Versa in the Market

Extreme bargains are scarce these days, and Nissan deserves credit for keeping the Versa wallet-friendly. But the new Accent, Fit and Fiesta are cars you actually want to own — brand emissaries that leave a good enough impression for first-time buyers to stay in the family when it's time to buy the next car. If the new Versa is anyone's first Nissan, it imparts a brand that's big on value and practicality but short on drivability and perceived quality — far from Nissan's reality, but the Versa's flavor all the same.

Among entry-level cars, value is crucial. But, increasingly, so is overall appeal. Nissan hit a bulls-eye with one of those. I just wish it had hit the board at all with the other.

    See also:

    Heater and air conditioner (automatic) (if so equipped)
    1. Driver temperature control dial 2. Air flow control buttons 3. Passenger temperature control dial 4. DUAL button 5. Rear defrost button 6. Front window defrost button 7. Fan speed dial/syst ...

    Initialization
    When the ignition switch is placed in the ON position, NISSAN Voice Recognition is initialized, which takes a few seconds. If the button is pressed before the initialization completes, the syst ...

    Reformulated gasoline
    Some fuel suppliers are now producing reformulated gasolines. These gasolines are specially designed to reduce vehicle emissions. NISSAN supports efforts towards cleaner air and suggests that ...