My, oh, my, what big eyes you have my dear Versa… No one outside of Nissan ever said that the procrustean Micra was a looker, and somehow we doubt anyone will see the beauty in the facelifted version of the small sedan that will make its debut next Wednesday on April 16, at the New York International Auto Show, the same day it goes on sale in the States.
If you’ve been following us, the 2015 Versa’s refreshed appearance won’t come as a surprise as we previewed the car through leaked photos of its Chinese-twin, the updated Sunny back in the summer of 2013.
On the outside, the bulk of the revisions take place on the front where the Versa adopts a look heavily influenced by the bigger Altima with much larger headlamps, standard chrome plating on the grille and fog lamp surrounds, and a reworked bumper
Nissan added new side mirror designs for the SV and SL trim grades, the latter also featuring integrated turn signals, a restyled rear bumper fascia, and new 15-inch V-spoke alloy wheels for SV models.
For the interior, the 2015 model year brings a newly designed steering wheel with standard audio and Bluetooth Hands-free Phone System controls, different seat fabrics, a revised center stack similar to that of the Versa Note hatch, and a tweaked meter display with white LED display instead of orange illumination.
Nissan says new content has been added to S, S Plus and SV grades, while the revised SL Tech Package features NissanConnect with Navigation and Mobile Apps.
Nothing changed under the hood with the 2015 Versa retaining the 109hp 1.6-liter four-pot that is available with a choice of three transmissions – a 5sp manual, a 4-speed auto and a Xtronic CVT with D-mode step shift programming.
According to Nissan, “Fuel economy for the 2015 Versa Sedan is rated at 31 mpg city, 40 mpg highway and 35 mpg combined with the Xtronic transmission. Versa Sedan models equipped with the 5-speed manual offers 27 mpg city, 36 mpg highway and 30 mpg combined, while the 4-speed automatic-equipped models are rated at 26 mpg city, 35 mpg highway and 30 mpg combined.”
Pricing for the revised Versa starts at $11,990, excluding a destination fee of $810, which Nissan says, keeps it the most affordable new car in the States.
By John Halas
PHOTO GALLERY
