B8 TUESDAY, June 25, 2013
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AUTO MARKET
Although it is marginally shorter than the outgoing Versa Hatchback, the 2014 Versa Note is actually bigger inside, with seating for five adults.
HITTING A HIGHER NOTE Nissan’s latest subcompact is an instant contender By Jim Robinson METROLAND MEDIA wheelstalk.com
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would allow. Nissan says the Xtronic CVT in the Versa Note still connects the two pulleys with a metallic belt by changing their diameter under hydraulic pressure. However, this is aided by an integrated auxiliary gearbox using planetary gearing. The result is a transmission ratio of 7.3:1 that is broader than those of conventional CVTs and atypical of sevenspeed automatic transmissions as well. On the wonderful highways and byways around San Diego, where the press launch was staged, the CVT was surprisingly sharp on city streets. Joining the freeway, it was adequate but really not bad when you consider torque is just 107 pound-feet. Much credit is due to a weight reduction of 107 kilograms over the outgoing Versa Hatch. A lot of work went into noise reduction like acoustic glass, underbody shielding of the gas tank and double rubber baffles on the doors. It is far better when the first Versa I drove in 2006 which
remains the noisiest car I have ever encountered. But, with the rear seats folded flat, you have basically a 606-litre cavern behind you that does amplify road noise on more granular pavement abetted by the harder low rolling resistance tires on the CVT version I drove. Suspension is MacPherson struts with a stabilizer bar at the front and twist beam with stabilizer bar at the rear. Braking is by power-assisted front disc/rear drum brakes with standard anti-lock braking system (ABS) with electronic brake force distribution (EBD) and brake assist. The Versa Note rides on standard 15-inch steel wheels with full wheel covers and 185/65HR15 all-season tires, while 16-inch aluminum-alloy wheels with 195/55HR16 allseason tires are optional. Low-rolling resistance tires are standard on CVT-equipped models. It will be offered in three model trims levels — 1.6 S manual/CVT, 1.6 SV manual/ CVT and 1.6 SL manual/CVT. X See PLENTY B9
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FFORDABILITY AND TONS OF SPACE ARE THE TWO MUSTHAVES FOR SUBCOMPACT BUYERS — AND NISSAN BELIEVES IT HAS HIT THAT DOUBLE SWEET SPOT WITH THE 2014 VERSA NOTE. The Versa Note, at 606 litres (21.4 cu ft), has the largest cargo area in the segment, while Nissan also claims it has the best fuel economy at 5.5L/100 km combined. In terms of price, the Versa Note starts at $13,348. The most you can spend is $19,018 and that includes an industryfirst 360-degree parking system with four external cameras. There is one engine — a 1.6-litre twincam inline fourcylinder with dual fuel injection and Twin CVTC (continuously variable timing control) producing 109 horses and 107 poundfeet of torque. All versions are equipped with a standard five-speed manual or optional ($1,300) next-generation Nissan Xtronic CVT transmission. As for fuel consumption, the Versa Note gets 6.1/4.8/5.5L/100 km city/highway/combined with the CVT. Nissan was an early adopter of CVTs and remains the biggest proponent in the auto industry. In the early days, CVTs were loud and sluggish in reaction time especially under full throttle situations where the engine would peg at the redline as the engine tried to catch up as much the CVT pulleys