2016 Nissan Versa SV – The Car Exam
2016 Nissan Versa SV Review – A good powertrain in need of a better car – The Car Exam
Drive the 2016 Nissan Versa SV Sedan long enough, and you’ll learn exactly what the plusses and minuses about the car as a package, are. Without further delay, here they are:
2016 Nissan Versa SV – The Car Exam
Plusses: The powertrain in the Versa SV is surprisingly peppy and smooth. 109 hp., 107 ft. lbs. of torque, 1.6 liter 4 cylinder engine feels more powerful and refined than the numbers suggest. Driving it up steep hills, for instance, is surprisingly effortless. The CVT Transmission takes excellent advantage of the engine’s power, and you quickly understand why a CVT trumps a conventional five or six speed automatic transmission. Acceleration is decent, as well. The lumbar support in the front seats is very good, rear seat room and head room are impressive, and trunk room is also more than acceptable. Braking and ride quality in the Versa SV Sedan are also adequate. Fuel economy is also respectable (31 mpg city, 40 mpg highway).
2016 Nissan Versa SV – The Car Exam
2016 Nissan Versa SV – The Car Exam
Minuses: That where the plusses end: The rest of the Versa is lacking, and had the rest of the car been as good as the powertrain, it would be a winner. It isn’t. Other than acceleration and power, the Versa is not fun to drive–at all. Handling is sloppy, the driving position isn’t the greatest, the stereo system stinks, the interior plastics are subpar, and the overall styling exercise is awkward at best. It wants to be a Sentra or Altima in spirit, but it doesn’t deliver. This body style has been on the market for about five years now, and while it is much better than the Versa Sedan that came before it style-wise, it still looks out of proportion.
2016 Nissan Versa SV – The Car Exam
Final Grade: if Nissan put the Versa’s powertrain in a number of small cars that aren’t Nissan, it could make them better–but it’s in the Versa SL Sedan, so it’s left without the proper vehicle that would help it shine and stand out against the competition. The 2016 Nissan Versa SV can only muster up a grade of C/C-. That’s too bad, because with some more effort, this Nissan could be so much better than it is now.
Base MSRP for the 2016 Nissan Vera SV: $15,580
©2008-2016 Consumer and Car Exam and T.C.E. No use of any material from this website is allowed without the permission of Consumer and Car Exam and T.C.E.
The Car Exam 