The four of us took he 2007 Nissan Versa out to see the tall ships at Dana Point harbor. I couldn't park close enough to pose the Nissan near one, so you'll have to imagine masts, sails and a general pirate-y atmosphere yourself.
I'd always thought of the Versa as a smooth-riding machine. It doesn't crash over bumps and it handles LA freeway joints easily...
With the equivalent of less than three aboard (my two daughters don't add up to one adult, weightwise), the rear end bobs and floats more than I'd like. And if the asphalt isn't glassy-smooth, the body motion is "busy" - it's always moving in one direction or another. All-in-all, it's a far more boat-like ride than I'd remembered.
Interesting side note:
Our 2007 Nissan Versa has accumulated just 11,162 miles in nine months.
The 2008 Scion xB is approaching 6,500 miles in just two-and-a-half months.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 11,162 miles
mcrunfast says:
11:44 AM, 09/11/07
Thats a very strange statistic. I would think there would be some requirements to drive certain vehicles more to balance things out. Yeah, it's kinda telling to find out which cars are more universally liked by how much mileage gets put on them, but I think I'd like to see a little less disparity in things than what you note right there.
"Everyone loves the xB and can't get enough of it, it's cool and trendy!" Great, but what if want more genuine coverage on the other vehicles? Maybe the next time some of the review guys and gals feel an itch for the xB, grab the Versa instead, or another unloved car. Same goes for any of the other cars with loads of mileage. (Obviously certain trips also dictate things. If you're going to be doing a lot of heavy duty work, it'd be stupid to put the Versa to it. Give a truck a workout since people in the market for a Yukon probably care more about that kinda thing.)
altimadude00 says:
07:16 PM, 09/11/07
Why should the Versa feel floaty with more weight in the back than with just the driver in the car? If other editors have driven over the same road and not detected this floatiness, what could be causing it? My thinking is, the more weight you put in a vehicle, the more settled the car feels.
stephen987 says:
12:47 PM, 09/13/07
If the nose is up, and too much air is under the chin, aerodynamic factors could make the car feel less stable at high speeds.