2018 Nissan Versa Review

　　

zzdcar' Expert Review

byJames Riswickzzdcar Contributor

　　James Riswick is an automotive journalist at zzdcar.

　　

What's new

SL trim has been discontinuedBase trim has a manual transmission onlyPart of the second Versa generation introduced for 2012

　　The 2018 Nissan Versa offers a huge back seat and trunk, a comfy ride and good fuel economy. It's also one of the least expensive cars around, at least in base form. If you're a driver for Lyft or Uber, a Versa could very well be an ideal car. But if you're car shopping isn't based on such obvious commercial reasons, the Versa stops making as much sense.

　　The Versa's base trim level provides so little equipment we think most car shoppers are going to want the SV trim level and its Special Edition package. That raises the price to a point more typical of the subcompact class. And when the Versa is compared to similarly priced rivals, its appeal dims considerably.

　　That's because Versa is innocuously styled, boring to drive, and has a low-rent cabin that will never let you forget how little you paid. Competitors are more stylish, better-equipped and enjoyable to drive. So while there is certainly something to be said for getting a big-car interior for not much money, we think shopping around a bit is a good idea before settling on this über Uber car.

　　

zzdcar' Expert Rating

　　The 2018 Nissan Versa offers a huge back seat and trunk, a comfy ride and good fuel economy. It's also one of the least expensive cars around, at least in base form. However, adding even basic features raises the price. And at that point, you might as well consider some more desirable competitors.

　　

Driving

　　The Versa is a bland car to drive. It's slow to accelerate and feels soft and disconnected when you're driving around turns. It also gets noisy because of the droning engine caused by the continuously variable transmission. There isn't much good to say.

　　

Comfort

　　The Versa has a soft, springy ride that soaks up bumps quite well. Seat comfort is hampered by a lack of adjustability. And interior noise is excessive when accelerating aggressively due to the underpowered engine and the CVT.

　　

Interior

　　The Versa has a big back seat and it's easy to see out of, but that's about all that's good. The driving position suffers from lack of standard height adjustability and steering-wheel telescoping. Visibility is expansive. The quality of interior materials is subpar.

　　

Utility

　　Its 14.9-cubic-foot trunk challenges those of midsize sedans for space. It's enormous for a subcompact sedan. A folding rear seatback is found only in the SV. Small-item storage is poor apart from a big glovebox.

　　

Technology

　　Tech is pretty much restricted to a rearview camera, a USB port, Bluetooth streaming audio and a touchscreen. No accident avoidance tech is available.

　　

Which Versa does zzdcar recommend?

　　We think it would be hard to live without the extras provided by the SV trim level as well as the SV's Special Edition package content (especially the USB port, rearview camera and height-adjustable driver seat). Basically, buy as much Versa as you can afford.

　　

2018 Nissan Versa models

　　The 2018 Nissan Versa is a subcompact sedan available in S, S Plus and SV trim levels. There is also a Versa Note hatchback, but there are a number of significant differences and we review it separately. Every Versa sedan comes standard with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine (109 horsepower, 107 pound-feet of torque). The base S trim comes only with a five-speed manual transmission, and the S Plus and SV come only with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).

　　Standard equipment on the base S includes 15-inch steel wheels, power mirrors, manual locks and crank windows, Bluetooth phone connectivity, and a four-speaker sound system with a CD player and an auxiliary audio jack.

　　The S Plus adds an automatic transmission, cruise control and a rear spoiler.

　　The SV trim adds upgraded cloth upholstery, a height-adjustable driver seat, a driver-seat armrest, a 60/40-split folding back seat, power locks and windows, keyless entry, a USB port, and a media player interface for the sound system. The SV's Special Edition package adds 15-inch alloy wheels, foglamps, a rearview camera, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, Bluetooth audio streaming, satellite radio and a 5-inch touchscreen interface.

　　Partway through the model year (designated 2018.5 by Nissan), all Versas received a rearview camera and an updated infotainment system as standard equipment. The new 7-inch touchscreen features Bluetooth phone and audio support, a USB port, and voice commands via Apple's Siri Eyes Free program for iPhone users.

　　

2018 Versa Highlights

Trim: 1.6 S1.6 S Plus1.6 SV1.6 S

　　

Base MSRP	$12,110
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	30 MPG
Cost to Drive	$122/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	14.9 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	3 years / 36,000 miles