Nissan Versa vs. Hond Fit
#61
I raced a Versa a couple days ago, I was behind him taking a right and suddenly he took off so I gave chase just to see if I could keep up. It seemed like he got me, but that was also because he accelerated before me. We both ran into a red at the next light, and I pulled up next to him. When the light turned green we both launched our cars and I took the lead, from there on out I kept inching on him. I don't think I would've been able to beat him without my few mods. Volk 16 inch volk TE37s with Falken 452 205/50/16 tires, Mugen drop in filter and Mugen Header. I also did this at about 9pm at night on an empty road.
#62
You think the big 16" wheels made your car faster?
#63
lmao to the post on top of me... i raced a versa he had 17's, stillen body kit, i think he might of have a air intake ( he said) but it was a close race... my car was stock back then for some reason every single race that i do, once the other car reach 3rd i loose.... :mad: but it was cool race though, heavy cars but they need the 120hp...
#64
I think the wheels which are aluminum forged 16s are lighter than the stock factory wheels by a couple pounds per wheel. Also as noted the tire width 205 combined with stickier rubber helped me take him on the launch.
#65
I test drove a Versa and it does have a faster engine than the Fit however the interior and fact that it's handling and steering felt very uneven made me realize it was not the car for me. Also the fact that many of the Versa's forums I looked over talked about their cars being in the garage for breadowns very frequently.
Cat :x
Cat :x
#69
I've recently test drove the Fit and the Versa, here is my take on whole experience:
Both dealerships I visited were full of desperate salesmen which is a huge turnoff. I do my research on the cars and know more about the cars then they do. All I really want from them is the key for the test drive, and a price to work with. Getting the key wasn't so difficult, getting a solid price was though. The only dealership that this wasn't the case for was the Toyota dealership. The salesman was very calm and cool and had no problem talking numbers without the "I can only deal if you're buying today" line of shit.
The Versa is larger than the Fit. From the exterior the Versa seems almost obviously larger and the styling looks a lot better in person than it did in photographs. Nissan are pushing the Versa as the "subcompact that isn't". That's brilliant for someone is either very large and must have a subcompact, or someone who wants the biggest subcompact they can afford (why not buy something larger then?). Either way the idea of a 'subcompact that isn't' pisses me off.
The Versa's increased size over the Fit seems to only pay off in one area; and that is rear-passenger legroom. I personally despise my rear-passengers so this wasn't much of an issue to me but it could be if you have a family of four. But your kids probably don't have giant bodies so maybe it's a moot point.
Despite the Versa's size advantage over the Fit it actually has less storage space inside due to it's poor design and poor flexibility. This was something I couldn't get over. Being a total nerd I was absolutely smitten with the Fit's interior design. The seats can be folded every which way and you could tell that it was engineered to be a flexible car. The Versa on the other hand had even more room to play with but rather than spending the time to utilize it they just put stupidly folding seats into the 2nd row therefore creating this 2-tier hump storage in the back which plainly sucked.
I test drove the Versa in the 6mt and the Fit in the 5mt. I didn't bother to try the CVT or the 5 speed auto because it doesn't appeal to me, I enjoy shifting gears. In theory you would think that the 6mt in the Versa would offer some sort of advantage over the 5mt in the Fit but it doesn't in actual driving. The Versa 6mt gear ratios are so tight that I felt like I was pointlessly rowing gears. I later read that the Versa is spinning at 4k rpm at 80mph, so what the hell was the point of the 6 speed? So the Versa with that extra gear spins the same RPM on the highway and runs the same 1/4 mile times... brilliant. In my other car (98 Camaro) the 6mt actually makes sense. The car turns 2000rpm at 78mph in 6th gear, I can get around 30mpg on the highway because of this. For a 340WHP car from 1998, that isn't a horrible figure at all and it's because 6th gear is an economy gear and nothing more. Nissan should do the same with the Versa's transmission.
One area where the Fit and the Versa are very different is ride quality. The Fit during my test drive was a very flat-turning, stiffly sprung, and flickable vehicle. I felt more connected with the car during turns and also when driving over rough road. This is good for sporty driving, and bad for comfortable driving. The Versa on the other hand wasn't a poor-handling car. The steering was a bit heavier than the Fit so it felt less connected in tight cornering. But the suspension was vastly superior to the Fit's for a comfortable ride. I'm sure the extra weight of the Versa helped in this department, but when driving over rough road there is no comparison. The Versa was much less jarring than the Fit on similar sections of rough road. For those who just want a car to get from point A to point B comfortably, the Versa is the better choice in that department. But for those who want a bit more heart rate while driving, the Fit's handling was superior.
