As a part of the third generation, Nissan’s littlest compact sedan lives among very capable competition. It is comfortable, spacious, and comes decently equipped for the asking price. Do you want to take the joy further with its manual transmission offered as default? Keep reading to learn more about the Nissan Versa.

Overview

If you research the country’s cheapest sedan, then you might get led to the Versa, not just because it is what you get for the $15,080 (excluding the destination charges), but also the value it serves. Now, it has been sitting below the company’s hierarchy of vehicles, in its third generation, and has nothing more than a price-hike of $350. It is a budget Altima by all means, and it doesn’t look like or feel like the other super-budget sedans like the ugly Mitsubishi Mirage G4 or the slightly higher priced Hyundai Accent. It is powered by a 1.6-liter, naturally aspirated, inline-four engine, drives the front wheels only, returns good fuel economy, and drives well, to be honest. What we have come to like about Nissan is that, though they are not as fresh and tech-heavy as the other Japanese or Korean manufacturers, they have kept the important things in place. You will have cruise control, lane-departure warning, rear automatic braking, and more as standard but also a touchscreen display, power windows, USB ports, along with a four-speaker audio unit, all for just $15,080. Should you buy the 2022 Nissan Versa? Yes, you should, but there are a lot of things you will need to know.

Trims and Features

Like most of Nissan’s budget cars, the Versa is divided into three trim levels: S, SV, and SR. All three trims have a common powertrain: 1.6-liter naturally aspirated inline-four which drives the front wheels only. A five-speed manual comes standard with the base S while a CVT is what you will get with the higher trims. Here are the trims and features for your reference.

S. } }

Price: $15,080 (5-speed manual), $16,750 (CVT)

- 15-inch steel wheels.

- Push-button ignition.

- Power door and window locks.

- Manually adjustable driver seat.

- 7-inch touchscreen display.

- 60/40 split rear seats.

- Three USB ports.

- Four-speaker audio unit.

- Bluetooth connectivity.

A few of the driver aids or advanced safety features that come fitted as standard are as follows:

- Cruise control.

- Rear automatic braking.

- Automatic emergency braking.

- Lane-departure warning.

- Automatic high beams.

SV. } }

Price: $17,890.

- Heated exterior mirrors.

- 16-inch alloys.

- Upgraded cloth upholstery.

- SiriusXM.

- Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

- Body colored mirror caps and door handles.

- Rear cross-traffic alert.

- Blindspot monitoring.

SR. } }

Price: $18,890.

- LED headlights.

- 17-inch alloys.

- Foglamps.

- Remote engine ignition.

- Rear spoiler.

- Keyless entry.

- Dark-chrome grille and black-painted mirror caps.

- Leatherette upholstery.

- Leather-wrapped steering wheel.

- Six-speaker audio unit.

Convenience Package. } }

- Adaptive cruise control.

- Automatic climate control.

- Heated front seats.

Exterior: It looks like an Altima with a budget

With the V platform underneath the skin, the Versa is technically a Kicks but has lower height and is of course a sedan. The design language, as you can see in the photos, is very Altima-like. No doubt that the currently selling Altima is a handsome car and the Versa being in its shadows is not bad at all. The front fascia has got boomerang-like headlights, although they are not LEDs by default. The V-motion grille along with the lower stance along with a widened hood is all that makes the Versa very common to the Altima and also be one of the best-looking sedans in the segment. 15-inch steel wheels are all that you can get with the standard Versa but we would suggest you go for the SV trim as it has the 16-inch wheels along with other handy features. The top-tier trim has 17-inch alloys along with foglamps, a dark chrome grille, and a rear spoiler for a sportier tail section. The rear has halogen lamps as standard but the design is just like its elder brother, so there is athleticism still. If we were to sum it up, the Versa looks sportier than you could ever imagine, and most of you might consider it even when taking rentals.

The new Nissan Versa has a decent curb weight of 2,599 pounds. If you compare, the Mirage is seriously underweight with just 2,117 pounds and the Accent being 2,679 pounds. Otherwise, the Versa is the longest with 177 inches of overall length and a 103.1-inch long wheelbase. The ground clearance is set at 6.8 inches and is slightly higher than the Mirage’s 6.3 inches. The Mirage, however, is taller than the Versa by two inches.

2022 Nissan Versa Exterior Dimensions

Interior: The cost-cutting has never been done this good

Nissan has been playing by the rules really well in recent times and that includes a good-looking cabin. The Versa gets the same treatment and perhaps even better if you compare it to that of the segment. Yes, there are strong influences of plastics, hard mostly, but it gets better as you move to the higher trims. The dashboard design seems to be familiar to the Kicks with a seven-inch touchscreen display at the center while the steering wheel is a rubberized flat-bottom one and two analog dials surround the small digital display, that is it.

Upgrading to the higher trims will change the majority of them. You will get a nice seven-inch driver information display along with the analog speedometer. The dashboard will replace the hard plastics with softer ones and the middle part will have stitched leatherette to acknowledge its higher price. The steering wheel is also leather-wrapped although there is automatic climate control available only with the SR. If you look outside the quality of the cabin, the seats are nice and comfortable, and of course cloth-covered. The faux-leather ones found with the SR trim feel a bit more premium but there is no power-adjustability available, even as an option. The standard features include keyless ignition, power window locks, power door locks, and a manually adjustable driver seat.

