How To Set The Clock In A 2012 Nissan Versa

2020 Nissan Versa

2022 Nissan Versa kickoff drive

"What it lacks in fun, the 2022 Nissan Versa makes upwardly for in practicality and tech."

Pros

Outside styling
Comfortable front seats
Long list of available driver-assist features

Cons

Lack of power
Bromidic handling
Basic infotainment system

The 2022 Nissan Versa is non the kind of car most people buy by choice. The Versa competes against a shrinking pool of subcompact sedans – such as the Hyundai Accent and Toyota Yaris – for buyers who require a new car, but can't afford anything across the well-nigh bones transportation.

With its redesign of the Versa, though, Nissan tried to requite buyers more reasons to consider its most diminutive offering. The Versa now sports a more than stylish exterior and more tech than always. Given how well the Nissan Kicks functions as simple, basic, transportation, nosotros were eager to see if Nissan could work the same magic on the 2022 Versa.

To detect out if the Versa lived up to those modest expectations, Digital Trends headed to Nashville, Tennessee, a stone's throw abroad from Nissan's North American headquarters. We grabbed the central trick to a Versa SV model, the middle step in the 3-tier Versa lineup. Our exam motorcar's $18,535 base price split the difference between the $15,625 base of operations cost of the cheapest Versa Due south, and the $19,135 starting price of the top Versa SR (all prices include a mandatory $895 destination charge).

No longer bearding

The previous-generation Nissan Versa sedan was a virtually style-free car. No idea seemed to accept gone into the way it looked, sharply contrasting the bold styling choices Nissan made with many of its other cars. While the appeal of styling is always subjective, information technology'southward clear Nissan put more effort into the 2022 Versa. The pint-sized sedan borrows styling elements from the larger Altima, including, a "floating" roof visually separated from the balance of the body by blacked-out trim pieces, and Nissan'south ubiquitous "V-Motion" grille. The Versa is also longer, lower, and wider than earlier – the classic recipe for improving the appearance of a motorcar. The design is clean, avoiding exaggerated elements like the Toyota Yaris' massive grille, and it'southward distinctly Nissan.

Many buyers looking for no-frills transportation may not intendance well-nigh styling, simply that doesn't mean automakers should ignore it. An entry-level car shouldn't take to be a penalty box. Automakers should attempt to make cars appealing even if customers are spending less. The Versa is no Aston Martin DB11, but at least Nissan made an endeavor with the styling this fourth dimension.

Like the exterior, the Versa'south interior cribs a lot from the Nissan Altima. The dashboard has the same horizontal design, incorporating the primal touchscreen into a hockey-stick-shaped trim element. Nissan wanted to become abroad from the bulbous center stack used in the previous-generation Versa, and it'southward hard to argue with that determination. Similar the Altima, the Versa'south steering wheel also has a apartment lesser, which serves no obvious purpose.

While the Versa's interior may expect like a shrunken version of the Altima's, the difference in quality is very clear. About everything you affect is some variety of cheap plastic, which is to be expected at this price point. The interface for the 7.0-inch touchscreen is so basic that at that place is almost no reason for it to be there. Apple tree CarPlay and Android Auto are available, simply you accept to trade up from the base South trim level to the SV. The Versa has three USB ports, including one beneath the touchscreen for charging and connectivity, and two at the back of the eye console for charging just. They should be inside reach of backseat passengers, and information technology's safe to get out a phone in the front cupholders without it condign a projectile.

The Versa is likewise longer, lower, and wider than before – the classic recipe for improving the advent of a car.

The Versa is a corking auto to ride in, as long every bit you lot're sitting in front end. The Nissan offers more front headroom and legroom than competitor models like the Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, and Toyota Yaris, but information technology'due south at the back of the pack when it comes to rear-seat headroom and legroom. The driver and front-seat passenger also become Nissan's "Zero Gravity" seats. They were designed using NASA inquiry on the human body, and while the versions used in more-expensive Nissan models felt ameliorate, these were pretty comfy for economic system-machine seats.

The amount of trunk space yous get depends on the trim level. SV and SR models take 15.0 cubic feet of cargo space, co-ordinate to Nissan, but the base S model has 14.7 cubic feet. That puts the Versa decisively alee of all other subcompact sedans except the Chevrolet Sonic, which splits the difference between Versa trim levels at 14.9 cubic feet. Almost competitor models are as well offered as hatchbacks – commonly yielding more cargo space. Nissan currently sells the Versa Note hatchback based on the old Versa platform, but hasn't confirmed whether that model will stick around.

