2007 Nissan Versa S Hatchback

Summary:

My Versa has been very reliable and gets decent gas mileage

Faults:

Tire pressure Gauge - one of the sensors malfunctioned at about 135000 miles.

Steering Wheel Material - Cosmetic damage - was like this when I got the car at 35000 miles - don't know why.

Alternator - went out on it around 120000 miles. No issues since I replaced it myself.

CD Player (Single Disc) - Eats CDs and you can't get them out without dismantling the player. This just started at 145000 miles, but Google revealed this is a common issue for Nissan.

Driver's Side Exterior Door Handle - There is a plastic clip that broke off, leaving a cosmetic plastic piece surrounding the key hole gone. Have to purchase the entire assembly if I want to replace it.

Factory Wheel Covers - First one popped off within 6 months, Second popped off around 3 months later. My aftermarkets from Wal Mart have given me no issues since then though.

General Maintenance: I've replace bulbs in both headlights and both tail lights. One tail light has gone out twice. New battery as needed once or twice.

General Comments:

Extremely pleased with this car. I only paid 10k for it, and it has carried me 110,000 miles across 6 years (I don't consider alternators major as I have had to change that out on all 6 vehicles I've owned. It is my curse).

No engine issues and I have been lax on the oil changes a few times, but usually have it done every 6000 miles or so as recommended in the manual. Transmission works fine.

The 4 cylinder engine does run at a high RPM, which took some getting used to. Accelerating is fine at lower speeds. But when accelerating at high speeds on the highway, give yourself some extra time before trying to jump out in front of someone.

No idea what they advertised the gas mileage as. I get about 32 MPG on the highway driving normal. I went through a phase where I tried to keep the RPM as low as possible to see what I could do, and got 36 MPG highway.

The car had lots of space when I compared it to others in the same size/price range at the time of purchase.

As far as total room for the driver, I'm only 5'6" though. Not sure how someone more than 6' tall would feel about it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th September, 2015

2007 Nissan Versa SL 1.8 gas

Summary:

Great value found through compromise

Faults:

Airbag light comes on intermittently, there is a recall for this, which I have not fulfilled.

Interior not holding up as well as hoped.

On a trip to the west coast from central Alberta, cool fresh air and A/C produce a light burning smell. Not sure what the cause is, but the oil is fine, and belts have no wear to them.

General Comments:

It's a big compact car, has great room, but suffers in fuel economy. Curiously, a hefty (6'8" or so and approx 320lbs) friend of mine cannot realistically fit in it, but has plenty of room in his mini. I get between 28 - 42 Canadian miles/gallon averages 33 70/30 time spent city/highway driving. (6.7-10.7 avg 8.5 l/100km).

It has a six speed standard, but the clutch is quiet heavy and I find that the gears are oddly spaced ie. coasting at a stoplight; second revs too low, and first revs too high. Could use a seventh gear on the highway to help with fuel economy. It rev's at approx 3500rpm in sixth on the highway.

Suspension is fine in the majority of circumstances, however it feels like I am off roading when I go over a pothole or a low curb to enter parking lots; coffee often splashes.

Poor placement of 12V power, gets in the way of emergency brake, and is awkward to access; probably the most inconvenient design flaw.

Have a 6CD in dash changer with auxiliary input and sub. Quality is pretty good overall. I wish mid-range sound was adjustable. Speed sensitive volume control works great. Bluetooth hands free is acceptable, however it is a little finicky. Bluetooth does not enable music to be played through, just phone calls.

Interior materials have a great quality feel, but the bottom seat cover passenger side is coming off, door panel has some white scratches (bought it that way). Minor annoyance, but the factory rubber floor mat slides forward off the hook and under the clutch pedal, causing it to stick.

Exterior the hood sits a little crooked, but the car is accident free, and I think this was delivered from factory this way. Paint holds up great.

Overall, the value in this car is great, and I would buy another one for basic commute/small family car without hesitation, but Nissan had to cut corners somewhere, and this is evident.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th August, 2010

28th Feb 2016, 19:00

Great review.