Recalls do not have to be issued only because something is prone to failure. Keyless ignition, a Z-inspired leather-wrapped steering wheel, and an immobilizer are made standard with the SR trim.The infotainment offering on the Versa Note is also rather limited and sub-par in terms of quality. The Versa Note is rated at 72 out of 100 for dependability by J.D.
While it still had a CVT and the same 1.6-liter, 109-horsepower engine, it was not equipped with niceties like the NissanConnect touchscreen head unit, the much-ballyhooed Around View Monitor, or pushbutton ignition with touch sensors on the door handles.The interior of the cube is much more comfortable with nicer materials, such as seats that sit just far enough off the ground to improve upon entry and egress, not to mention long-distance ride comfort.The MR18DE 1.8-liter four-cylinder in the cube is no powerhouse, at 122 ponies, but its power delivery through Nissanâs Xtronic CVT is much smoother and more willing when called upon to merge onto a highway or pass slower traffic on a two-lane road.Important for those of us who enjoy rockinâ our tunes, the cubeâs Clarion-supplied head unit and speakers provide much better sound quality than the basic Versa Note head unit and speakers.Finally, the cube is orders of magnitude easier to see out of — the Versa Noteâs narrow, laid-back windshield making for a more distorted view of the world than the cubeâs upright front glass.In truth, just about the only ways the Versa Note handily beats the cube is in pricing and fuel economy. It's overall an average effort, but there are rivals in the subcompact segment who bring far more to the party.The Versa Note can comfortably seat five passengers, boasting a back seat that is more spacious than many larger sedans. The glove compartment is quite large, but the front door pockets and front/rear cupholders are smaller than average.The Versa Note doesn't offer many features as standard and is really bare-bones in comparison to other hatchbacks in the segment. The more popular Honda Fit returns comparable estimates of 29/36/31 mpg on top-tier trims, but 33/40/36 mpg is achievable with their base-line model.
The steering is slow and uncommunicative, and while it handles corners well enough in town, it doesn't inspire any confidence if you try to take even a mild curve at higher speeds. Nissan offers a three-year/36,000-mile limited warranty and roadside assistance plan, as well as a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty on new Note purchases.The Versa Note has not been fully rated by either the NHTSA or the IIHS, with the former only evaluating rollover protection, awarding four stars out of a possible five. The base model has no access to optional packages, while the mid-spec SV only gets access to the Special Edition package, which for $735 adds 15-inch alloy wheels, for lights, an intelligent key with keyless access and push-button start, and the NissanConnect infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and SiriusXM compatibility. The front seats offer 40.8 inches of headroom and 41.3 inches of legroom, while the rear seats have 38 inches and 38.3 inches available, respectively.
Opting for the SV trim won't break the bank, even if you add the Special Edition Package. One could possibly forgive the protesting powertrain if it was a little more impressive, but with 10.2 seconds needed to get to 60 mph from rest, this is hardly an exciting drive. Overall, the Note is a passable hatchback in the sense that it gets the job done, but you may still want to pass it over in favor of one of its better-handling rivals.Burning regular unleaded gasoline, the Versa Note gets estimated city/highway/combined estimates from the EPA of 31/39/34 mpg. Edmunds also has Nissan Versa Note pricing, MPG, specs, pictures, safety features, consumer reviews and more. Nothing extra is added as standard on the SV trim, although many of the features available on the SR can be equipped to the SV by adding the Special Edition Package.
The Versa Note returned an easy 40 MPG in my mixed city-highway driving where the cube returns 35, in our experience.Having said all that, I might still buy a Nissan Versa Note if I found myself in a hard spot — which is where I was when we were considering that purchase a year ago. Sadly, its infotainment offering is not much better than the Note's. Making the poorer quality materials bearable, solid ergonomics at least means you'll be able to avoid touching the hard plastics. If you want anything more than that, then the hatchback will fall short in just about every area.With one of the weakest engines in the segment, the Note won't offer any thrills on the road, especially when you consider its middling handling. Owners have the most complaints about the transmission (32%), windows (19%), and the engine (13%).We've listed some of the most recent complaints below, see them all on CarComplaints.com. Ingress and egress are easy at least, thanks to the large, wide-opening doors.The entry-level Note S makes do with a dull and drab interior upholstered in cheap-feeling charcoal cloth, which only looks marginally more premium than the gray plastics and faux aluminum trim spread throughout the cabin.
{{ ::video.publisherName }}
Nissan Versa Note Recalls.