Nissan Versa 0-60 times

The Nissan Versa is made with the intention of being America’s cheapest car. So, if you’re looking for a car that’s both new and inexpensive, don’t look further than the Nissan Versa. 

We are reporting on the sedan this time, which has surprisingly frail components. Its weak, 109 hp-four-cylinder engine gives slow acceleration from 0 to 60, but it is quite efficient in its fuel consumption doing 39 mpg on the highway when equipped with the continuously variable automatic transmission. The 5-speed manual gearbox is also available.

The Versa has barely any interior decoration at all. And this is to be expected with its $12,875 starting price. But, the cheapest model, the Versa S, has a lot of impressive features. Such as, Bluetooth phone streaming, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, anti-lock brakes and power side mirrors. It has a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard, which probably disappoints young buyers who can’t drive these types of cars. But, there is also a 4-speed automatic transmission for these young buyers available on the S. There are other models of the Versa S- from the $15,015 Versa S Plus, to the most expensive one- the Versa SL costing $18,165, all of which uses continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) and also seems more attractive to buyers.

The Nissan Versa has a similar trim across all its models. It is a front wheel drive powered by a 1.6 liter inline–four engine. Equipped with a mere 109 horsepower 107 pounds of torque, the 2474 lb. Versa SV test car managed to get from 0-60 in a reasonable time of 9.2  seconds. It took the car 17.1 seconds at the speed of 81 mph to go through a quarter of a mile. Its results were very similar to the Toyota Yaris iA, although the iA had the speed of 82 mph (when finishing the quarter mile). However, when compared to the Mitsubishi Mirage G4, the Versa obliterated the G4’s time of 12.8 seconds to reach from 0-60 mph. In G4’s defense, it only has three cylinders, whereas its competitors usually have four. So a bit more power on the Versa will be appreciated.

Regardless of the Versa’s weak power, its acceleration can be quite noisy; at 78 decibels of the inline-four engine’s coarse tune, entering the cabin at wide-open throttle. This is 6 decibels more than what was recorded in the iA. The fault lies with the Versa’s CVT transmission which tends to keep the engine at high revs when heavy throttle is applied to it. 

Even with its extra-loud revs, the CVT transmission brings a lot of benefits with it. Versas having CVT can push out an EPA rating of 31 miles-to-the-gallon in city driving conditions and 39 MPG while driving on a highway. This mileage is better than the stick shift’s, which got a rating of only 27 in city driving and 36 on the highway. CVT-equipped Versas also benefit from having rear wheel air deflectors and a rear spoiler. Both of which trim its coefficient of drag from 0.32 down to 0.29.  During testing with the Versa SV, we noticed that even though its MPG rating matched with the EPA when city driving when we took it to a highway, its mileage was measured at 34 MPG, which is 5 MPG less than the EPA’s rating. This odd phenomenon can be explained by crosswinds hitting the car and making it very difficult to drive; more energy is wasted battling against the winds to keep the car in a single lane. We also advise to keep clear of twisty tarmac. As the Versa’s slim, 15-inch Continental ContiProContact E low-rolling-resistance tires lose traction at the first sight of lateral acceleration. The sedan stopped at 70 MPH in an acceptable 176 feet.

As we’ve witnessed in the past, the Versa has been marketed as more spacious and cheaper than other cars on the market. Unsurprisingly, with a large 15-cubic foot trunk and a pleasant rear seat with 37 inches of legroom! - This is nearly an inch more spacious than the Nissan Altima. It’s spacious interior and low price make it very attractive to customers flirting with the idea of getting into the ridesharing industry. 

The Versa has 122 horsepower and 127 pounds of torque, which is more than most other cars of its type. It also comes a new full-aluminum 1.8-liter-dual-cam-4-cylinder engine. You should expect the Nissan Versa to go from 0-60 in 9.5 seconds, which is similar to other cars of its class. But its transmission is far from standard, with a 5-speed manual gearbox or a fully automatic CVT transmission system.