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Walk Around

There's no doubt that a car with short overhangs looks much sportier than those where the wheels are far from the nose or tail. The Nissan Versa has an exceptionally short rear overhang that makes the car look much larger than it actually is.

From the front the Versa has some family styling cues from the Quest minivan including a highly raked windshield and a prominent grille. The triangular shaped headlights look classy. Overall though, it doesn't look that much different from other small cars on the road.

It's very different at the rear as the Versa almost looks a bit like a hatchback BMW. The edges of the tailgate are angled inwards surprisingly far toward the lower lip. It's probably designed this way to allow the trapezoid-shaped taillights to stay on the body rather than being mounted on the tailgate itself. It gives the rear end a unique character, though the tailgate opening is smaller than it could be.

The sedan version has a more conventional rear end that does not stand out nearly as much. For some that may be fine but in reality it is less versatile and makes the car look less appealing.

Interior

2007 Nissan Versa

If you want to be impressed by the Nissan Versa, sit in the back first. As you get in you'll be pleasantly surprised by the size of the rear door and how the front edge of the rear wheel well does not intrude as you step in. There are many larger four-door sedans and even many large SUVs that have smaller openings.

Even a six-footer shouldn't feel cramped as the rear seat legroom is best in its class and at 38 inches is as much as you'll find in cars such as the Toyota Camry and Ford Crown Victoria. It even comes close to that in the Chevy Suburban. Indeed, the Versa's rear seat legroom is more generous than in any other vehicle in Nissan's lineup, except for the humungous Armada SUV.

Nissan has made sure that most of the surfaces you touch, such as the armrests and door handles, have a soft feel to them. No hard plastics here. It's obvious Nissan listened to the criticism of the Quest minivan which was lambasted for its hard plastic surfaces. The cloth-covered seats are also comfortable without being too soft and offer plenty of side support.

The instrument pod contains three large, well-recessed gauges that are easy to read. The speedometer takes pride of place in the center and almost seems as if it is floating over the other two gauges.

Controls for the dash mounted radio and CD changer are well integrated into the center stack and although they are not very large they are easy to see and comprehend. There is a large volume knob in the center with a very visible power button.

Three functional, conventional knobs operate the climate control system. All in all there's nothing fancy about any of the controls although everything looks well finished. Two large cupholders are conveniently located under the center stack.

Keyless remote entry systems are now almost a standard on all but the least costly cars. The Versa goes one step further with its optional Intelligent Key, which allows for keyless starting of the engine, something that hithertofore has only been available in luxury cars.

Versa's versatility really shines when it comes to carrying the goods. There's a generous 17.8 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats in place. Fold them down and you've got 50 cubic feet, which is almost as much space as you'll find in a small SUV. Part of the reason for the spacious rear cargo space is due to careful design of the rear suspension so that it does not have any struts intruding into the interior.

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