Awesome gas mileage.  Roomy

What more can you ask for in a car? this car is great. It's stylish yet simple. My biggest recomendation is to get the CVT tranny though. The 4 auto isnt that great. Compare both in a test drive and you'll see what Im saying.

I have recently had the opportunity to drive the new 2008 Versa S Hatchback as a rental car from Enterprise while my del Sol is undergoing body repair.  My overall impression of the car is that while it is very roomy for its size and boasts a 1.8L DOHC engine and 'comfortable seats', it may not be all it's cracked up to be.

For starters, I'll consider the aspects of the car that agree with.  The seats are rather like sections of a large, strategically contoured sofa.  While they undoubtedly support a broad range of body types, I happen to be a slim person, so as a result the seats do not provide the type of support I am used to.  Nevertheless, I would recommend the seats for individuals of more significant build.

Overall, the car is clean in appearance.  The engine is covered by a pleasing arrangement of contoured plastic.  The interior is adorned by a strongly textured (albeit not unattractive) headliner.  The console and compartments are contemporary.  Panels on the dashboard have a brushed metal look, and the instruments take the form of three cylinders.  Dials and gauges are always backlit, even without the headlights on, and this combined with the shielding provided by the cylindrical walls makes them sharp and clear.

The car boasts plentiful legroom and headroom, even in the back seat.  Four large and/or lanky people would be able to sit comfortably in the car, and three smaller to average-sized individuals would find the back seat accommodating.  There are cupholders to spare, seats and headrests are adjustable, the steering wheel is tiltable, and there is even a sensor to determine whether the passenger airbag should be on, based upon the mass of the occupant.

Sounds are unintrusive to the ear.  Engine noise is very isolated from the cabin.  Road noise is negligible.  The car beeps precisely and patiently when a door is left open, lights are left on, or the driver's seatbelt has not been fastened.

The cargo area is small with the rear seats upright, but can be expanded.  A tonneau cover normally shields the trunk from the cabin, but can be removed.  The hatch is easy to operate and opens with very little force, thanks to hydraulics and a sensitive button.

And now for the bad news...

The car's suspension leaves much to be desired during normal (especially highway) driving.  Understeer is exaggerated, despite the amount of car present behind the engine, and steering is a bit vague.  This fact becomes readily noticeable on the highway.  The car is susceptible to wind gusts because of its tall stature, which creates the need to correct steering with the wind.  The steering has some difficulties remaining centered (possibly due to bump steer).  This brings me to the suspension.

Springs and dampers are fairly soft.  The ride is smooth and absorbs bumps very well, but overall the car feels bigger than it actually is.  Because of the vagueness of the steering, it is not as agile as one would expect.  Despite this, it is admittedly capable of heavy cornering.  I must cite an occasion when I successfully frightened off a Subaru Legacy sedan while taking a > 180-degree decreasing radius on ramp.

Another feature that annoyed me is the low tire pressure warning light.  When I picked up the car, the light was on.  The enterprise employee checking the car over took it to Meineke to ensure correct tire pressure, and he assured me that everything was fine.  Despite this, the light DOES NOT GO OFF.  Perhaps this is due to a lessee slamming into a curb, but I noted no visual damage to the car whatsoever, which had under 3300 miles on it when I began driving it.  This could be an issue that needs to be worked out by Nissan.

The automatic transmission in this car does a poor job of disproving the "slush box" classification.  Shifting out of first gear is extremely, extremely delayed, usually falling around or higher than 3000 RPM for normal city driving.  This could be due to the fact that the car is rather underpowered (I solo drag-raced a 2008 5-speed Scion xD with three occupants and lost, with a head start).  Shifting is unpredictable and always delayed.  There is the (1-2) option to use first and second gears exclusively, and overdrive may be turned off, but the uses for these features are rare and limited.

Fuel economy is not spectacular.  I get better gas mileage in my 1993 del Sol (with a short ram intake and stainless steel exhaust headers).  I averaged about 200 miles to a tank in the city, which equates to 20 mpg, and I am a mostly conservative driver.

In conclusion, the car does well for its price range.  The one I drove can be priced at approximately $14,500, and yet it felt like a small Altima or Sentra on the inside.  Additionally, the car can be drifted with a bit of finesse and skill around an empty, icy airport parking lot without loss of control or rollover...although the fuel level gauge will be thrown off for a few moments until gasoline pools back into the bottom of the tank.  Thanks for reading and I hope this helped.

I'm 6'6, and I didn't think I'd fit in this car, but I do.  It goes fast when needed to and has an incredible turning radius.  I love it, except for not having a mp3 Cd player.  Would recommend it without the mp3 player anyway.  For the price, its wonderful.