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Test Drive: Nissan Versa
Sep. 22nd, 2008 08:24 amI was talking to co-worker Mark who has a friend who had always driven Volvos. His friend, apparently, had test driven the Nissan Versa and fell in love with it so hard that she gave up on Volvos and switched. I looked up the Versa and it shot straight up my list to the #2 spot right under the C30. My only problem was finding a dealership that had the Versa with the CVT (continuously variable transmission). I eventually found a dealership down in Massillon with one in stock. I called and was told that they didn't have one to test drive, but they offered to let me drive a regular Versa, then drive a Sentra in order to get a feel for the CVT. This was not a viable solution for me, so I gave them my name and number and instructions to call me when they got the one I wanted in. They called me on Wednesday and said they had gotten one in (surprise! it was the one listed on their website I was staring at the first time I called). He said, "It's black. Is that ok?" This is the second dealership that has acted as though color would be the deciding factor on whether or not I'd buy a car. I actually get fairly insulted when they ask me what color I want to test drive. Am I being oversensitive? In any case, I thanked him and told him I'd be down Friday afternoon to test drive it.
Friday afternoon rolled around and I drove down to Massillon. I pulled into the dealership, parked my car, and was immediately greeted by a salesman. Which I liked. I hate wandering around looking for someone to help me. I said I was there to test drive the Versa with the CVT. He said, "Are you Annissa?" I said I was and he said, "Oh, I have to go find that car." He continues mumbling, "It could take a while... I'm not sure where it is." The good impression he'd made by meeting me at the door vaporized. When a potential customer calls days ahead of time to give you a headsup that they're going to come test drive a vehicle, it's a small thing to actually find the car and make sure it's in top condition and easily accessible. 10 minutes later, he pulled the car to the front. It was filthy. But only on the outside. The inside was incredibly clean. In fact, it was still entirely wrapped in plastic. I have no idea what the interior fabric feels like.
I want to be fair to this vehicle, though. There are several Nissan dealerships I could order it from, since this dealership doesn't seem to have their act together.
This car has the best price point of any vehicle I've tested so far. The hatchback Versa with the CVT comes fully loaded, including sunroof, remote keyless entry and ignition, 6 disc cd-changer, auxiliary input for Mp3 player, power everything, bluetooth capabilities, and ABS (which is inexpliably optional on the other trims). Every conceivable option is loaded into this car for around $18K.
I actually remembered to bring a CD with me this time. The sound system was mediocre, like most of the other cars I've tested. Not bad, but not great. There was a neat storage space just above the CD player in the dash that was the perfect size for 4 jewel cases. The CVT was just as cool as it sounds. I watched the needle dancing around the tachometer, but felt no shifting whatsoever.
The salesman took me on a fairly long test drive and at first the CVT was fun, but the longer I drove, the less impressed I became with the car. It didn't actually feel any different from my Sephia.
When the test drive was over, I checked out the back seat and the trunk area. The literature says that the Versa is slightly larger than the Saturn Astra, but it doesn't feel any larger and due to one fairly serious flaw in the design, it's usable space is decidedly smaller. The back seats don't fold flat. And I'm not talking they have a slight slope when they're folded. There is a 4" verticle ridge between the trunk area and the back seats.
Then came the worst part. The salesman and his boss decided to give me the hard sell. Up until this point, I've been impressed with the salesmen I've dealt with. I've explained my situation to all of them using almost exactly the same words. I'm not looking to buy until November. I'm test driving a lot of cars. I tell each of them which models I'm looking at and my opinions on the ones I've tested. So I don't appreciate the "You need to buy now or you won't get the $500 rebate. If it's a matter of financing, don't worry. You don't have to pay for 3 months" crap. But I don't have problems telling people "no" like I used to and they laid off after a while. I asked for some literature to take with me (it keeps everything fresh in my head until I can write it down, usually a couple days later). They didn't have anything. So I left only with a business card (with the original name scribbled out and a new name written in pen).
