Versa Versus Versa: The 2020 Nissan Versa SR

The 2020 Nissan Versa SR.

It is hard to think of a more maligned car (apart from the Mitsubishi Mirage) than the Nissan Versa.  Mention its name among automotive journalists and you'll get a lot of derisive laughter.  As I wrote eight years ago this very month, in my review of the 2012 Versa, they're wrong.  It's a good, if basic, car.

New Car Review: 2012 Nissan Versa 1.6 S Sedan

The 2012 Nissan Versa.

Sometimes my fellow automotive journalists are just the biggest whiners in the world. Reading their reviews of the new for 2012 Nissan Versa, I was braced for a new miserable experience, one lending new meaning to the words "ugly", "uncomfortable" and "cheap".

Did all of them have Porsche 911s the week before or something?

Now, I know I have a somewhat higher tolerance for basic transportation than some folks in this profession...but that doesn't mean that the car doesn't deserve to be judged on its merits. And frankly, the 2012 Nissan Versa 1.6 S Sedan surprised me.

2011 Nissan Versa Hatchback Review

As the price tags of entry-level compacts go up, it's nice to see a car that remembers its basic mission...good, affordable, reliable, economical transportation.

The Nissan Versa isn't anybody's idea of a hot hatch. With only 122 horsepower and a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), it's not going to win any stoplight drag races. But it has more than adequate power for freeway merging and passing, it's very smooth and quiet for its class.

The base price is $16,900 and for that, you get 15 inch alloy wheels, airbags, anti-lock brakes, Vehicle Dynamic Control, Traction Control system, a security system, air conditioning, a 6-way adjustable driver's seat, a six-speaker 180 watt Audio system with auxilary jack and an iPod interface, intermittent wipers front and rear, cruise control, power door locks and windows and keyless entry.

Skip the satellite and nav, though, and you're in the 17s, with an Ultra Low Emissions rating and an EPA estimated 28 city/ 34 highway miles per gallon rating.

We like the Nissan Versa. We like it even more because it isn't pretending to be something it's not...it lets its core virtues shine and reminds us that simple things done right can be very easy to live with.