2007 Nissan Versa SL: The Good Things

The automotive world runs on fuel economy....Time to debate something else, Debating fuel economy is getting boring.
 
How about color. Does the blue on the Versa look better than the silver on the Fit?

Speaking of color, why would the Fit drop Lunar Mist and add Tidewater Blue? They are so similar. (Sorry, I know it's a Fit entry on the Versa blog, but I've seen Nissan do this sort of thing as well.) Also, too bad the Fit's two-tone-ish beige interior has been dropped in the U.S. People might find the Versa's interior a little more upscale in appearance, if not quite as reconfigurable, and having a choice of color sure is nice.
 
http://www.hondanews.com/categories/875/photos/15356

bennetpullen: Not necessarily. If you're like 90% of Americans, you want a car with two pedals instead of three. In that case, comparing the Fit and Versa, they both have the same fuel economy (27/33). Props to Nissan for taking a heavier more powerful car and making it match the economy of a supposedly frugal Honda.
 
Regardless, I'd never buy the Versa for one reason, summed up by Doug in this post: "The Versa's kinda ugly".

"(Sorry, I know it's a Fit entry on the Versa blog, but I've seen Nissan do this sort of thing as well.)"
 
No problem, as long as you don't mention the Aura.

Not trying to push one car or the other. Just throwing this out there.
 
"The Fit...was the quickest to 60 mph...and the quickest in the quarter-mile yet offered the least engine NVH.... the only car here that felt happy storming the switchbacks. We later confirmed this when the Fit sailed through our lane-change test 6 mph faster than anything else here [including Versa] — faster, in fact, than a Corvette Z06." - C&D, May 2006
 
"[The Versa is] fairly quick off the line, but once the engine reaches 4,000 rpm, it begins to grumble loudly about the increased revs. Nor is the 1.8-liter four as smooth or refined as the Honda's smaller 1.5-liter engine, and though the Nissan engine is rated higher in both horsepower and torque, our testing showed it was no faster than the Fit due to the Nissan's extra 255 pounds of weight." - edmunds.com

Well since you mentioned the Aura, I think it's a MUCH better car than the Camry or the new Accord. Mainly because it uses struts instead of gooseneck decklid hinges. And the XR has a 6-speed automatic versus a 5-speed. Who even uses those anymore?? GM is in the hunt now, watch out import fanboys!
 
That's how this works now, right... all of the blogs point to the Aura? How does the Versa compare to the Aura? Worse, right?

greenpony,
 
I'm curious where you got those numbers from. Using www.fueleconomy.gov I got 26/33 for the Versa (with CVT, not the regular automatic) and 27/35 for the Fit. Interestingly though, the "estimates from drivers" section shows a larger difference between the Fit and Versa. That holds true across all of the transmission types as well.
 
I do have another comment that directly relates to Doug's post though. Doug said "The Fit just revs so high all the time" in is post. Both of these cars have manual transmissions right? If the revs are to high for you why don't you shift? If you're talking about the freeway, or any time you are already in 5th than I agree with you, the Fit could use a 6th gear. But any other time just up-shift and put your foot down a little more, unless you are already flooring it...
 
Also, I agree that all of the discussions should not revolve around mileage. I simply wanted to point out that the cost of the Versa's observed lazier demeanor (a subjective opinion) is worse fuel economy (a non-subjective fact). I think that it is those little trade-offs made over and over again over many years that have helped to cause our current oil dependence problems. I'm tired of hearing about fancy new hybrid technology alternative fuels when we could solve a good portion of our fuel issues just my making very small sacrifices, such has having a car that is a little more high-strung in this case.

siblur...but it's much more livable to have an engine at 3200 RPM while coasting on the highway rather then 4000 RPM

langjie - I totally agree - better for your ears and your gas tank. I guess what the Edmunds test is saying is that the Fit's engine is smoother than the Versa's (even if it is revving a little higher), so it's the refinement that counts, not what the tach shows.
 
I can only say that at highway speeds, the a/t Fit revs lower than the m/t Civic, and the Civic is only slightly quieter, which is mainly due to its sound insulation. My own experience is that I would have to be pushing the Fit really hard for the NVH to annoy me. Some folks might find the Versa more relaxed, but this opinion seems to vary from road test to road test, and that I can't really account for. Hm. Bet the Versa's stereo is better...drown it all out that way, maybe...

Yeah for the record, the Fit A/T is right at 3k rpm at 80 mph with the AC off. Can't say for the Versa though. Can anyone tell us what the Versa with CVT is turning at 80 mph? What about for the manual in sixth gear? What does the manual Fit's tach look like at 80mph? Just curious.
 
Oh and incidentally, I picked 80 mph because that was where the Fit was hitting a round number on the tach. I have observed this as recently as my commute this morning.

bennett -- I just did some funky math (and i hope i did it correctly) to figure out what the environmental impacts of a car that gets 26 mpg and one that does 27 mpg (using the figures you researched above). Over 10,000 miles, the car that gets 26 mpg uses 14 more gallons of fuel more, or one fill-up for the Versa. (This is a base-line argument and i'm not taking into account variations.)
 
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An extra tank of fuel over 10,000 miles doesn't seem significant to reduce "our oil dependence."

What does the manual Fit's tach look like at 80mph? Just curious.
  
A lot higher I'm sure.
CR says:
5-sp MT @ 60 MPH = 2925
5-sp AT @ 60 MPH = 2280
 
I'm guessing Doug drove the MT Fit.

Considering the comments about the Versa's demeanor, might it really be competing with the Civic rather than with the Fit?

A lot of editors have said the Versa might be considered Civic and Dodge Caliber competition. A little more oomph and some bells and whistles and it might make the Sentra seem unnecessary. At that point, though, my vote is for the Civic or the Mazda3, but then again, the hatchback is a really nice feature too.