Thoughts and Q's on 2007 Versa

[etherealfocus]

Just bought a 2007 Versa S hatchback (6spd stick shift) a couple months ago. Noticed a few quirks...

-First gear is really, really low. Rpms spike around 5mph... it's good for giving the car a quick little push, but that's about it. Other cars I've owned (Civics, a Yaris, a Prizm...) generally handle 1st gear well up through about 10mph.

-6th gear is also really low. I switch into it at 40mph driving around town all the time, and it doesn't start chugging unless I drop to 35ish.

Obviously this means all the gears have a really narrow range. Given that I hit top gear in my 09 Yaris with a 5spd, I don't see that the 6spd in the Versa is anything but a marketing feature.

Doing a little poking around the internet, it looks like the CVT option has a much higher top gear ratio than the manual (~0.8 vs ~0.4 in the CVT).

Is this standard or is Nissan just making a joke by cramming so many gears into a 40mph speed band?

I'm still getting around 37mpg and paid under $10k for it so I'm not complaining too much, but curious what everyone else has to say.

 

[NutBucket]

If they space the gears too far apart it will make acceleration truly terrible. Also, unfair to compare top gear ratios between the 6MT and CVT as they are completely different beasts.

Many 6MTs have closely spaced ratios including the one in my CR-Z. Requires a bit more shifting but there's always the right gear for any given speed/acceleration situation.

 

[Doppel]

Surely first gear is good for way more than 5 mph.

 

[etherealfocus]

@Doppel you'd think so... but no. I can get up to 10mph in 1st, but I break 4000rpms if I do. I've driven a lot of cheapo MT cars, and I've never experienced a first gear this low.

@Nut sure they use different mechanics, but there's no reason they couldn't create a higher gear ratio on the MT. I've never driven a CR-V... when do you usually hit top gear?

I see the point of having kinda close gear ratios; this just seems overkill. The odd gears seem almost redundant. 2nd is a bit high to start from a standstill, but if I'm coasting even a little it's fine. I occasionally ignore 3rd and 5th... rpms get a little high but not bad at all.

 

[NutBucket]

LOL. I was going to suggest the OP may drive like my parents. "Oh no, rev over 3500rpm and the engine will explode!"

 

[etherealfocus]

Haha maybe a little... I try and keep it under 4000 unless I'm merging into traffic.

 

[CrimsonWolf]

I had a 2007 Versa hatchback for almost 4 years. Mine had the CVT so I can't speak to the stick shift, but it was a good car. It's a good commuter car and we never had a problems with it. My aunt has it now so it's still in the family. Only sold it because I wanted something something bigger and zippier.

 

[aleckz]

First gear is fine up to 20, you may get near 5k but its not that big of a deal. I like the close gearing, but I wish 4-5-6 were a little better for MPG's. If I recall correctly, this transmission was taken from a Renault and was made for European highways. I get 33-40mpg going 50-65 MPH, anything over 65 you see a rapid decline in mpg due to the high RPM's the engine is churning out. 75 MPH results in 3.7k RPM which is really high :/

Got mine new for 11.5k, love it.

Oh and replacing tail lights is a bitch, be prepared.

 

[CrimsonWolf]

First gear is fine up to 20, you may get near 5k but its not that big of a deal. I like the close gearing, but I wish 4-5-6 were a little better for MPG's. If I recall correctly, this transmission was taken from a Renault and was made for European highways. I get 33-40mpg going 50-65 MPH, anything over 65 you see a rapid decline in mpg due to the high RPM's the engine is churning out. 75 MPH results in 3.7k RPM which is really high :/

Got mine new for 11.5k, love it.

Oh and replacing tail lights is a bitch, be prepared.

Ha, I forgot about that. Yeah, they sure are a bitch to change.

My recollection is that you pop off the plastic covers behind the tail light and remove two nuts. The bitchy part is sliding off the lamp cover. It's clipped in tight and there's no good way to get a good grip on it. I swore I was going to break the thing trying to get it off. I eventually sprayed some lubricant between the body and the cover, wiped it clean on the outside, and it came off after a minor struggle.

Hopefully the last owner already had to do it so you'll be good for while.

 

[etherealfocus]

@CrimsonWolf good to know, what'd you replace it with? I've been kinda-sorta pondering swapping it out for something else if a couple new jobs take off... dunno though, it's a nice car in just about every way and the transmission thing is a really minor beef.

Sadly, my biggest complaint is just the stick shift. I love driving stick, but I unfortunately get stuck in Dallas traffic a lot and driving stick in a traffic jam is all kinds of suck. Sitting between 1st/2nd/neutral and doing the gas-clutch-brake shuffle for an hour or two is kinda wearing on my foot but mostly the problem is that I have bad knees (years of martial arts and some parkour on the side) and they ache pretty badly after a long time in traffic.

@aleckz Yep, mileage at 70-75ish blows. Luckily I'm quite happy driving 65 (don't need to get a ticket anyway, and a lot of the cops around here will pull you over for anything - I'm looking at you, Northfield PD), but it's annoying to have the limit anyway.

Also, 11.5k new?! Is yours a 2007? What year did you buy it? I paid 10k for mine a few months ago. CVT/MT/auto? S or SL? They wanted 1600 for a 3yr extended warranty on mine, which I declined. Heh, too bad I didn't have more time to shop... I know I paid a bit much since I was in a hurry. Oh well.

 

[chin311]

I bought a Versa new in 07, hatchback 4 speed auto, kept it til about 63k miles, was a great car, sometimes regret selling it only issue I had was under warranty, fuel pressure regulator, was kinda common on the early years. I think I paid about 14~ish new back then.

If mine would have been stick I might have kept it longer, just got bored with it. But enjoy the V, they are nice cars for the money.

 

[CraigRT]

I like the original Versa's too, but the new ones are teh suck. I almost got a white SL hatch last year when looking at new cars. I found them nice inside too, a lot moreso than an equivalent Toyota for example.

 

[uclabachelor]

Just bought a 2007 Versa S hatchback (6spd stick shift) a couple months ago. Noticed a few quirks...

-First gear is really, really low. Rpms spike around 5mph... it's good for giving the car a quick little push, but that's about it. Other cars I've owned (Civics, a Yaris, a Prizm...) generally handle 1st gear well up through about 10mph.

-6th gear is also really low. I switch into it at 40mph driving around town all the time, and it doesn't start chugging unless I drop to 35ish.

Obviously this means all the gears have a really narrow range. Given that I hit top gear in my 09 Yaris with a 5spd, I don't see that the 6spd in the Versa is anything but a marketing feature.

Doing a little poking around the internet, it looks like the CVT option has a much higher top gear ratio than the manual (~0.8 vs ~0.4 in the CVT).

Is this standard or is Nissan just making a joke by cramming so many gears into a 40mph speed band?

I'm still getting around 37mpg and paid under $10k for it so I'm not complaining too much, but curious what everyone else has to say.

Maybe if you rev past 1200 RPM you'd able to go faster than 5 mph in first gear.

 

[angry hampster]

Short gears to compensate for lack of power.