Road Test: 2014 Nissan Versa Note

[@JohnBullerjahn]

I have a 2015 Note, and absolutely love it. True, it's not the fastest car on the olanet, but it makes no claims in the deoartment. I have the SV, and love the CVT. This is my third car with a CVT, so am used to the feel of it.. My mileage is above par with a 43.6 highway number, 37 combined and 33 city, //I use synthetic oil, and have a K&N air filter and keep the tires inflated 2 lbs over, Someone mentioned gas quality in the winter; and they are right. From November 1st to April 1st a different formula is used depending on the part of the country. You can expect 10-15% lower mileage. ll in all, Nissan did a great job. Hard plastics aside (it's not a Rolls people) the car is comfortable, economical, fun to drive, and can carry a boatload of stuff. I will agree that it looks a lot like the Fit, but the so do a lot of other cars in this class. As a comparison, think back to the Dodge Omni or the Ford Pinto, and you'll shut up about fit, finish and crappy interiors..

[@michaellovely6601]

Agreed. We should ask one of our parents or grandparents about either the Ford Pinto or the Dodge Omni and it will easily change our opinions of the Nissan Versa sedan and hatchback.

[@wrapman_8852]

Love my Note. It's an awesome unappreciated car.

[@purpleduracell]

Highly recommend this car. Been driving one since 2016. Great for shorter drivers too.

[@Timbrock1000]

I OWN ONE OF THESE. IT'S A DECENT RIDE. I'D RECOMMEND IT. I was going to get a Honda Fit, but Honda temporarily stopped making them when I needed to buy. I agree it could use more power, and the engine when getting up to speed is kinda noisy, but once it's up to speed, it quiets down and rides well. I'd give it a grade of about a B-.

[@wrapman_8852]

I was hesitant at first but now love my Note! It's on my channel.

[@bentonja668]

Previous gen Versa hatchback is available with a six speed manual and has the larger and more powerful 1.8L engine

[@jessenone3708]

a little too noisey on the fw, but not in town. I get 44 mpg highway milage with just me in the car. I like it a lot. one draw back is when you stop you have to wait a little bit for it to change gears. and if you give it gas while it is shifting at stop, it makes a bad noise in the trans.

[@michaeldillon1027]

I have a 2014 with the manual transmission. 1st and 2nd gear are way too short plus its easy to over rev when taking off. Plus, i find it to have a very rough ride.

[@RajaReign78]

I wanted a bright blue one of these, but it had way too many miles for my liking so I settled for a focus instead 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@PantomimeHorseMusic]

I have a 2011 Honda Fit. One of these parked next to it, and it looked so much like my Fit that I think Honda has a case if they want to take Nissan to court for copyright infringement. It's like Nissan looked at the Fit and said, "We should build one of those."

[@campturtle]

+PantomimeHorseMusic Poor man's Honda fit! I love my note!

[@joshuabenjaminscott2365]

Actually since nissan is part of renault it is taking design cues from renault or euro design.

[@petercodrington4195]

😂 that's exactly what they did,😊

[@mattwolf7698]

I just learned Note referred to a music note. I thought it referred to a written note. It makes more sense now.

[@bobby33x97]

Great packaging but it needs a turbo & 6 spd manual across trim levels.

[@OMGz1122]

i'll definitely be giving this a gymkhana treatment!

[@barna1299]

I have a 2018 Versa Note SV, bought new three years ago. Has had few issues since very early on, one very annoying is this (which I learned to avoid by adjusting/timing when I shift gear into D) - when ac is on, and after having driven car a little bit (at least ten to fifteen minutes driving around), when I have to shift back into D, whether at drive-thru, or when backing out of parking spot at store, etc, if the cooling system/fan is cycled up at the moment I shift gear into D, the car makes a heavy clunk! And on a real hot day when the cooling system is really revved up, the clunk is enormous! Only when the cooling system/fan is cycled down at the very moment I shift the gear into D then there is no clunk. And if ac is off (during the cool months) then no clunk issue at all, unless I were to drive so long that eventually the cooling system/fan kicks on. What the heck is this clunk issue? Dealership thought it was transmission mount, so they retorqued one, but still the clunk issue remains. So I'm bringing it back in shortly for another check, and hopefully a fix once and for all! But does anyone have this clunk issue? Or know what causes it? Thanks.

[@realalsenor]

You should check your right shoe for lead content, because we get well over 40 mpg in mixed driving.

[@jamesreyome6091]

Truth. I've only had to fill up three times with mine so far, but the results have been 41.1 mpg, 41.8, and 42.1. All this using (still) winter blend gas and mixed city and highway driving.