The price between the two cars is similar when optioned equally. I was looking at the base model Fit and the Base model Versa. The bare-bones Versa is much cheaper than the standard fit but it's missing things like ABS and other safety features. The standard features in the Fit was what I was looking for; ABS, airbags, power everything, decent stereo. So in order to get a Versa with those same features I'd have to hunt around for a base model with the right power packages installed (pain in the ass). The only thing missing from both cars in base form that I wanted was a damn AUX jack. The only car that you could get an AUX without getting the 'high end' model was the Yaris. For the Fit you need the sport model for the AUX jack, and for the Versa you need the SL trim package to get it.
I realize I just wrote way too much, so in summary I purchased the Fit because it was more easily available with the options I wanted, more sporty, and better engineered than the Versa.
Fit:
+Sportier(lighter, stiffer)
+Better engineering (interior space/flexibility)
+Better standard features
+Better looking (in my eyes obviously)
+Honda resale/reliability
+Aftermarket is strong.
+Superior MPG
Versa:
+Much more comfortable ride/handling
+More passenger legroom
-Pointless 6mt ratios
-Poor 2nd row seat design
-Extra weight means less fuel economy
Both dealerships I visited were full of desperate salesmen which is a huge turnoff. I do my research on the cars and know more about the cars then they do. All I really want from them is the key for the test drive, and a price to work with. Getting the key wasn't so difficult, getting a solid price was though. The only dealership that this wasn't the case for was the Toyota dealership. The salesman was very calm and cool and had no problem talking numbers without the "I can only deal if you're buying today" line of shit.
The Versa is larger than the Fit. From the exterior the Versa seems almost obviously larger and the styling looks a lot better in person than it did in photographs. Nissan are pushing the Versa as the "subcompact that isn't". That's brilliant for someone is either very large and must have a subcompact, or someone who wants the biggest subcompact they can afford (why not buy something larger then?). Either way the idea of a 'subcompact that isn't' pisses me off.
The Versa's increased size over the Fit seems to only pay off in one area; and that is rear-passenger legroom. I personally despise my rear-passengers so this wasn't much of an issue to me but it could be if you have a family of four. But your kids probably don't have giant bodies so maybe it's a moot point.
Despite the Versa's size advantage over the Fit it actually has less storage space inside due to it's poor design and poor flexibility. This was something I couldn't get over. Being a total nerd I was absolutely smitten with the Fit's interior design. The seats can be folded every which way and you could tell that it was engineered to be a flexible car. The Versa on the other hand had even more room to play with but rather than spending the time to utilize it they just put stupidly folding seats into the 2nd row therefore creating this 2-tier hump storage in the back which plainly sucked.
I test drove the Versa in the 6mt and the Fit in the 5mt. I didn't bother to try the CVT or the 5 speed auto because it doesn't appeal to me, I enjoy shifting gears. In theory you would think that the 6mt in the Versa would offer some sort of advantage over the 5mt in the Fit but it doesn't in actual driving. The Versa 6mt gear ratios are so tight that I felt like I was pointlessly rowing gears. I later read that the Versa is spinning at 4k rpm at 80mph, so what the hell was the point of the 6 speed? So the Versa with that extra gear spins the same RPM on the highway and runs the same 1/4 mile times... brilliant. In my other car (98 Camaro) the 6mt actually makes sense. The car turns 2000rpm at 78mph in 6th gear, I can get around 30mpg on the highway because of this. For a 340WHP car from 1998, that isn't a horrible figure at all and it's because 6th gear is an economy gear and nothing more. Nissan should do the same with the Versa's transmission.
One area where the Fit and the Versa are very different is ride quality. The Fit during my test drive was a very flat-turning, stiffly sprung, and flickable vehicle. I felt more connected with the car during turns and also when driving over rough road. This is good for sporty driving, and bad for comfortable driving. The Versa on the other hand wasn't a poor-handling car. The steering was a bit heavier than the Fit so it felt less connected in tight cornering. But the suspension was vastly superior to the Fit's for a comfortable ride. I'm sure the extra weight of the Versa helped in this department, but when driving over rough road there is no comparison. The Versa was much less jarring than the Fit on similar sections of rough road. For those who just want a car to get from point A to point B comfortably, the Versa is the better choice in that department. But for those who want a bit more heart rate while driving, the Fit's handling was superior.
The price between the two cars is similar when optioned equally. I was looking at the base model Fit and the Base model Versa. The bare-bones Versa is much cheaper than the standard fit but it's missing things like ABS and other safety features. The standard features in the Fit was what I was looking for; ABS, airbags, power everything, decent stereo. So in order to get a Versa with those same features I'd have to hunt around for a base model with the right power packages installed (pain in the ass). The only thing missing from both cars in base form that I wanted was a damn AUX jack. The only car that you could get an AUX without getting the 'high end' model was the Yaris. For the Fit you need the sport model for the AUX jack, and for the Versa you need the SL trim package to get it.
