into a Versa Note, its mission to be a practical, no-nonsense daily driver is blatantly obvious. The step-in height seems to be almost intentionally set to the average height between a conventional compact sedan and a compact crossover. Older people would probably have no issues with it, given the low amount of bolstering on the seat bottoms and generous headroom.
Once seated, a driver would see that there's no real nonsense in the gauges or steering wheel setup either. It's a sort of version of a three-dial cluster, with an oddly-LCD fuel gauge. The whole panel is backlit in a bright white, which fortunately makes the gauges very easy to read if a bit big. There's no touchscreen - just a traditional, if you will, LCD display. The radio's limited capabilities mean little more than this small screen would be beneficial to the car's occupants. And, the climate controls? Well, they're certainly a throwback, complete with a fully-manual switch to toggle recirculating air. Moreover, they're surrounded by piano-black plastic, which requires constant dusting and occasional wiping to avoid looking quite dirty.
That said, there are plenty of places to stick things, like a slot that almost looks made for a smartphone next to the manual handbrake, and a slot underneath the climate controls which we use to store pens, should we need them. The Versa Note also has a driver's armrest, though the front passenger and the rear passengers will have to do without armrests. The beige-colored cloth seats in our car match the red exterior paint nicely, but they do look rather cheap. Beige cloth inserts can also be found on the doors.
The steering wheel is "leather wrapped", but even from day one, I was never convinced it was real leather. It feels more like plastic that is simulating leather, and it has never felt soft. I will say that I prefer the appearance of this steering wheel to an un-apologetically-urethane item, as the stitching adds visual granularity that a urethane wheel lacks. The steering wheel is adjustable for tilt only - no telescoping, but fortunately, I can find a comfortable position, if a bit upright.
"Is it quick?"
In fact, this car is very slow, both in its responses as well as its numbers. The CVT tries to imitate fake shifts when anything more than 1/4 throttle is applied, and they are very, very fake, with a slurred action that only seems more slurred when pressing the gas pedal farther down. I've seen Motor Trend achieve a 0 to 60 time of 10.4 seconds in an SL, which certainly sounds about right with how this car feels. A Corolla will feel quite peppy after driving this Versa Note, in part thanks to its less-rubbery CVT. It's not all bad, however. If I'm very gentle on the gas pedal, the car is actually smooth when taking off, and it mostly stays quiet. There's certainly more engine noise than the average vehicle, but the relative quietness as low revs almost seems intentional, so as to encourage me to go slowly.
Handling, too, would seem to suggest I take it easy around corners. With steel wheels and 185/65R15 Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus tires, it's no autocross king. The suspension, a MacPherson strut design in front and torsion-beam rear, is tuned rather softly. This leads to some excessive body motions over imperfections, but it also filters out smaller imperfections well. The torsion beam in back occasionally causes some judders that even my firmly-sprung GTI can't replicate, but the overall ride quality is soft. Handling feel is a bit vague and mushy due to the highly-boosted steering, but it weights up at higher speeds, creating some semblance of confidence. If the steering rack were a touch quicker, I'd say this car would be at least 25% more fun. It takes just a little bit too much input to throw it into a corner, making it feel as though the car just doesn't wanna.
With its surprisingly airy cabin (if you ignore lateral knee space) and soft, but not floaty, ride, it makes a fine grocery getter, which is essentially its intended purpose. On longer trips, which this very car has seen, it can be a bit noisy and gets blown around by the wind. The gas mileage does come in handy, though...
Ownership
It's often said on the internet that Nissan's continuously variable transmissions are ticking time bombs. Maybe that's true, but with 62,000 miles, we haven't run into any issues with the transmission yet. We're close to finishing the loan on this car, and we are debating how long we want to keep it. But, it's largely been reliable. There have been some issues, which were driver-induced, such as taking a brief off-road stint which resulted in a bashed-in oil pan and some suspension problems. After fixing those, the car has been driving just fine since. It's also had its front bumper replaced twice due to collisions, along with one of its two headlights. None of these accidents seem to have upset the car long-term, however.
The only real unexpected issue was a squeaking sound under part throttle, especially when coasting and then easing into it. This was happening at about 55,000 miles, and it was found to be a cracked drive belt. Fortunately it was easily fixed, and the overall character of the drivetrain improved tremendously after replacing it. The accelerator pedal has felt more directly connected to something after getting that repair done. Mechanically, the Versa Note has been a peach outside that.
