Introduction

Nissan Versa Sedan – Review: Deceptively large. Two simple words that we use to describe things like houses and girls whose headshots we saw on the Internet. They also apply to the 2007 Nissan Versa Sedan, an all-new offering that takes on the subcompact Toyota Yaris, yet with its more spacious cabin, actually garners a midsize classification from the EPA. But more than dimensions, there are quality materials and features often reserved for vehicles in a more expensive segment, an area the Versa Sedan encroaches upon quickly. Considering its placement on the lower rungs of the market, the as-tested price of $18,045 had us scratching our heads, wondering how such a small car could offer so much room and carry such a lofty price.

What We Drove

For this review, we drove an up-level 2007 Nissan Versa Sedan SL, a pre-production unit loaned from Nissan, meaning it was an example built for testing and evaluation and not for retail sale. As such, we didn’t receive a window sticker, so had to estimate the price of our ride. Starting with the SL’s base price of $14,550, we added $615 for destination charges, $1,000 for the continuously-variable automatic transmission, another $700 for the Convenience Package, $600 for a power sunroof, $250 for antilock brakes, and $300 for Sirius satellite radio. Tally it up, and you’ve got a grand total of $18,045.

Performance

We’re admitted power junkies, and are therefore still coming to terms with the impressiveness of four-cylinder-powered cars like the Versa. Whether traveling around town or along challenging twisty roads, the power was sufficient, and when it came to highway driving, sufficient to the point of pulling us to triple-digit speeds, a fact we were unaware of until noticing how slow our fellow road warriors had become. If there was one thing we’d change it’d be the continuously-variable automatic transmission (CVT). It’s fine for casual driving, but when you want to punch it to merge with traffic, or when powering out of turns on a twisty road, the delay in power delivery can be annoying and nerve-wracking. We recorded 27.1 mpg.

Handling

Nissan will build you a capable handler if that’s what you want, but it’ll be carrying a Z badge. It will not be labeled the Versa Sedan. Just for curiosity and grins, we romped with the little Nissan four-door on one of our usual twisty road routes and found the suspension to be soft, the steering to be somewhat responsive yet uncommunicative through the steering wheel, and the Continental ContiPro Contact 185/65R15 tires to be serious squealers given the mildest of provocation. During normal driving, the soft suspension smoothes out rough roads, the steering’s light effort at slow speeds is a joy, and the brakes, always responsive and effective, are a selling point.

Fun to Drive

Fun is a day at Disney World, or playing basketball with your kids. Driving the Nissan Versa Sedan, on the other hand, is more like watching the evening news, or visiting your doctor once a year; it’s something you do because its part of the routine, just not a part that necessarily puts a smile on your face. For that, we’d swap out the CVT and put in the more enjoyable six-speed manual transmission, and the soft suspension and 15-inch tires would need to be dealt with if fun was the ultimate goal. The Versa Sedan may be comfortable and accommodating in every daily driver way, but smiles-per-mile is not one of the car’s attributes.