Do you like music? If so you will no doubt enjoy the delicate stringed musings of Vivladi’s Four Seasons, followed immediately by a bracing heavy-metal blast from Killdozer. And who could forget the time that noted Vancouver tenor Ben Heppner brought us all to tears with an impassioned rendition of “Nessun Dorma” before galvanizing the audience further with a profanity-laced performance of 2Pac’s “Shorty Wanna be a Thug.”
Wait, that never happened. As it turns out, musical tastes vary widely — as do the sorts of things people look for in their cars.
With the Versa Note, Nissan would like to play you a tune that’s heavy on the legato while having only a pianissimo effect on your wallet. The question is: in the cutthroat small car market, is the Note’s performance emphatic enough to be heard?
Design
There’s not much a designer can do with a footprint this small, unless some element of retro-kitsch is what’s being aimed for. Rather than making their hatchback resemble the Datsun B210, Nissan’s gone for a fresh modern take that’s reserved. Given how well the old Versa hatchback has aged (it hit the roads more than seven years ago now), that’s a good thing long-term.
Standard cars come with 15” alloy wheels, but there’s a choice of top trims with 16” alloys. This week’s tester was the SR model and had nicely machine-finished dark-painted rims shod with low-rolling-resistance tires.
The SR package is approximately the same as the old Sport package Nissan used to sell on its Versa and includes unique front and rear fascias, side skirts, dark-look headlights and fog-lights, and a rear spoiler. Judging by the album cover, this is potentially a sporty little number.
Environment
However, pulling the vinyl out of the sleeve, so to speak, reveals the Note’s true nature. As soon as you open the door, you can tell that this car is designed for easy listenin’ with a roomy, comfortable cabin.
Any Nissan salesman worth his salt will insist that you sit in the back seat of the Note, even before you plonk yourself up front. There’s enough legroom here that Wilt Chamberlain’s chauffeur should have owned one. Rear-facing child seats are an easy fit, leaving plenty of room for adults up front, and four adults could easily pop across town in complete comfort.
The SR model comes with sporty-looking suede seat covers trimmed in orange. Sporty they may look, but they’re actually a bit more comfort-oriented, with less bolstering than I’d like to see. The trade-off on this is easier ingress and egress, and with a very upright driving position, you won’t have to limbo your way into the Note in a tight parking lot.
Some demerits must be detracted for the way Nissan has used quite a lot of hard plastic in this interior, especially compared to how well the old Versa stacked up against its rivals. There are some nice touches, like twin glove compartments, a leather-wrapped three-spoke steering-wheel and smart-looking chrome door handles, but the lack of soft door armrests is a bit disappointing. Yes, this is an entry-level car, but the old car hid its economy roots better than the new one does.
Trunk space is very good, and of particular note is the adjustable sub-floor. This can be raised to allow a small gap that’ll fit a laptop or small bag, or lowered right down for maximum space. It flips up too, meaning you can use it to keep the groceries from sliding around too much.
Performance
How much you’ll enjoy driving the Note will very much depend upon how you intend to drive it. To come back to our musical metaphors, you’d have a heck of time trying to mosh to Vivaldi.
Powered by a 1.6L four-cylinder making a very modest 109hp and 107lb/ft of torque, the Note is available with either a five-speed manual transmission, or a continuously variable transmission. The CVT is the only offering on SR models.
Even though the SR model looks like the sportiest version in the range, it doesn’t have any chassis enhancements and comes with those aforementioned low rolling-resistance tires. Trying to carve up a corner with this car is akin to playing Guns n’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” on the oboe. It’s not that you can’t do so, it’s just that it’s very silly to try.
Body roll is moderate but the high seating position and numb steering feel aren’t exactly designed to put you in attack mode. Work the accelerator too hard and that little 1.6L is going to let you know it’s doing a tough job.
It’s entirely the wrong way to handle the car, so slow your roll. Where a CVT works is in smooth, efficient driving with moderate inputs. Call it the classical music approach.
Here, the Note excels, with the smooth, well-damped ride of a larger car and only modest wind noise from the large side mirrors. It easily hits its fuel-economy measurements of 7.5L/100kms city and 6.0L/100kms highway, and a careful driver might even be able to beat Transport Canada’s figures without too much difficulty. Note that these are the new, more-stringent five-cycle test figures and should not be directly compared to 2014 numbers, as those are often off by 10-15 per cent.
Features
The Note comes very-well equipped at even low levels with a backup camera, Bluetooth handsfree and streaming audio, and a nice-looking colour display screen on mid-range models. There’s also the Nissan Connect system, that allows you to access apps through your smart phone. Fiddle as I might, I couldn’t get this to work with my iPhone.
The SL model is the queen of the range, with a 360-degree camera, push-button ignition, and heated seats. SV models can be equipped with everything you need for prices in the mid-teens.
Green Light
Spacious interior; comfortable ride; excellent fuel-economy.
Stop Sign
Modest acceleration; hard plastics in interior; sporty looks don’t match the drive.
The Checkered Flag
Hits all the high notes if you’re looking for a compact cruiser.
