Nissan is banking on the Versa being a real winner for them. In fact, they are expecting to sell 30,000 units in its first full year on the market. That's pretty ambitious for a team that hasn't truly played in the sub-compact playground since it retired its Sentra Classic in 1993.
So how does this new kid on the block shape up? Is it going to change the whole game or could Nissan be about to drop the ball?
Well, Nissan is certainly going to stir up the other players, as they have packed this little entry-level car with more features, performance and room than most buyers would expect at this end of the market.
From the outside, the Versa is quite pleasing to the eyes. It carries the familiar Nissan front end look and the build quality is typical of the brand. All in all, I think that the Vehicle carries a rather nice wrapper for a small car.
Did I just say "small car"? Open the doors and that phrase could be deemed slightly misleading, as the Versa is surprisingly roomy inside. In fact, I'm told that the useable cabin space in the Versa is a millimeter longer, front to rear, than the company's much larger Maxima model.
Together with the sense of space, you'll also notice a level of comfort not typically found in a vehicle of this size. Much of this is down to the fact that Nissan has fitted what can only be described as "oversized seats". These give you a feeling of being in a much larger vehicle and are extremely comfortable.
Nissan has also gone to great lengths to supply a quality feel to the interior of the Versa, and has replaced most of the hard plastics usually found in this class of vehicle with some rather nice "soft touch" materials. On the whole, the cabin area of the Versa is a very pleasant and relaxing place to be.
The interior of the Versa also offers better than average rear leg room and a reasonable load carrying capacity. It should, however, be mentioned that the stylish tapered design of the rear means that access to it was slightly limited, and loading larger items might prove a tight squeeze.
My test vehicle featured Nissan's Technology Package which included a Rockford Fosgate 280w audio system with a 6 disk changer/MP3/WMA, 7 speakers, Bluetooth®, aux input jack, RDS, and speed sensitive volume control. The package also included a leather bound steering wheel with built-in audio controls. The cost of this package was around a $1000, and I'd call that pretty a reasonable price tag, considering what you get.
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| 2007 Nissan Versa (Photo: Kevin Corrigan, Auto123.com) |
Well, Nissan is certainly going to stir up the other players, as they have packed this little entry-level car with more features, performance and room than most buyers would expect at this end of the market.
From the outside, the Versa is quite pleasing to the eyes. It carries the familiar Nissan front end look and the build quality is typical of the brand. All in all, I think that the Vehicle carries a rather nice wrapper for a small car.
 |
| 2007 Nissan Versa (Photo: Kevin Corrigan, Auto123.com) |
Together with the sense of space, you'll also notice a level of comfort not typically found in a vehicle of this size. Much of this is down to the fact that Nissan has fitted what can only be described as "oversized seats". These give you a feeling of being in a much larger vehicle and are extremely comfortable.
Nissan has also gone to great lengths to supply a quality feel to the interior of the Versa, and has replaced most of the hard plastics usually found in this class of vehicle with some rather nice "soft touch" materials. On the whole, the cabin area of the Versa is a very pleasant and relaxing place to be.
 |
| 2007 Nissan Versa (Photo: Kevin Corrigan, Auto123.com) |
My test vehicle featured Nissan's Technology Package which included a Rockford Fosgate 280w audio system with a 6 disk changer/MP3/WMA, 7 speakers, Bluetooth®, aux input jack, RDS, and speed sensitive volume control. The package also included a leather bound steering wheel with built-in audio controls. The cost of this package was around a $1000, and I'd call that pretty a reasonable price tag, considering what you get.