It looks like next year's Versa is significantly better looking than the outgoing model, as well as being reported to be 150 lbs lighter. Imagine, if you will, a Spec V version with the Juke's 1.6 turbo engine? That could be very interesting.
It looks like next year's Versa is significantly better looking than the outgoing model, as well as being reported to be 150 lbs lighter. Imagine, if you will, a Spec V version with the Juke's 1.6 turbo engine? That could be very interesting.
There's no way Nissan will make a production car that nice looking without berking it up somehow.
That being said, there was a Juke at a Street Survival school lately, and I was impressed by the way that hideous thing made (and disposed of) velocity. I couldn't get near enough to drive one, however. But put that engine (particularly in AWD format) into the car above, and I would be looking closely.
Of course, Juke AWD only available with CVT.
I really like Nissan but their current offerings leave me stale. My wife bought a Versa off the first truckload to arrive at the dealership. For her, it was a good commuter that had better hyw manners that the other cars in the "Scion Class" at the time. For me, I thought it was going to be a better car than it was. We had no mechanical problems at all but it was dull.
Her Versa SL hatch did have a freakishly big backseat. Not real wide but tons of legroom. At 6'1", I actually was more comfortable in the back seat rather than the front. The front seats always seemedlike they should have gone back two more notches. The really square rear door openings really allowed for loading of large objecting into the back seat. Irronically, the back doors could allow for larger cargo that the rear hatch.
A 1.6 turbo in that class of car sounds nice, but the 2012 Rio sounds much more interesting overall.
Have you been reading my new car counterpoints?
jrw1621 wrote: Of course, Juke AWD only available with CVT. I really like Nissan but their current offerings leave me stale. My wife bought a Versa off the first truckload to arrive at the dealership. For her, it was a good commuter that had better hyw manners that the other cars in the "Scion Class" at the time. For me, I thought it was going to be a better car than it was. We had no mechanical problems at all but it was dull. Her Versa SL hatch did have a freakishly big backseat. Not real wide but tons of legroom. At 6'1", I actually was more comfortable in the back seat rather than the front. The front seats always seemedlike they should have gone back two more notches. The really square rear door openings really allowed for loading of large objecting into the back seat. Irronically, the back doors could allow for larger cargo that the rear hatch.
You just summed up the review I wrote yesterday.
Tom Heath wrote: Have you been reading my new car counterpoints? The juke...the juke...the juke is on fire.
Our SV test vehicle had the standard six-speed manual transmission and available all-wheel drive
When I go the the Nissan website and try to build a Juke, the AWD only comes with CVT?
http://www.nissanusa.com/buildyournissan/transmission/index?fromVariantsPage=true
Lesley wrote: You just summed up the review I wrote yesterday.
I suspect that yours had better spelling and grammar!
Tom Heath wrote: Have you been reading my new car counterpoints? The juke...the juke...the juke is on fire.
No, I hadn't before you pointed me there, but we certainly seem to be in agreement.
The Juke is a Acura ZDX done on a budget. All that makes the Acura cool for less money, ha.
In reply to jrw1621: You're right; the text of the story was wrong.
It's correct in the spec box on the side, and I've changed the text of the review. (You may need to refresh your browser window to see it, though.)
jrw1621 wrote: All that makes the Acura cool...
Which is... well, what, exactly? The ZDX has about as much "cool" as a male dental hygienist who lives with his parents and plays World of Warcraft.
male dental hygienist who lives with his parents and plays World of Warcraft.
I know a lot of people who would enjoy that life. heh
Id say what makes it cool is power and awd? stick ZDX engine and AWD system into, say.. a tsx, and you've got a badass car. A 190hp, awd juke is not quite badass but id say it would put a smile on most of the haters' faces if they could drive it without knowing what it was.
Better looking and lighter doesn't do squat if they don't do something about the suspension. We rented a BRAND NEW 4-door and drove it down to Tampa last October. I pulled over at the first exit after getting on the highway, because I thought surely the tire pressures must be at 10 PSI.
I am not joking when I say that is the WORST handling pile of dog E36 M3 I've ever driven in my entire life. If, standing next to it, you sneezed, it would rock back and forth for the next 20 minutes. To top it all off, best tank was a whopping 24MPG, straight highway driving at 80mph.
Well, I did say a Spec V version, which, if my car is any indication, would be stiffened to within an inch of its life.
poopshovel wrote: Better looking and lighter doesn't do squat if they don't do something about the suspension. We rented a BRAND NEW 4-door and drove it down to Tampa last October. I pulled over at the first exit after getting on the highway, because I thought surely the tire pressures must be at 10 PSI. I am not joking when I say that is the WORST handling pile of dog E36 M3 I've ever driven in my entire life. If, standing next to it, you sneezed, it would rock back and forth for the next 20 minutes. To top it all off, best tank was a whopping 24MPG, straight highway driving at 80mph.
Yeah, same here. The one I rented was really squirrely on the highway requiring constant corrections to keep it between the lines. By far the worst driving rental I've tried in the last couple of years. A friend of mine experienced the same lack of road manners on one trip and when the rental place tried to send him out in Versa for another trip, he refused it and made them give him something else.
Fuel mileage was more like 30 mpg in mine. However, the fully LOAHOHODED Chevy HHR that I later rented at the same price because they were out of Versa-type cars with ALL the bells and whistles matched it. It was also FAR more comfortable and handled FAR better (believe it or not).
regardless of how they fix it cosmetically, it is still a terribly boring car to drive. I drove my neighbor's around for a couple hours following him when he got another new car, and it was 10x more boring than even the old Plymouth Voyager I had back in the day...didn't handle well, slow as hell, mediocre brakes, and a blah interior/seat/etc.
jstein77,
the picture you posted looks a bit too much like the picture that was posted YEARS ago when Nissan was just about to start selling Versas in the U.S. Having said that, another news source published photos a few weeks ago of the next gen. Versa sedan....you have to really look closely to see any differences between old and new.
Because I'm cheap, I thought I would look to see what the 4 Nissan dealers near me have in the way of Versas. 4 dealers and about 14-15 SEDANS and 1 or 2 hatchbacks. 1 sedan had a 6 speed manual trans. and all the rest were either CVTs or "regular" automatics...depending on model/trim level. They even had one or two with that 1.6 liter engine and automatic transmission. Better than 50% of the cars were red, with the rest being silver or grey. I guess that's what happens when you wait til the end of a model year to think about replacing a car.
If our old F-150 had still been on the road during C4C, I'd have used that to get a Versa Hatch for $8k
In reply to integraguy:
Yes, the Nissan Sport Concept from 2005; you're quite right. However, that same picture came up when searching for the 2012 Versa. Let me try again.
Not as good looking as the Sport Concept, but not bad either.
This is the 4 door that was shown at the recent New York Auto Show:
And this, I think, is the equivalent hatchback:
Those are certainly better looking than present models.
Nissan can tart up the Versa all they like. Still sucks to drive.
Sorry to dredge up an old topic again, but this spy shot certainly seems to point to a potential performance version of the Versa. Note the hood scoop hinting of a turbo.
The Juke's turbocharged engine should drop right into a versa, or cube for that matter.
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