I realize I just wrote way too much, so in summary I purchased the Fit because it was more easily available with the options I wanted, more sporty, and better engineered than the Versa.
Fit:
+Sportier(lighter, stiffer)
+Better engineering (interior space/flexibility)
+Better standard features
+Better looking (in my eyes obviously)
+Honda resale/reliability
+Aftermarket is strong.
+Superior MPG
Versa:
+Much more comfortable ride/handling
+More passenger legroom
-Pointless 6mt ratios
-Poor 2nd row seat design
-Extra weight means less fuel economy
Last edited by Aceldama; 10-16-2007 at 10:40 AM.
#70
Quote of the day :D
#72
Who needs backseats anyways? I just make any extra passengers sit on the floor and hang on to the roll cage. Nice review though. A bit lengthy, but worth the read.
I was debating Versa vs Fit for a long time myself. The only reason I steered closer to the Versa was that I worked for Nissan, and my dad still does. $2000 off was pretty good incentive to buy one. The thing that changed my mind was test driving them. The Versa just seemed much slower to me. I agree with you, the gearing is ridiculous. Nissan has a habit of putting in shitty gear ratios. Take my Z for example, my 6MT 350Z has the same final drive ratio as a 5MT 300ZX...why the extra gear? I don't ****ing know, just to make me wait longer to get to top speed. 6 gears isn't always as great as it's cracked up to be.
I'll be purchasing my Fit within a week of returning to the states. I can't wait to begin. I've always had a soft spot for Honda, even though I'm a diehard Nissan kid. Honda's engineers just proved that they know the sport compact world better on this go around.
I was debating Versa vs Fit for a long time myself. The only reason I steered closer to the Versa was that I worked for Nissan, and my dad still does. $2000 off was pretty good incentive to buy one. The thing that changed my mind was test driving them. The Versa just seemed much slower to me. I agree with you, the gearing is ridiculous. Nissan has a habit of putting in shitty gear ratios. Take my Z for example, my 6MT 350Z has the same final drive ratio as a 5MT 300ZX...why the extra gear? I don't ****ing know, just to make me wait longer to get to top speed. 6 gears isn't always as great as it's cracked up to be.
I'll be purchasing my Fit within a week of returning to the states. I can't wait to begin. I've always had a soft spot for Honda, even though I'm a diehard Nissan kid. Honda's engineers just proved that they know the sport compact world better on this go around.
#73
Test drove both cars before buying the Fit. Both are slugs. Even with the Versa having a little bit more power, it sure didn't feel any different than the Fit. Bigger engine, heavier car - typically means worse gas mileage, but don't have numbers to back it up.
The things that swayed me to the Fit was the cargo area and overall looks. The Versa is ugly (IMHO) and the back seats stick up too high when folded. The Fit's flush folding seats make the cargo area much more useable.
The Versa was cheaper, though. . .
The things that swayed me to the Fit was the cargo area and overall looks. The Versa is ugly (IMHO) and the back seats stick up too high when folded. The Fit's flush folding seats make the cargo area much more useable.
The Versa was cheaper, though. . .
#75
I tend to disagree, my MT Fit dosn't do that at all, I can't speak for the Civic though. When you push in the clutch it is very unnerving if the revs jump up 2000rpm without your foot off the gas. For half the test drive I kept thinking I was mis-feeling the clutch or somehow hitting the gas. I had a friend with me who was also in the market for a B-class car who commented on the same thing when he test drove it. But like I was saying before, I suspect the car had the sh!t run out of it so this may have just been some sort of malfunction.
Has anybody else experienced this problem with the MT Versa?
Has to be an MT :D
Has anybody else experienced this problem with the MT Versa?
DynamicFit you in an Auto or 5 Speed?
#77
I agree. 90% of the time, my Fit is a 2 seater. I've had the rear seats folded down almost since I purchased the car with lots off stuck back there. My friends bitch at me about it, but oh well, thats why I bought the car.
#78
Before I got my current Fit, I owned 5 Nissans. 4 of them were Sentras, 2 were the famous SE-R's. I never ever ever thought I'd go over to Honda, but the Fit was the first car that I actually liked better than the Nissan rival (Versa)
#79
I have been waiting for 6 weeks for a 2008 Honda Fit Sport in Blaze Orange. Last week (Oct 30) I put down a down payment, signed all the paperwork, traded my 2000 Honda Civic EX, and the dealer gave me a loaner Civic until mine came in. A week later, I am still waiting, and a call to the dealer today and he tells me that it should be in on Nov 12 (tentative).
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