2010 Nissan Versa 1.8 SL Hatchback, an AW Drivers Log

April 4, 2010

SENIOR WEB REPORTER GREG MIGLIORE: I was actually surprised with my drive experience in this hatch, and I'd rate it as very acceptable.

First of all, this Versa tester presents well, helped by a paint color that looks as if it was borrowed from Maranello. Unfortunately, that coated a design that was a bit awkward; the shape of this car just seemed odd to me and fairly unattractive.

The chassis was tight, and the car was pretty efficient driving in some wet winter weather. I found the steering to be a bit rubbery and the motor fairly buzzy. The four-banger is good on gas, and it was just effective enough to accelerate with oomph when I needed to.

The interior was OK. Some of it looked nice; some of the plastic--particularly in the center stack--looked pretty cheap. But overall, it's decent transportation.

EDITOR WES RAYNAL: This is not a bad little scooter for bombing around town, at a decent price. The CVT makes it drive sort of like a snowmobile: You hit the gas, the engine drones on and on, and eventually things get rolling. But this is good, basic transportation. The ride is compliant and comfortable, one of the better rides among the small cars.

Build quality and materials are bad, but I expected that. In fact, there was a nasty rattle from the center of the dash when the car was cold this morning. It went away after it warmed up.

This Versa is not sexy, fast or fun. But as I said, it's a decent little commuter/city car.

ASSOCIATE EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: This Versa is much better than that budget-wheels model we drove last year with the crummy tires, and it should be for $8,000 more. In small-car terms, I would rate this Versa near the top of the class, with a respectable amount of power and above-average handling and ride comfort.

While I believe Nissan is probably one of the best at making CVTs work well, the unit in this Versa still exhibits the rubber-band-like surging, which isn't the most pleasant sound. If you can get past the droning, then acceleration isn't all that bad. You won't be a sitting duck when merging onto the expressway and pulling off passes shouldn't be too much of an issue.

The Versa's strongest areas are ride and handling. Unlike a lot of other small cars, it doesn't bounce and crash over holes and bumps. The suspension does a decent job of damping those daily hazards, and the car is pretty composed rounding corners.

However, I still have to call Nissan out on the Versa's interior. Our test car is a relatively fresh example with only a few thousand miles on it--and all the panels creak like an old, warped hardwood floor. It's not hard to see why, because there are so many separate plastic panels that cover the dash. The more separate pieces you have, the more seams there are to generate all those unwanted noises. I will say the seats offer decent comfort, and there are some soft-touch surfaces on the door panels.

Interior complaints aside, this Versa is still one of the strongest contenders in the small-car category.

2010 Nissan Versa 1.8SL Hatchback

Base Price: $17,250

As-Tested Price: $18,385

Drivetrain: 1.8-liter I4; FWD, continuously variable transmission


Curb Weight: 2,758 lb

Fuel Economy (EPA): 30 mpg

Options: Premium package including Nissan Intelligent Key, Bluetooth, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, leather-wrapped steering wheel, 15-inch alloy wheels ($980); five-piece floor/trunk mat set ($150)