Overview & Reviews

The Nissan Versa Note is the hatchback version of the subcompact Versa sedan. Previously known simply as the Versa hatchback, it got a new name when the redesigned model bowed for 2014. The Versa Note boasts a roomy interior, good fuel economy and an unusually low base price.

Given its tepid driving dynamics and underwhelming cabin quality, though, the Versa Note isn't a top pick among small, affordable hatchbacks. Rivals like the Honda Fit and Kia Soul have a wider range of talents. But money talks, and there's a good chance that Nissan's little runabout will be the most affordable car on your list. If you're looking for a spacious hatchback on the cheap, take note.

Current Nissan Versa Note
The Nissan Versa Note is a four-door hatchback offered in S, S Plus and SV trim levels. The S sticks to the bare necessities, providing steel wheels, air-conditioning, a height-adjustable driver seat, manual windows and locks and a four-speaker sound system. The S Plus gets a standard CVT (continuously variable transmission), cruise control and active grille shutters to aid fuel economy. The SV adds full power accessories, upgraded interior trim and gauges, a leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel and Bluetooth phone connectivity.

Optional extras on the SV are largely bundled into packages and include keyless ignition/entry, a rearview camera, two different touchscreen interfaces (measuring 4.3 inches or 5.8 inches), a navigation system, a 360-degree parking camera system, a USB/iPod input and Bluetooth streaming audio.

All Versa Notes are powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 109 horsepower and 107 pound-feet of torque. A five-speed manual transmission is mandatory on the base S trim, while the other trims are equipped with the CVT. The best fuel economy comes from selecting the CVT.

In reviews and ratings, we've commented favorably on the Versa Note's astoundingly roomy backseat. Based on the car's pint-sized dimensions, you'd expect two adults to feel crammed in there like proverbial sardines, but a couple of 6-footers can actually share the rear bench with head- and legroom to spare. Luggage space is also a strength, though maximum capacity with the seatbacks flipped forward is unremarkable.

In other respects, the Versa Note falls short of segment leaders. Interior materials are about what you'd expect from one of the cheapest hatchbacks on the market, notwithstanding the SV's extended cloth inserts. The engine drones intrusively when it's working hard, which is often. Even in a featherweight subcompact, 109 hp isn't much oomph. Although the ride is generally comfortable, rough roads can give the car's structure a bad case of the shakes. If you keep your expectations low, you might be pleasantly surprised, but most of the Versa Note's competitors will be more pleasant on a daily basis.

Used Nissan Versa Note Models
The current Nissan Versa Note is a new model. But its predecessor, the first-generation Versa hatchback, was produced from 2007-'12 and is covered in the Nissan Versa model review.

User Reviews:

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  Easy, cute and reliable! - 2014 Nissan Versa Note
  By Northern California Mom - February 10 - 9:17 pm

  Our 2014 Versa Note has about 40k miles on it. We bought it used four months ago from a dealer; previously a rental. We were looking for an economical, comfortable, newer, fuel-sipping, around-town vehicle that I (a mother of kids in various after school activities) could safely do all of my driving around town in. The Versa Note has delivered. Sound system is very good, use of interior space is excellent, gas mileage is very good, and it its own way it is really fun to drive. Pickup is slow, but that is to be expected with the CVT. Once youre rolling, there is plenty of power. For a sub-compact car, the inside feels great and modern. Back seat is huge for the size of the car, and both front and back seats accommodate surprisingly tall people without a problem. Plenty of leg room. And somehow, the rear hatch area accommodates gigantic loads of groceries. The split rear seat is handy if you need extra room for carrying a small bicycle, etc. Our German Shepherd even fits in the way back. An added unexpected bonus of driving such a small car is that when our whole family is in it, it is incredibly easy and nice to have a conversation among us all because we are all relatively close together. Also easy to clean, being so small! All in all we love it, but it is definitely not a luxury car, so dont expect the super smooth ride. And go for the SV model at least if you can, because who wants a newer car with manual roll-down windows? But coming from our 2000 Subaru which finally bit the dust, it feels great, modern, and a big improvement in many ways. It is a little bumpy and jerky on the road since it is so little, but you get used to that. Not uncomfortable at all, but it drives more like a small motorcycle or scooter than a gigantic luxury liner. For long trips it may not be the absolute most comfortable car out there, but for cruising mostly around town it has rocked (we have a minivan as our other car to use for camping and trips). Love to squeeze the Versa Note into those tight parking spaces that the big trucks pass right by :)

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  I do not feel safe in this vehicle - 2014 Nissan Versa Note
  By courtney - October 5 - 4:20 pm

  I thought this would be a good upgrade from the 09 versa hatchback and boy was I wrong. Everything that has gone wrong with the car, has, it is a 2014 and already rusting, the bumper fell off, the engine sucks, and the front end is a lot smaller that the 2009. I do not feel safe in this vehicle and as soon as I can pay it off, I am trading it in for something safer. The USB port doesnt work, I have to bring it in for maintenance all the time. It is just a poorly made car. The gas mileage is good but the rest has a lot of issues. My biggest concern is the safety. If I were to hit a deer or another vehicle, I am not sure I would be ok. If I lived where it doesnt snow or sleet, I would probably like the car more but it is not made for the northeast weather.