Let’s talk about the interior spaciousness in which the Versa will hardly disappoint you. The front has 39.5-inch headroom and massive 44.5-inch legroom, ensuring the driver and the front passenger a very comfortable ergonomics. The rear seats, however, are not the best for fitting three adults. In fact, the Versa has the most compact rear seats if you want to compare it to the Mitsubishi and the Hyundai. There are only 36.3 inches of headroom while the legroom is set at 31 inches. If you have taller family members then they wouldn’t enjoy the back seats and rather give up because of cramps. We have ridden the Versa and in our experience, Nissan should’ve divided the cabin space equally without throwing ample space at the front. The Accent has a slightly better rear-seat legroom but the Mirage takes it to another level. If you want to travel with the Versa, there is 14.7 cubic foot, decently sized, cargo capacity, and it is the largest you can get for the price. A few of the interior features of the 2022 Versa are as follows.

- Automatic climate control. (Optional)

- 7-inch driver information display.

- Leather-wrapped steering wheel.

- Power door and window lock.

- Leatherette upholstery.

- Leatherette dash.

- Manually adjustable driver seat.

- Heated front seats. (Optional)

2022 Nissan Versa Interior Dimensions

It is odd but the Versa’s infotainment system is as good as it could ever be, at least for the price. We couldn’t help but rate it above the Accent and the Mirage G4 because of its fluidity and having features like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. As standard, you will have a seven-inch touchscreen display, three USB ports, a four-speaker audio unit, and Bluetooth connectivity. A few of the important infotainment system features which are available with the higher trims are as follows.

- Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. (Wired)

- Satellite radio.

- Six-speaker audio unit.

- Voice command.

Performance and Handling: Way better than the competition

The Versa is powered by a small 1.6-liter naturally aspirated inline-four engine and is the only engine option available. It puts out a mere 122 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque and as there is no turbocharger action, the power kicks down past 4,000 revs. You will have an option to choose between a CVT and a five-speed manual but the drive type is FWD. The Accent, however, has a similarly sized 1.6-liter engine but the power gets cut by two horsepower and a pound-foot of torque, nothing major. But compared to the Mirage G4, the power gap is huge. No one would want to take these cars for straight-line accelerations but if you are interested, the Versa has been tested and it records a 0-60 mph in 10.4 seconds and a standing quarter-mile timing of 18 seconds. The Mirage, on the other hand, does the same 0-60 in 12.8 seconds and a standing quarter-mile in 19.5 seconds. So, for the price, the Versa is doing way better than expected.

The driving impressions are not something you can compare to in the competition. All three of the said cars perform very similarly on the road. The Versa, as per our tests, rides smoothly and comfortably. The suspension is soft which is not exactly ideal for cornering stability but you wouldn’t take a turn at 80 miles per hour anyway. The steering wheel, as expected, lacks the required feedback but is fairly light. The Versa is best for daily commutes and even towing your kids to the school and back.

2022 Nissan Versa Performance Stats

Fuel Economy

As expected from an underpowered engine, the mileage figures of the Versa are really good. Although the manual transmission will return a bit less economy than the CVT. The EPA has rated the manual variant of the Versa with 27/35/30 for city/highway/combined while the CVT-operated Versa gets a massive 32/40/35 for city/highway/combined. Nissan has fitted a rather small 10.8-gallon tank and that should deliver around 380 miles at its best. Now, the Accent wins over the Versa for just a mile extra in all three categories but, you guessed it right. The Mirage G4 with its smaller and even highly underpowered engine returns a whopping 35/41/37.

2022 Nissan Versa Fuel Economy

How safe is the 2022 Nissan Versa?

If you are worried about paying less money and getting less protection then you might be wrong if you look at the Versa. It gets a full 5-star rating from the NHTSA while the Accent gets stuck to 4 and the Mirage is not available on the list of tested cars. Moreover, you will get cruise control, rear automatic braking, lane-departure warning, and automatic high beams as standard. How cool is that! Do not expect the competition to have the said features, not even as options. Other optional features you can get with the higher trims would be:

- Rear cross-traffic alert.

- Blindspot monitoring.

- Adaptive cruise control.

- Automatic emergency braking.

Should you consider the 2022 Nissan Versa?

We wouldn’t tell you to throw it away as it is the best you can get for the price. See, the point is that the Versa is not all good as you know. The rear seats are not as spacious as the Accent and the Mirage G4. But it is so much better if you compare it to its value for the asking price of $15,000. It is a great overall package with an abundance of features, performance, and even looks. We would be more than happy to choose the Versa among the other two boring cars.

Is the Versa a good car?

How economic is the Versa?

How much does the 2022 Versa cost?

Is the Versa a practical car?

FAQ

Q: Is the Versa a good car?

It is the best you can get for the price. It has got sharp looks, good performance, and great features including a set of driver assistance features.

Q: How economic is the Versa?

The 2022 Versa has been rated by the EPA with 32/40/35 for the city/highway/combined.

Q: How much does the 2022 Versa cost?

The entry level Versa starts from $15,080 and goes all the way to $18,890 for the SR.

Q: Is the Versa a practical car?

For a sub-compact sedan, the Versa offers decent practicality with 14.7 cubic feet of boot space and that will make way for two large suitcases and a few small bags. Inside the cabin, the door pockets, and the space under the center armrest have good space too.