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Consumer Reviews for the Nissan Versa Note
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Fun to drive, great mileage
David Allin, 08/05/2016
2016 Nissan Versa Note 1.6 SL 4dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl CVT)
First, the Versa Note is almost totally unrelated to the other Versa models. It's a different platform that is more solid and much better looking. When you close the doors, you hear a nice muffled 'thunk', not the tinny clank of most economy cars. The whole car feels very tight, and is extremely quiet inside, with no squeaks or rattles and little tire and wind noise. The interior is … simple, but the materials all feel sturdy and look attractive, which is standard for Nissans. I traded in a 2005 Sentra with 108K miles, and the cloth interior of that car still looked just like new. The Note's interior is very spacious, especially for such a small car, with plenty of leg room in the back seats for two adults. The cargo area is adequate, with a floor that can be positioned at two heights, and the rear seatbacks fold down almost flat. Unlike most cars these days, the rear side windows roll all the way down and out of sight in the doors. The car handles extremely well, and stops on a dime. In order to make it good great mileage, however, Nissan put a very small engine in it, combined with a CVT transmission that is programmed to save gas. As a result the car is not a pocket rocket, although the acceleration is adequate. Going up Nine-Mile hill at 75mph with the AC on is a strain, but otherwise the car can keep up with traffic pretty well. I've found that a gentle pressure on the gas pedal will actually result in better acceleration than pushing it to the floor. Still, we use our Murano for long trips, and the Note in town, where it scoots around happily. There's an old sports car saying that it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow, and it applies here. I bought the SL, with all the bells and whistles, and for the most part they are worth the extra cost. The satellite radio is great, and the car's sound system is better than the one in my Murano. One of the main features we were looking for was visibility, and in addition to the great arrangement of windows, the SL has the around-view monitor, with cameras on all sides that produce a picture on the center screen of a birds-eye view of the car when backing up. The cameras can also be turned on when pulling forward into a parking space. The navigation systems is okay, but not as good as my Garmin, and clearly has not been updated for at least four years. The Sirius Travel Link is a nice feature, giving you the prices of gas at nearby stations, movie listings in the area, stock prices, and weather info. It also provides you real-time traffic alerts. All of these can be accessed using voice commands that work fairly well. Instrumentation is limited to tach, speedo, and gas gauge; all other systems are just warning lights. The HVAC is the same one that was in my 2005 Sentra, but it works well. Judging by our experience with previous Nissans over the last 20 years, we expect this car to be trouble-free for as long as we own it. Yes, I wish it had a little more power, but we love the car anyway. UPDATE: After owning and driving the car for ten months, my previous praise still stands. I'm averaging 31-39 mpg, depending on type of driving, and have had absolutely no problems with the car. I have learned how to modulate the accelerator to achieve better acceleration; a steady, firm but moderate pressure on the gas pedal allows the CVT to spool up properly and bring the car to speed quickly. You can't accelerate by the sound of the engine or the sweep of the tach like most cars; instead you just watch the speedometer and let the CVT figure out how to best move the car forward. Driving this way has made me far less aware of the limited power of the engine. I always enjoy driving the car, and it really scoots around town, while cruising comfortably on the highway. It's a fun car, but also practical and totally reliable.
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