Small When You Need It, Big Where You Want It

Knowing that entry-level vehicles are used as “workhorses” – for commuting on weekdays, errand running on weekends and transporting family and friends all week long – the designers of the new Versa Sedan sought to combine five-passenger practicality with a high degree of comfort and refinement. It also offers an unexpected level of available entertainment and connectivity features, such as Bluetooth®, navigation system with 5-inch touch-screen display, Satellite Radio and an iPod®/USB interface.

Exterior Design

The Versa Sedan’s new exterior design is also a departure from most current compact sedans, offering a refreshing design character that is both sophisticated and highly aerodynamic. The designers gave the exterior shape a strong sense of volume, with a wide shoulder width and a smooth silhouette. In front, Versa Sedan features Nissan’s new signature sedan grille design and jewel-like headlights. The front end blends smoothly into the cabin, which offers flowing curves, while design elements such as the shape of the trunklid help give the new Versa Sedan excellent aerodynamics, including a low coefficient of drag of just 0.31.

In addition, to help ensure superb functionality, fresh ideas were addressed in the initial stage between the designers and the engineering team. For example, the indented line in the middle of the Versa Sedan’s sweeping roofline is not just a design feature, but a functional innovation that helps reduce the amplitude of the roof panel vibrations in order to create a quieter cabin interior without the use of reinforcement devices called “mass bumpers.”

“Design and engineering came together in an extraordinary collaboration to create a level of sophistication that you not only see but also feel,” adds Castignetti. “It helps provide a sense of ‘modern value’ that goes far beyond the mere purchase price, much like you expect from larger, more expensive sedans.”

The 2012 Versa sedan looks larger than it really is thanks to an exterior design that is lower, smoother and more aerodynamic than the boxy look of the previous generation. While retaining the same 2,600 mm (102.4 in.) wheelbase and 1,695 mm (66.7 in.) width as the previous generation Versa Sedan, the new model is 30.4 mm (1.2 in.) lower in height and 15 mm (0.6 in.) shorter in overall length. The biggest dimensional gain is in the rear overhang – the distance from the center of the rear tire to the rear bumper – giving the Versa 419 litres (14.8 cu. ft.) of trunk space.

Other exterior features include a fixed roof antenna, body-color front and rear fascias and available chrome-accented grille, blacked-out B-pillar, chrome door handles and front fog lights.

The 2012 Versa Sedan is offered in eight exterior colors, including Metallic Blue, Blue Onyx, Super Black, Brilliant Silver, Magnetic Gray, Red Brick, Fresh Powder and Titanium – which has previously been reserved for the Nissan GT-R among Nissan models.

Spacious interior design

Comfort for everyone

A charcoal colored interior is standard and there are no other colour choices. Fit and finish in our tester appeared to be well done and the quality of plastic trim was on par with other cars in this class. Our SV-trim car came equipped with a six-way manually adjustable driver’s seat allowing for up/down as well as fore/aft and recline adjustment. The steering wheel tilts but does not telescope. Controls are basic and easy to use, with large rotary knobs for heating and ventilation. Outward visibility in all directions is good.Other available interior features include trip computer, power windows with driver’s one-touch down, speed-sensing auto door locks, remote trunk release lever and steering wheel-mounted audio controls. Two interior colors are available, Sandstone and Charcoal.

Improvements

The second-gen version is certainly an improvement, but I am not sure it qualifies as classy or sophisticated. It does resemble some of the larger sedans manufactured by rivals, but I’m not sure that is cause for celebration.

That said, I doubt anybody is going to buy this car for its looks. Its true beauty is found inside. It really will seat five adults without those in the rear being forced to rest their chins on their knees. It truly has more leg and knee room in the rear seats than many mid-size sedans.

Spacious

Despite its diminutive size, the Versa sedan has a surprisingly roomy interior with rear seat leg room that is particularly noteworthy; leg room is adult sized. If equipped with a 60/40 split folding rear seatbacks, the Versa Sedan’s cargo carrying capacity is enormous for the size of the car, with plenty of room for long items like hockey sticks and golf bags. The new Versa Sedan’s interior volume of 90.0 cubic feet and trunk volume of 14.8 cubic feet (104.8 cubic feet total) are intended to not only look great on a specifications sheet – the passenger and cargo spaces have been configured for real-world use. Versa Sedan has, for example, more rear legroom than some mid-size sedans – trumping even luxury cars such as the Lexus LS460, BMW 5-series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. And the trunk design focuses on useable space, taking into consideration everything from the size of the hinges to the shape of the sidewalls. A 60/40-split fold-down rear seat is offered on SL models for even greater versatility.