Chicago 2014: Nissan Versa Note Gets "Sporty"

TTAC Staff
by TTAC Staff

Nissan has added a few “sports car-inspired” design cues to its practical grocery getter.

Badged as an SR model, this facelifted Versa Note features a new grille design, smoked headlights, dark wheels, ground effects and a nice little rear spoiler. The interior has also been given a little bit of the 370Z treatment with a leather-wrapped steering wheel and suede-like fabric seats featuring orange accents.

While the little 1.6-liter fourbanger delivers the same 109 horsepower as the base model, this car will make for an aggressive-looking subcompact capable of 31 and 40 miles-per-gallon in the city and on the highway, respectively.




TTAC Staff
TTAC Staff

More by TTAC Staff

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 19 comments
  • Gogogodzilla Gogogodzilla on Feb 07, 2014

    Couldn't they have, at the very least, upgraded the suspension so it could actually have reason for the bolstering in the seats? That wouldn't have cost them much at all.

  • Tmport Tmport on May 04, 2014

    I'm intrigued (dare I say a little excited?) by this new trim. I think it looks MUCH better than the 2014 version, particularly on the center stack (the old one looked like a child's toy to me). If the price is right--say, MSRP around $20,000 but available to purchase around $17,500--this car will rise toward the top of my new-car shopping list. The things that matter most to me are size (as small as possible outside but as big as possible inside), gas mileage, reliability, and overall attractiveness. The 2014 Versa Note already checked the first two boxes, and the 2015 SR version gets a lot closer to ticking that last box. The only one that is still a question mark in my mind is reliability.

  • SCE to AUX All that lift makes for an easy rollover of your $70k truck.
  • SCE to AUX My son cross-shopped the RAV4 and Model Y, then bought the Y. To their surprise, they hated the RAV4.
  • SCE to AUX I'm already driving the cheap EV (19 Ioniq EV).$30k MSRP in late 2018, $23k after subsidy at lease (no tax hassle)$549/year insurance$40 in electricity to drive 1000 miles/month66k miles, no range lossAffordable 16" tiresVirtually no maintenance expensesHyundai (for example) has dramatically cut prices on their EVs, so you can get a 361-mile Ioniq 6 in the high 30s right now.But ask me if I'd go to the Subaru brand if one was affordable, and the answer is no.
  • David Murilee Martin, These Toyota Vans were absolute garbage. As the labor even basic service cost 400% as much as servicing a VW Vanagon or American minivan. A skilled Toyota tech would take about 2.5 hours just to change the air cleaner. Also they also broke often, as they overheated and warped the engine and boiled the automatic transmission...
  • Marcr My wife and I mostly work from home (or use public transit), the kid is grown, and we no longer do road trips of more than 150 miles or so. Our one car mostly gets used for local errands and the occasional airport pickup. The first non-Tesla, non-Mini, non-Fiat, non-Kia/Hyundai, non-GM (I do have my biases) small fun-to-drive hatchback EV with 200+ mile range, instrument display behind the wheel where it belongs and actual knobs for oft-used functions for under $35K will get our money. What we really want is a proper 21st century equivalent of the original Honda Civic. The Volvo EX30 is close and may end up being the compromise choice.
Next