Nissan Versa Hatchback Strikes Just the Right Note
It’s no vice to like the 2015 Versa Note, a tiny Nissan hatchback that harkens back to the 1970s Japanese subcompacts that Bostonians fell in love with long before the rest of America discovered them.
Like the Toyota Tercels and Honda Civics of yore, the Versa Note combines a low base price ($14,990, including destination fees) with good design, impressive fuel efficiency, and petite dimensions well-suited to the Hub’s small streets and parking spaces.
Unveiled in the 2014 model year (previous versions of the car were just called “Versa hatchbacks’’), the base Versa Note is little changed for 2015, although Nissan has added upscale SR and SL trim lines. I recently test drove the Versa Note SR, Nissan’s sport version of the car.
On the outside, the Versa Note looks a lot like the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, and other modern-day Japanese subcompacts. The car’s stubby hood, plastic grille, and big, aerodynamic windshield sweep back to a flat roof and boxy rear hatch. My test model also came standard with a snappy rear spoiler and machine-finished, five-spoke alloy wheels.
Inside, the Versa Note’s cabin is light on frills, but surprisingly roomy given the car’s modest size.
Manual-adjust front seats offer both driver and passenger plenty of headroom, legroom, and hiproom, while my test model came with decent looking black-cloth upholstery that Nissan calls “suede-like.’’ The car also had a matching black-and-chrome gear shifter and black-leather-wrapped steering wheel.
A nicely designed dashboard features a large speedometer and a small tachometer and fuel gauge, plus well-marked buttons and knobs that control the car’s four-speaker AM/FM/CD/USB/Bluetooth stereo and single-zone climate system. My test car also featured a $660 Convenience Package that added SiriusXM satellite radio, Bluetooth streaming audio, and a five-inch color monitor/backup camera.
In back, the Versa Note boasts one of the roomiest rear-seat areas of any subcompact on the market. The car’s 60/40 split rear seat offers enough headroom, legroom, and hiproom to keep even two adults comfortable on modestly long trips. (These seats can technically accommodate three people, but that’s a little optimistic.)
The Versa Note’s rear cargo area likewise offers an impressive amount of space. I easily fit five grocery bags in the 18.8 cubic feet that the subcompact’s cargo bay offers with the rear seats in use.
If that’s not enough room for you, folding the back seats down will create a generous 38.3-cubic-foot space that’s big enough to handle bulky items like a tent or a new microwave oven that you’re taking home. My test car also came with a “Divide-N-Hide’’ under-the-floor storage bin (part of the $660 Convenience Package) that allows you to stash pocketbooks or other valuables out of sight.
On the road, the Versa Note’s diminutive size makes backing up, turning, and parallel parking all a snap. The vehicle’s tight 34.8-foot turning diameter also means what would be a three-point turn in other cars is an easy U-turn with the Versa Note.
The car also offers excellent front, left, and rear visibility, although I did notice a bit of a right-side blind spot.
And while the Versa Note SR’s standard front-wheel-drive and continuously variable automatic transmission work well enough, the car’s 109-horsepower four-cylinder engine isn’t exactly beefy. My test car noisily revved to 3,000 rpm just to go from 0 mph to 30 mph on city streets and all the way to 5,500 rpm accelerating to 60 mph on Route 128.
On the plus side, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rates the Versa Note’s fuel efficiency at a good 31 miles per gallon in the city and 40 mpg/highway. I averaged 34.6 mpg in combined city/highway driving during a week-long test drive.
The bottom line: the 2015 Versa Note is easy to park, easy to drive, easy to afford, and easy on the gas budget. Now that’s a Versa that has no real vices.
2015 Nissan Versa Note
THE BASICS
Price, base/as tested (with destination): $14,990/$19,180. Fuel economy, EPA estimated (for the Versa Note SR): 31 city/40 highway/35 combined. Fuel economy, Globe observed: 34.6. Drivetrain: 1.6-liter 109-horsepower inline-4, front-wheel-drive, continuously variable automatic transmission (base Versa Notes have 5-speed manual transmission). Body: 5-passenger subcompact hatchback.
THE SPECIFICS
Horsepower: 109. Torque: 107 lb.-ft. Overall length: 163 in. Wheelbase: 102.4 in. Height: 60.5 in. Width: in. 66.7. Curb weight (Versa Note SR): 2,523 lbs.
THE GOOD
Impressive fuel efficiency and a roomy, well-designed interior that belies the car’s modest price and size.
THE BAD
The cabin isn’t exactly luxurious, while the car’s 109-horsepower engine is noisy and underwhelming.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Versa Note’s low starting price, high mpg, and decent interior mean anyone looking for a budget subcompact should check out this car.
ALSO CONSIDER
Chevrolet Sonic, Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Toyota Yaris.
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