[@1996champs]

Interesting that they had "slightly disappointing" MPG numbers. I wonder if they account for several variations: First, do they make sure that they are testing with 100% gas vs. E10 or E15? That could easily account for a good 2-3 MPG difference. I've also noticed that my MPGs vary considerably in the colder months, with a typical 10-15% overall drop once the snow starts falling.

[@foxtrot685]

The market demands fuel economy. The 1.8 would probably generate around 35-38MPG highway and probably 30-32 MPG combined... those aren't good enough numbers to brag on anymore. People shopping in this segment want to see that 40MPG highway figure, it is what gets people in the showrooms. Trust me!

[@ПетрСидоров-ы6г]

hello how to change consumption in miles for kilometers and fahrenheit for celsius. nissan note 2016

[@foxtrot685]

I like it. It looks quirky. I want Nissan to put its 1.2L Supercharged 3-cylinder in it. It makes less overall power but the power curve is better so while it would probably generate the same 0-60 time, or close to it, it will FEEL stronger.

[@ti994apc]

I am waiting for the 2015 Fit to get a CVT. Old Hydraulic transmissions can be very expensive. My Accord Transmission gave out at 110K and it was very expensive to fix. CVT's use a belt and shift smoother.

[@bearform666]

They sorta look like a stormtrooper helmet from the front in white. I own a 2016 sv in grey BTW.

[@ivorton23]

I like it...just wish they would bring it with the dashboard from the euro and jdm models and the turbo motor too

[@billmclean7781]

2:25? I have 5 speed Manual on my SL package

[@alea6405]

the SL was one of the models for 2015 I think. He made the review for a 2014 which I guess he's refering to the S model.

[@jamesdavies6120]

With dowry royalties from the market, and ones pay this is a smart conservative buy.

[@cosmoray9750]

You're correct. It needs more horse power.

[@barna1299]

At 2:08 Why does he shift the gear all the way down to L, then back up to D..? Is this necessary or better?

[@dargay]

nice car.

[@KonaKoo]

SL is top trim, not SV :$

[@mustafanajeeb7859]

Great Nissan.

[@ПетрСидоров-ы6г]

hi, i have nissan note verso 2016, sv, bought in america, i live in ukraine, tell me how to change the speed from mile to kilometers on the dashboard, and the air temperature from faringates to celsius. thanks

[@MrAsh-cw5cq]

Looks like a Honda fit

[@gacheriafrika3759]

Can you ship to Kenya?

[@random_reviews]

Yeah...zishaanza kuingia

[@czg2012]

these cars with slanted headlights--arrggh!

[@SubieSean]

Drums in the rear. Get with the times Nissan, this isn't 2001.

[@craig2web]

Not bad for $14k. :-)

[@rcv79]

Looks like the Honda Fit

[@rustyt115]

Yikes. Such a long sprint to 60. Makes it down right dangerous trying to merge on to the highway. Just to save a little bit of fuel.

[@JohnBullerjahn]

If you plan ahead to merge with highway traffic, there's no problem. It can't be done from a standing start, but nor should it in any car. A great way to get rear-ended. I constantly get 40-43 on the highway and 38-40 combined with wife and kid in the car. My wife can't make it past 36 overall with just her in the car; she's usually in the mid to upper 20's. It really depends on how it's driven. For a little more punch off the line with the CVT, give the accelerator a stab, then push down gradually. Youll be surprised what a difference that makes. That said, another 15-20 HP would make all the difference, but MPG may be slightly less.

[@mattwolf7698]

I know this is old but freeway merging is easy. Now merging onto 35 or 45 MPH roads from a stop, yeah I have to plan a little with that.

[@maximilianraphael9853]

my versa note would be better if it had a v6 engine instead of v4

[@oldtwinsna8347]

It does not have a V4.

[@mattwolf7698]

It's an inline 4, V4s are very uncommon.

[@1232bluejays]

This show is never critical enough of bad cars and this is a bad car

[@paulakapdub]

they copied honda's Fit (GD3)

[@xck.0185]

👎

[@WuBloodKin09]

Cheap plastic interior crap, no thanks!

[@AvalonMan96]

Will John Davis retire already? Man, what a bore he is.

[@michaellovely6601]

Oh, piss off. John Davis has been hosting MotorWeek since the show began in the 1980's and he clearly seems to know what he's talking about. I can't imagine what the show would be like if John Davis decided to retire.

[@seanthegod4585]

Like your mom.