A car for patient drivers

The 2022 Nissan Versa will become y'all where you desire to go in relative condolement. Just don't wait to get there in a hurry.

The just engine available on the 2022 Versa is a 1.half-dozen-liter four-cylinder, which sends 122 horsepower and 114 pound-anxiety of torque to the front wheels. The base of operations S trim level comes standard with a v-speed manual transmission. A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is optional on the S, and standard on the SV and SR trim levels.

2020 Nissan Versa — Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends

The horsepower and torque figures are respectable for this segment, and should have been acceptable for a machine of this size. But the Versa is but plain tiresome. Accelerating uphill and overtaking cars on anything other than a downhill stretch of highway seemed to overwhelm the piddling 4-cylinder engine. Flooring the throttle created a lot of racket, only little actual movement. Nosotros don't expect an entry-level sedan like the Versa to be a rocket send, simply dispatch roughshod short of what we expect in a mod car.

Driving a small, underpowered car can be a lot of fun, but that's not the word we'd use to describe piloting the Versa. The oddly-shaped steering wheel did a good job of communicating what the front wheels were doing, merely the Versa never actually comes alive in corners. The Kia Rio and Toyota Yaris manage to inject some fun into the driving feel, but that didn't seem to be a priority for Nissan. At least the Versa rides adequately comfortable, and has a pretty quiet interior for an economy car.

The practical stuff

Nissan expects CVT-equipped 2022 Versa models like our examination motorcar to get an EPA-rated 35 mpg combined (32 mpg city, 40 mpg highway). Fuel-economy is expected to decrease with the five-speed manual transmission, to thirty mpg combined (27 mpg city, 35 mpg highway). The CVT-equipped 2022 Versa has a slight advantage over automatic-transmission Chevy Sonic, Ford Fiesta, and Kia Rio sedan models, and Nissan's estimates are identical to the electric current EPA ratings for the Toyota Yaris. Merely the Versa falls i mpg short of the Hyundai Emphasis in all three fuel-economy categories.

Floor the throttle created a lot of noise, but little actual movement.

The Versa comes standard with more driver aids than most competitor vehicles. Autonomous emergency braking, rear automatic braking, and lane difference warning are all standard on the base South trim level, while the mid-level SV adds bullheaded spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, a driver-alertness monitor, and a rear-door alarm feature designed to prevent people from leaving kids or pets unattended in the back seat. Most of these features are optional extras on other subcompacts sedans – if they're available at all. Adaptive cruise control is besides available on the acme SR trim level as office of a $300 pick parcel that as well includes heated front seats. The Versa is the but car in this segment to offer adaptive cruise control at any price.

Nissan offers a iii-year, 36,000-mile, bones warranty and v-year, lx,000-mile, powertrain warranty. Because the 2022 Versa is a new model, it is hard to predict hereafter reliability. At least the Versa is a fairly basic car, meaning at that place is less to get wrong. Crash-exam ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and National Highway Traffic Condom Administration (NHTSA) are unavailable at this time.

How DT would configure this auto

Equally much as we love a transmission transmission, we would accept to upgrade from the base of operations Versa S to the CVT-only SV in order to go Apple CarPlay and Android Machine. The SV gets a decent corporeality of standard equipment for its $eighteen,535 base toll, including blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, satellite radio, and voice control. The SV also gets 16-inch alloy wheels in place of the S trim level'due south 15-inch steelies. However, we would ultimately become up one step from the SV to the SR, then tack on the optional Convenience Package to get adaptive cruise control. The SR, which starts at $nineteen,135, too adds automatic climate control, 17-inch wheels, and an upgraded sound system.

Summary

What information technology lacks in driving fun, the 2022 Nissan Versa makes up for in style and tech. Unlike the previous-generation Versa, you won't be embarrassed to exist seen in the 2022 model. Generous front-passenger infinite and cargo room mean the 2022 Versa is more than just a pretty face, too. The long list of standard and bachelor driver-assistance tech features is also unusual for a car in this cost range, even if the infotainment system is still fairly basic. Granted, role of that is downwardly to the Versa being by far the newest blueprint in its segment. Other automakers may add these features equally they redesign their subcompact sedans, merely and then again they may just eliminate those sedans altogether. The Chevy Sonic and Ford Fiesta will likely exit showrooms soon equally their makers concentrate more heavily on crossovers.

Should you purchase 1?

Yes. A Kia Rio or Toyota Yaris may be more fun to drive, merely the 2022 Nissan Versa's stylish exterior, applied packaging, and array of tech features more than make up for that.

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