Comments/comparison - FIt vs. Versa?

I just saw both at the Philadelphia car show. Both look very interesting. The Fit seems to have a bit more room inside and more air bags. The Versa offers a 6 speed manual and a CVT transmission. The Versa also has more power - a 1.8 liter engine; 120 horsepower. MPG is supposed to come in at a combined 38 city/highway. A link to the Nissan site -- http://www.nissanusa.com/content/0,,...123147,00.html

Neil.

 

The Versa may offer better power and a CVT trans, but the car is just BORING and this is coming from a Nissan guy. The interior is so bland, so what if it has bluetooth, this Versa isn't knocking the socks off my feet. Just my .02.

 

Interesting you thought the Fit was bigger than the Versa. My impression was the versa was larger but more boring and less flexible by looking at pictures.

There is an ad on the Australian Nissan site for the Versa that makes it look huge with Kim Cattrall. The Fit is as big as the Civic inside, from my seeing it in person and the 90CuFt of passenger space in the specs.

http://www.nissan.com.au/tiida/

 

The Versa does not have magic seats. There's a big bump in the cargo space when you fold the back seats down. Made me toss my Versa catalog that came in the mail. Too bad because I like the Versa otherwise.

 

Once again Versa is a Renault Mégane Clio
built in Mexico...
Yuck!

 

Wow its ugly.

 

Just a Megane. If we somehow get the Clio Sport as a rebadged Nissan... :eek:

 

I've been waiting for Nissan to do something of that sort to compete with the Civic Si's and Scion Tc's of the world. The SE-R V-Spec is already outdated with it's body and engine. Can Nissan wake up and bring something to the table, ie. the Nissan Sport Hatch Concept from last year and make it into fruition. I'd settle for a Clio Sport as a rebadge Nissan Pulsar, who wouldn't?

 

Before I signed up for this forum, I was looking at both fit and Versa. I was leaning toward versa for so long. I like the exterior, and the fact it's 6 speed and more powerful. I eventually started obsessing over fit for several reasons
1) reliability. FIt is made in japan while Versa is made in a MX plant that is known to have made cars w/ low reliability
2) comes out first
3) Versa is boring. Versa is just transportation. Fit is fun. Fun to fold seats, fun to add mods, play mp3, etc.
4) The radio of versa is fuuuugly. I can't believe how ugly it is. the interior in general is uglier than the fit's.

The only reason I like of versa is its round ass (as well as the sculptured exterior look), and the 6th speed, but these are very trivial. The biggest turnoff is its made in a bad reputation MX plant

 

I agree with Gordio also. The only thing that really ever attracted me to the Versa was its 6MT and class leading 120hp. 10hp might not sound like a lot between the Fit and Versa but when you only got 110 or 120 to begin with, 10hp counts for alot more then the typical average size car also the extra gear means closer low gears equating to quicker off the line acceleration but I cant bare with that exterior for those two main advantages it has over the Fit.

 

I've also been looking at the Versa as well as a few other similar models and ended up putting together a PDF chart together comparing them to the Fit. Feel free to click on the Fit Comparison Chart to view it (it is in PDF format so if you do not have a PDF reader such as Adobe Acrobat you may download one for free here). This chart has been helpful for me as I look at the upcoming models so hopefully it will help you. I'm happy to add other models or make corrections where there are errors so let me know.

 

I guess the thing to remember is that when you think of Japanese cars, it's Honda & Toyota and then the rest of them. In the US, Nissan is always 3rd behind Honda & Toyota, and it just doesn't have the reputation for quality that the other Japanese cars do. The engines are always strong and have a lot of power, like that 175 HP 4 cyl that people get in the Altima, but I wouldn't expect the car to last a long time. Maybe it's a Japanese version of Ford or GM or Chrysler. I'd take a Subaru over a Nissan any day (especially one of those turbocharged monsters. heh)

 

The thing i'm not liking about the Versa is what Gordio is saying; it just looks like a small passenger car; meaning the cockpit and interior design is very benign. The cockpit of the Fit, in contrast, is very sporty looking in the way its laid out being more similar in design to, say, a Mazda 3.

For someone wanting something both small and sporty, the Versa is out, but the Fit is still in.

Azanon

 

I actually really like the look of the Versa (Tiida), but the Fit's paddle shifters and flexibility have me hooked.

The funny part is that the Tiida is actually already selling pretty well in Japan. Does anyone know if the JDM-market Tiidas are made in Japan or the same MX plant as the USDM Versas?

Regardless, I'll be going with a Fit. Hopefully Nissan makes a badarse Versa though, a la March Super Turbo or something like that.

 

Thanks for the comparison chart, Orbes. That's handy. :) I might take a Versa for a test drive soon...but mostly out of boredom/disappointment at waiting so long for my Fit! I think Honda will still be the winner!

 

Somewhere early on I saw an article on the Forum that mentioned that Nissan had to lower its mpg rating for the Versa -- didn't do as well as the Fit. If I can find the info, I'll post it.

 

The versa is out in New England and me and my g/f both test drove one on thursday. The throttle response is borderline horrible in the car, i'm guessing its the CVT at work trying to reduce big downshifts in order to save gas? In any case her Scion XB goes up a hill faster at 104hp. The seats are WAY more comfortable in the Versa, and i think it'd be a good idea to switch the Fit front seats for the Versa, or Matrix seats if someone could figure it out in the future. The "Smart" key is a nice add on but all in all....whats the point. If your battery dies you still cant start your car, and it doesnt 'pop' any of the doors open for you. The steering wheel and shifter and radio are all visually and funtionaly less attractive that the Fits setup. Plus the Versa has no room cargo wise when compared to the Fit. Even with the back seats folded down it seems like a 20" bike would be a pain in the ass to fit. Unfortunatly the exterior style i think is much better than the fit, as well as the bigger engine. Again though whats the point of the bigger engine in an economy car? You want the lower revs, and less hp for better mileage and lower emissions. The only way to really decide which is better is to test drive a Fit and Versa for yourself, there to close to call and it will vary greatly on personal preference more than anything.

 

what? CVT has no shifts at all, period.

you're just not used to how CVTs work.

 

Or if it was the base, it only has a 4-speed auto.

 

no it wasnt the base it was the SL, i hadnt read up on the CVT transmission so i didnt figure out there were no shifts until after i posted that. If thats what it feels like its not that great, the downshifts in an automatic are about as fun as you can make it to drive one lol