It's interesting to take note of evolving definitions and standards. In 1990, the Honda Civic sedan was categorized as a compact, but by today's standards, it would be considered a subcompact and a much smaller car than the 2021 Nissan Versa sedan ... which is categorized as a subcompact sedan by today's standards.
The Versa's got a larger trunk and more room for the driver and front seat passenger and a bigger, much stronger engine under its hood than the "compact" Civic had.
In addition to that, it's still a car — a thing that's becoming hard to find as crossovers take over. These crossovers are also more expensive than cars like the Versa, which you can buy for under $15k without even haggling over it.
Which may be the most interesting thing of all!
What It Is
The Versa is Nissan's most affordable — and technically subcompact — sedan, one notch down from the Altima and two notches down from the Maxima.
It is also just about the most affordable new car you can buy.
The base S trim stickers for $14,930 and comes standard with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine and a five-speed manual transmission; you can swap that out for an automatic Continously Variable Transmission, which bumps the price up to $16,600.
There are also SV ($17,740) and SR ($18,340) trims, both of which come standard with the CVT automatic.
Its main rivals are other $15k-ish small sedans such as the Hyundai Accent ($15,395 to start) and Mitsubishi Mirage G4 ($15,295 to start).
What's New
The only change for 2021 is a $100 increase in the base price of the S trim — but Nissan hasn't increased the price of either the mid-trim SV or the top-of-the-line SR for the new model year.
What's Good
It's a new car that doesn't come standard with a six-year mortgage.
The standard manual transmission puts some fun into the mix — and helps keeps the price low.
A sub-$15k base price isn't deceptive advertising; necessary features such as AC do not cost extra. Nice features such as power windows, locks, a push-button ignition, a 7-inch LCD touch screen and a four-speaker stereo with three USB ports are all included.
What's Not So Good
The backseat is tight — only 31 inches of legroom (the rival Mirage G4 has 37.3 inches of legroom).
The manual transmission is only available in base S trim.
Nicer features such as heated seats and adaptive cruise control are only available with top-of-the-line SR trim — and cost extra.
Under the Hood
Every Versa is powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine — which is a bigger engine than the 1.5-liter four that came in the '90 Civic — and a much bigger engine than the 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine that comes in the '21 Mirage G4.
It produces 122 horsepower versus 76 horsepower for the Mirage and manages to almost match the Mirage's class-best 35 city and 41 highway mpg without making you wait 12.8 seconds to get to 60 mph.
The Nissan gets there in 9.7 seconds, a speedy-in-comparison time, especially in light of the Versa's ability to travel 32 miles on a gallon of gas in city driving and 40 on the highway — with the optional CVT.
It's a tighter race with the Hyundai Accent, which is equally engined (1.6 liters) and almost-equally powered (120 horsepower) and gets to 60 about as quickly while also managing 33 city and 41 highway mpg with its optional CVT automatic.
On the Road
It's a little strange driving a car when almost everyone else is driving a crossover, an SUV or a truck. But there are advantages to being lower to the ground, including inherently greater stability when cornering or at high speed, as well as higher fuel efficiency at highway speeds, due to lower aerodynamic drag.
It's interesting to compare the Versa's mileage with the much lower mileage delivered by small crossovers such as the Honda HR-V, which peaks at 28 city and 34 highway mpg. It takes more energy to push a taller shape through the wind.
At the Curb
Is it a subcompact? Only if you go by exterior dimensions relative to today's definitions.
The Versa is smaller overall than an Altima — which at 192.2 inches long is almost a midsize car by current standards and more than a foot longer overall than the Versa.
But the Versa has more legroom up front — 44.5inches versus 43.8 in the Altima — and not a lot less in the back: 31 inches versus 35.2.
It even has almost the same size trunk — 14.7 cubic feet versus 15.4 in the Altima. But it costs almost $10k less to start than an Altima, which stickers for $24,300 to start.
The Versa's main worry is the Mirage, which is even more "subcompact" — but roomier than midsize cars such as the Altima. The thing is only 169.5 inches long but boasts an incredible-for-its-size 37.3 inches of back seat legroom, though the driver and front seat passenger only get 41.7 inches and the trunk is subcompact-sized (12.4 cubic feet).
The Accent splits the difference, with 33.5 inches of rear seat legroom, 42.1 inches up front and a 13.7 cubic foot trunk.
The Rest
Unfortunately, you cannot get the very desirable heated seats except in the most expensive SR trim, and then they are a $400 option. They are included in the Hyundai Accent equivalent Limited trim.
Still, it's pretty amazing to find heated seats — even as an option — in a subcompact "economy" car.
At all.
The Bottom Line
Small isn't what it used to be — and not just in terms of size.
Eric's latest book, "Don't Get Taken for a Ride!" is available now. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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