Available as either a sedan or hatchback, the Nissan Versa boasts a great deal of cargo space – 13.8 cubic feet for the sedan and 16.9 cubic feet for the hatchback.
Leather upholstery is unavailable on all Versa models.
With its history of impressive car safety features, sharp interior features and decent engine specs, the Versa is a contender in the subcompact and economy car market. The MSRP on the "2011 Nissan Versa" ranges from $9,900 to $17,650.
Changes are light for the 2011 Nissan Versa: antilock brakes are now included with the upgraded 1.6 sedan trim, while the 1.8 S sedan gains a six-disc CD changer.
Cars at a certain bargain-basement price point used to be called penalty boxes. Like many subcompact cars, the Nissan Versa is available in four-door sedan and hatchback body styles and its most basic models offer little in the way of convenience features.
The "2011 Nissan Versa" is a subcompact car available in sedan and hatchback styles. The 1.8 SL adds 15-inch alloy wheels, a height-adjustable driver seat, upgraded cloth upholstery, front and rear center armrests, 60/40 split rear seatbacks (sedan) and a six-speaker stereo. The sedan's Convenience package adds keyless ignition/entry, Bluetooth and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls. The 2011 Nissan Versa is available with a choice of two four-cylinder engines. A five-speed manual transmission is standard, while a four-speed automatic is optional. EPA-estimated fuel economy with the manual is 26 mpg city/34 mpg highway and 29 mpg combined. A six-speed manual transmission is standard on the 1.8 S trim. The four-speed automatic is optional on the 1.8 S trim and standard on the 1.8 SL sedan, while the 1.8 SL hatchback gets a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).
Every "Nissan Versa" comes standard with front side airbags and side curtain airbags. Antilock brakes are optional on the base car and standard on all other trim levels. In government crash tests, the Versa scored four out of five stars for all occupants in both front- and side-impact tests.
The 2011 Nissan Versa has a remarkably roomy cabin. Looks-wise, the car's interior is quite bland, but overall interior quality is high. The car's overstuffed front seats are comfortable during hour-long commutes, but support fades on longer drives.
The 2011 Nissan Versa ranks 26 out of 32 Affordable Small Cars. Just know that going from the base model to the next model up brings the Versa's price to just over $11,000. Also, if you're looking for a handy hatchback to zip around town in, the Versa's hatchback body style isn't available on the base model. While the Versa hatchback is a reviewer favorite, it starts at over $13,000.
While that means that the base hatch comes with more standard features than the base sedan, it also takes a significant chunk out of the Versa's value equation.
The Nissan Versa is largely unchanged for 2011. Antilock brakes are now standard on the Versa 1.6 sedan, but not the 1.6 BASE sedan. The Versa comes as a sedan or hatchback.