As I made the 15 minute drive back to the interstate, I became more and more discontent with my experience with Nissan. Yes, the dealership was crap, but I wasn't all that impressed with the car, either. If it had been the first car I'd driven, I would have been really excited about it. But it just doesn't have the "oomph" I'm looking for. I waited behind a Volkswagen GTI for the traffic to clear so we could turn left onto the freeway onramp. When the traffic cleared, the GTI took off like a rocket up the ramp and disappeared from view. I followed more slowly behind it and thought, "That's what I want. I want to just *go*."
So I drove up to Stow to test drive Volkswagens.
Friday afternoon rolled around and I drove down to Massillon. I pulled into the dealership, parked my car, and was immediately greeted by a salesman. Which I liked. I hate wandering around looking for someone to help me. I said I was there to test drive the Versa with the CVT. He said, "Are you Annissa?" I said I was and he said, "Oh, I have to go find that car." He continues mumbling, "It could take a while... I'm not sure where it is." The good impression he'd made by meeting me at the door vaporized. When a potential customer calls days ahead of time to give you a headsup that they're going to come test drive a vehicle, it's a small thing to actually find the car and make sure it's in top condition and easily accessible. 10 minutes later, he pulled the car to the front. It was filthy. But only on the outside. The inside was incredibly clean. In fact, it was still entirely wrapped in plastic. I have no idea what the interior fabric feels like.
I want to be fair to this vehicle, though. There are several Nissan dealerships I could order it from, since this dealership doesn't seem to have their act together.
This car has the best price point of any vehicle I've tested so far. The hatchback Versa with the CVT comes fully loaded, including sunroof, remote keyless entry and ignition, 6 disc cd-changer, auxiliary input for Mp3 player, power everything, bluetooth capabilities, and ABS (which is inexpliably optional on the other trims). Every conceivable option is loaded into this car for around $18K.
I actually remembered to bring a CD with me this time. The sound system was mediocre, like most of the other cars I've tested. Not bad, but not great. There was a neat storage space just above the CD player in the dash that was the perfect size for 4 jewel cases. The CVT was just as cool as it sounds. I watched the needle dancing around the tachometer, but felt no shifting whatsoever.
The salesman took me on a fairly long test drive and at first the CVT was fun, but the longer I drove, the less impressed I became with the car. It didn't actually feel any different from my Sephia.
When the test drive was over, I checked out the back seat and the trunk area. The literature says that the Versa is slightly larger than the Saturn Astra, but it doesn't feel any larger and due to one fairly serious flaw in the design, it's usable space is decidedly smaller. The back seats don't fold flat. And I'm not talking they have a slight slope when they're folded. There is a 4" verticle ridge between the trunk area and the back seats.
Then came the worst part. The salesman and his boss decided to give me the hard sell. Up until this point, I've been impressed with the salesmen I've dealt with. I've explained my situation to all of them using almost exactly the same words. I'm not looking to buy until November. I'm test driving a lot of cars. I tell each of them which models I'm looking at and my opinions on the ones I've tested. So I don't appreciate the "You need to buy now or you won't get the $500 rebate. If it's a matter of financing, don't worry. You don't have to pay for 3 months" crap. But I don't have problems telling people "no" like I used to and they laid off after a while. I asked for some literature to take with me (it keeps everything fresh in my head until I can write it down, usually a couple days later). They didn't have anything. So I left only with a business card (with the original name scribbled out and a new name written in pen).
As I made the 15 minute drive back to the interstate, I became more and more discontent with my experience with Nissan. Yes, the dealership was crap, but I wasn't all that impressed with the car, either. If it had been the first car I'd driven, I would have been really excited about it. But it just doesn't have the "oomph" I'm looking for. I waited behind a Volkswagen GTI for the traffic to clear so we could turn left onto the freeway onramp. When the traffic cleared, the GTI took off like a rocket up the ramp and disappeared from view. I followed more slowly behind it and thought, "That's what I want. I want to just *go*."
So I drove up to Stow to test drive Volkswagens.
