Nissan’s Versa Note SV hits all the right notes

Mary Welch | January 9, 2014

My first car was a five-door hatchback and it still is my favorite car. The 2014 Versa Note SV by Nissan is worthy of being someone’s first and favorite car. The Versa Note is America’s best selling entry hatchback and it’s easy to see why. It gives you everything you need in a car -- without being bare-boned -- and none of the extra stuff that one buys and rarely uses.

So, what do you need in a car? Safe, check. Roomy, check (and surprisingly so). Stylish, yep. High mileage, low price. Yes and yes. A comfortable ride that will get you safely and reliably from Point A to Point B? Yes, yes, and yes.

My husband used to call one popular small car as a “Minnie Mouse” car, meaning it was more a choice for young women than men of any age-- or women above 25. This is not the case with the Versa. First off, it’s airy and roomy. There are lots of windows, which make it seem more spacious and luxurious. In terms of interior space, the Versa offers more headroom, legroom, passenger room and cargo room than its competitors. For instance, there is 21.4 cubic feet of storage space behind the rear seats and with the rear seats lowered, there is a generous 38.3 cubic feet of space available for cargo.

The Versa is by no means a stripped down car consisting of an engine, seats and wheels. There are a lot of standard upgrades For the S trim, such features as silver trim interior accents, air conditioning, a trip computer, 60/40 split-folding rear seats, a four-speaker sound system, and 4-way adjustable front passenger seat, are offered. Go up a notch to the range-topping SV trip and you get keyless remote entry, power locks and windows, six-way adjustable driving seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel and Bluetooth phone connectivity. We loved the Divide-N-Hide Adjustable floor that allows for an adjustable rear floor load.

The SV Convenience package includes a rearview camera, 4.3-inch touchscreen display, satellite radio, cargo diver and USB/iPod interface.

Matching a quality, energetic styled interior is a fun and fluid ride. One doesn’t feel every road bump or feel like the wind is inside the car. Nissan’s excellent engineering doesn’t skip on design engineering. One of the best things about this car is the value. It gets 35 combined miles per gallon (31 mpg city/40 mpg on the highway) or 2.9 gallons per 100 miles. The annual fuel cost is about $1,500, which will save the owner about $4,000 in fuel costs over a five-year period.

And while we’re talking about being easy on the wallet, let’s talk price. The base retail price for the Versa Note S is $13,990 and the SV starts at $15,990. We drove a souped up version with the SL package, which includes 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels, heated front seats and front fog lights, which ran the price up to a still very agreeable $19,545.

The Versa Note SV is the perfect car for every day use. It does as fine on the highway as it does zipping in and out of suburban streets. It’s gas efficiency makes it the perfect car for every day use as it is perfect for putting kids, groceries, sports equipment and the family dog in with ease and comfort.

With the Nissan Versa Note you get energetic styling, best-level fuel efficiency and Smart Technology, class-leading 40 MPG highway and best-in-class interior volume. Does it have everything you need in a car? Check.