2011 in Review: The worst car I drove for <$40k
By John LeBlanc
Call all me crazy, but I always like to see a little progress in the machines I test-drive each year. Hence the disappointment in the “new” 2012 Nissan Versa sedan, a car that feels like it’s about 15 years old.
Nissan will tell you all day long that the new Versa four-door comes with the lowest MSRP in the biz: $11,798. And that its backseat room is larger than its flagship Maxima sedan. But unless you are obsessed with a new car warranty, or have budding N.B.A. stars to chauffeur around, I’d rather take my chances with a used compact car or any of the Versa’s much more enjoyable subcompact rivals(i.e. Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio5, etc.) than be consigned to this penalty box.
Floor "mats" that looked like felt packing, interior plastics not pretending to be anything but plastic, a CVT and engine combo that whined and moaned like a spoiled toddler, a driving position only a chiropractor would love, and a shape that will warm the cockles of Toyota Echo sedan owners—needless to say, all the Versa's parts don't add up to much.