Conclusion
It's hard to recommend the Versa Note when there are lots of other compelling options, like, say a Honda Fit (perhaps the most obvious one). In fact, I tried to convince my wife to check out the Fit before getting her Versa Note, but in her mind, the Versa Note was both cheaper and fulfilled all her requirements, including having just a touch more perceived interior space than the Fit (mainly due to headroom). Plus, her previous car was, in fact, a Nissan Versa hatchback. Why change brands, if it is working out fine? Having said that, this car, in a vacuum, is actually incredibly easy to get around in, and cheap. I actually kind of love it for how darned simple and carefree the ownership experience has been. For many people, that's the best possible car ownership experience. What do you guys think?
An interesting write up. We find our small cars quite satisfying. They serve a different mission than our SUVs. The simplicity of the two cars is what makes them so good, no fancy AUTO AC to mess with. No big inline 6 or V8 to kill us at the gas pump with 15MPG annoying full time 4WD that is always pulling or somewhat vibrating underneath. Everything is done making the ownership easygoing. The brakes on my Corolla have never been changed, the pads are at 6mm on the original set, currently, kms are at 110,000. The Matrix had one rotor set changed out and one new set up of brake pads at 165,000km. Both cars have excellent head room and lots of room. Lastly, and this might be strange to some, we realized this the other day when we stopped driving the new Avalon...You don't see or view the hood when looking out the front windshield, all you see is the road. You also do not feel the weight of small cars like you do larger ones.
Now in Avalon. It is a multistep process to change the radio. Car Play can really suck and my Apple Watch goes crazy with directions among other stuff like the volume is not in line with the radio. You also lose the navigation heads up functions The heated seats, you have to hit the button three times to use low, or simply turn it off. Same with the cooling seats. Also the doors, the front doors are so big, the handles to pull in the doors are far, you have to really, really reach for them...its like a design flaw or something. The headroom is actually less compared to our Corolla or Matrix, it is really self-evident as you cannot see the buttons for the moonroof from the seating position. Where you don't see the hood in the Corolla/Matrix, you certainly do in the Avalon and you get see all of the reflections from the road, lights, sky or whatever, it becomes really distracting. Finally, there are so many beeps here and there form all the tech which IMO can just drive one crazy.
Just some of my thoughts and comments about small cars and why there is sometimes no love. The media will never give the Versa a huge thumbs up...cars like the LC500 or EVs are where the new eyeballs and subscriptions come from....but most people do know the value of small cars if they understand what they were designed for.
I don't agree with, and never have agreed with, the commonly-held theory that auto "enthusiasts" necessarily have to be sport-oriented, aggressive drivers, or simply seek psychological thrills from driving. One can be a true automotive enthusiast (as I am) without being a speed, high-G-cornering, sport-seat, drifting, burnout, stop-light-contest, or ticket-gathering enthusiast. To me and to others like me, even mild-mannered driving always was, and always will be a pleasure.
I totally agree, BUT I think an enthusiast has to get enjoyment out of a vehicle in some way other than just as transportation. This is certainly not a vehicle any enthusiast would buy.
Originally Posted by LexsCTJill
Where you don't see the hood in the Corolla/Matrix, you certainly do in the Avalon and you get see all of the reflections from the road, lights, sky or whatever, it becomes really distracting.
I actually much prefer to see the hood when driving. One reason why I don't care for FWD cars, typically with RWD cars you have a better view out over the hood.
Finally, there are so many beeps here and there form all the tech which IMO can just drive one crazy.
Just some of my thoughts and comments about small cars and why there is sometimes no love.
All of that stuff can be turned off if you don't want to use those features.
The issue is not small vs large is quality vs not. Lots of high quality enjoyable cars that are small. This Versa Note is not one of them.
I like the feeling that I'm driving something that is a quality piece of engineering, that was designed to deliver an experience for the driver not just the bare minimum. That feeling can be found across all different size and price classes if you look for it.
One must think about safety when looking at these micro cars. You cannot defy physics. If you get broad-sided or rear-ended by a truck or anything larger than these, the intrusion nearest your body will be greater, because there is less interior space around you. You are that much closer to the outside world. For safety, and considering how bad everyone now drives (not paying attention, under the influence), I'd avoid these small cars. A slightly used larger car would cost the same as a new micro car.
One must think about safety when looking at these micro cars. You cannot defy physics. If you get broad-sided or rear-ended by a truck or anything larger than these, the intrusion nearest your body will be greater, because there is less interior space around you. You are that much closer to the outside world. For safety, and considering how bad everyone now drives (not paying attention, under the influence), I'd avoid these small cars. A slightly used larger car would cost the same as a new micro car.
04-22-20, 09:11 PM
Are cheap vehicles like the Versa Note unfairly judged?
