As a car story, the Nissan Versa Note is short and sweet.
This small five-door hatchback is the open space alternative to the Versa sedan, which was redesigned last year. In the Nissan lineup, it is a subcompact, just below the compact Sentra. But the interior space is so large that the EPA ranks it a compact.
Building a small car to meet the expectations of the American motorist is almost thankless. The car has to be roomy, it has to be sporty, get a million miles to the gallon of gasoline, and it has to be attractive, or at least not ugly.
The Versa Note makes a good run at those goals, but it's not easy to make it pretty while designing nearly 41 inches of front headroom, 38.3 inches of rear headroom and luggage space for a family vacation in a footprint the size of a garden shed, roughly 13 1/2 feet long by 5 1/2 feet wide.
The styling isn't ugly, and the Note's personality is overachieving.
Sold in three trim levels, starting prices range from $14,800 to $16,800, including the $810 freight charge from Aguascalientes, Mexico. The top-line test car was $19,300 with alloy wheels and both available technology and convenience packages.
Together those packages added conveniences such as voice recognition navigation and audio, Bluetooth phone and audio, the "Around View" rear and overhead camera, keyless entry and push-button ignition and Nissan's Divide-N-Hide adjustable cargo floor.
All models use a 109-horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission or a continuously variable automatic. There's enough power to move the Note's trim curb weight of 2,482 pounds with no fear of merging Interstate flow. But there is some engine noise and catch-up of the CVT on hard acceleration.
But the CVT beats the manual's fuel economy by 4 mpgs in city and highway ratings, yielding 31/40 city/highway and 35 combined. I was getting combined mileage in the low 30s to 35 mpg. The 10.8-gallon tank could give the commuter a 400-mile range.
And an uplevel Note would be a good commuter. The options provide ports and plugs for music and charging devices, hands-free text messaging and even heated seats.
The driver's space is simple and uncluttered with a height-adjustable seat and a fold-down armrest on the right. Nissan's seats (in the uplevel SV) have good support, but tall drivers may have an issue with a narrow seatback design. The durable, woven fabric upholstery and headliner dress up large areas of plastic. The sun visors have extenders and a covered mirror. There are lots of small storage areas. Sightlines are clear, particularly with the around-view camera for parking, which gives a view of the whole car from above.
The cabin is reasonably quiet at Interstate speeds and the ride quality is surprisingly humane for an econobox. For what is expected of this car, it sticks to the road pretty well when pushed and the rear torsion beam suspension allows wide and flat cargo space.
Tire and wheel sizes are 15- or 16-inch with steelies on the standard model and alloys on the SV. The low-rolling resistance tires by Bridgestone or Continental have a substantial footprint (185/65 or 185/55). Other mileage enhancements include an active grille shutter on uplevel models.
The brakes have front discs and rear drums with the expected alphabet of safety features: ABS, EBD (electronic brake-force distribution) and BA (brake assist). And there is VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control) and TCS (Traction Control System).
The back seat seems spacious with a comfortable seatback angle, a fold-down armrest with cup holders and windows that lower to the sill. The doors open to a full 90 degrees, which is helpful to entry and exit and loading gear. There is no center head restraint but the floor has just a low hump at the center tunnel for easy, three-across seating.
There's tall cargo space of 18.8 cubic feet that expands to almost 113 cubic feet with the 60/40 back seat folded.
There's nothing neither glorified nor gimmicky about the Note. It's a simple, honest car that can be made to feel almost luxurious with its range of upgrades.
2014 Nissan Versa Note SV
Body style: subcompact 5-door, 5-seat, front-drive hatchback
Engine: aluminum, 109-horsepower, DOHC, 1.6-liter 4-cylinder; 107 foot-pounds torque at 4,400 rpm
Transmission: CVT
Fuel economy: 31/40 mpg city/highway; 87 octane
Fuel tank: 10.8 gallons
Cargo space: 18.8 to 112.9 cubic feet
Front head/leg/shoulder room: 40.8/41.3/51.7 inches
Rear head/leg/shoulder room: 38/38.3/51.9 inches
Length/wheelbase: 163/102.4 inches
Curb weight: 2,482 pounds
Turning circle: 34.8 feet
Standard equipment includes: remote locking, power windows-locks-mirrors, Bluetooth phone system, leather-wrapped steering wheel, chrome and silver interior accents, map light with key-linked illuminated entry system, driver's seat armrest, upgraded seat cloth and stitching 4-speaker audio system
Safety features include: Six air bags, ABS, brake assist, brake-force distribution, stability and traction controls
Base price: $16,800, including $810 freight charge; price as tested $19,300
Options on test vehicle: SL Tech Package, $800, includes NissanConnect with navigation and 5.8-inch color touchscreen, voice recognition for audio and navigation, NavTraffic and NavWeather, Google Send-to-Car, Bluetooth phone and streaming audio, hands-free text messaging, Around View Monitor, heated side mirrors
SL Package, $1,700, includes wide 2-DIN display audio with CD/iPod/Aux 4.3-inch display, SiriusXM satellite radio (subscription required), center console with rear open bin, rearview camera, rear seat armrest with cup holders, Divide-N-Hide Adjustable Floor, 16-inch alloy wheels, 195/55R16 tires, front fog lights, variable intermittent front wipers, heated front seats, Nissan Intelligent Key with push button ignition, Easy Fill Tire Alert
Where assembled: Aguascalientes, Mexico
Mark Maynard is online at mark.maynard@utsandiego.com. Find photo galleries and more news at Facebook.com/MaynardsGarage. To find out more about Mark Maynard and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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