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  Poor resale value - 2014 Nissan Versa Note
  By John - June 5 - 6:38 am

  I have purchased this car and now regreting for my decision. Only one good part is fuel economy. In all other senses its a bad decision in view of facility, performance and resale value. Its resale value is remarkably low, even in next day of your purchase. There will be even 5000-6000 USD difference for low mileage excellent condition. So i will not suggest this one for many of hose people with over three family size and need to look for a resale or trade in option.

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  A Note-Worthy Surprise - 2015 Nissan Versa Note
  By notelampasas - June 4 - 9:17 pm

  Having had numerous vehicles over the years, and preferring manual shift for a more engaged driving experience, I decided to drive the CVT Note to see how uninspiring it was, and was wrong. This well designed, quiet vehicle keeps up with traffic, is very economical, and is a pretty decent hauler. After 7,700 miles, my city/country average is 35.5, and average highway is 38.8, with best long highway trip being 43.3 at 70mph with A/C. The seats are comfortable, and the back seat was able to accommodate a 68" male who was stunned at the backseat room. I had no problem climbing long inclines in Colorado. Certainly one of the surprising cars that has gotten little attention.

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  I like my 2014 Nissan Versa Note 5 Speed - 2014 Nissan Versa Note
  By tim226 - February 18 - 5:10 pm

  I am in outside sales and drive about 49,000 miles per year. I selected Nissan because the dealer is very close to my home. I wanted an economy car with good gas milage and I wanted a stick. The 2014 Versa Note is a nice looking, professional enough, economy car. First, the EPA gas mileage puts it in the low 30s combined. I am averaging about 38 MPG combined, which does include a lot of interstate, but also in town and awesome TN Backroads. I like the 5 speed, which gives me great control. ANOTHER GREAT FEATURE, the Versa Note has a computer driven feature that allows the engine to maintain a safe speed on a steep mountain decline. This is an awesome feature.

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  Fun to drive, great mileage - 2016 Nissan Versa Note
  By David Allin - January 15 - 1:36 pm

  First, the Versa Note is almost totally unrelated to the other Versa models. Its a different platform that is more solid and much better looking. When you close the doors, you hear a nice muffled thunk, not the tinny clank of most economy cars. The whole car feels very tight, and is extremely quiet inside, with no squeaks or rattles and little tire and wind noise. The interior is simple, but the materials all feel sturdy and look attractive, which is standard for Nissans. I traded in a 2005 Sentra with 108K miles, and the cloth interior of that car still looked just like new. The Notes interior is very spacious, especially for such a small car, with plenty of leg room in the back seats for two adults. The cargo area is adequate, with a floor that can be positioned at two heights, and the rear seatbacks fold down almost flat. Unlike most cars these days, the rear side windows roll all the way down and out of sight in the doors. The car handles extremely well, and stops on a dime. In order to make it good great mileage, however, Nissan put a very small engine in it, combined with a CVT transmission that is programmed to save gas. As a result the car is not a pocket rocket, although the acceleration is adequate. Going up Nine-Mile hill at 75mph with the AC on is a strain, but otherwise the car can keep up with traffic pretty well. Ive found that a gentle pressure on the gas pedal will actually result in better acceleration than pushing it to the floor. Still, we use our Murano for long trips, and the Note in town, where it scoots around happily. Theres an old sports car saying that its more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow, and it applies here. I bought the SL, with all the bells and whistles, and for the most part they are worth the extra cost. The satellite radio is great, and the cars sound system is better than the one in my Murano. One of the main features we were looking for was visibility, and in addition to the great arrangement of windows, the SL has the around-view monitor, with cameras on all sides that produce a picture on the center screen of a birds-eye view of the car when backing up. The cameras can also be turned on when pulling into a parking space. The navigation systems is okay, but not as good as my Garmin, and clearly has not been updated for at least four years. The Sirius Travel Link is a nice feature, giving you the prices of gas at nearby stations, movie listings in the area, stock prices, and weather info. It also provides you real-time traffic alerts. All of these can be accessed using voice commands that work fairly well. Instrumentation is limited to tach, speedo, and gas gauge; all other systems are just warning lights. The HVAC is the same one that was in my 2005 Sentra, but it works well. Judging by our experience with previous Nissans over the last 20 years, we expect this car to be trouble-free for as long as we own it. Yes, I wish it had a little more power, but we love the car anyway.

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  the mobile command center - 2014 Nissan Versa Note
  By jfortune - May 21 - 11:28 pm

  Have had the car for about 9 months.....gas mileage is as claimed......the ride is more than decent for a car of its size.......and it handling is very good....i was pleasantly surprised for a car of its size.....the seats are very comfortable, have taken it on some 4 - 6 hour car trips and did not feel beat to death as I have in some small cars in the past.....all in all, I am very pleased with the car so far

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  Hits All The Right Notes - 2014 Nissan Versa Note
  By Bob McDonald - April 29 - 5:13 pm

  This is our 14th Datsun/Nissan vehicle, and fourth in the Versa family. The Note is our first non-manual transmission vehicle and the CVT performs very well. From cruising the highways in PA to the need for quick merges into heavy traffic in DC and NJ, the power train hasnt let us down. The Note is just a touch smaller inside than our Versa hatchback, but still very roomy, and rear seat passengers are always surprised by the generous legroom, even with the front seats all the way back. With a fifth passenger, the back is a little tight side to side, but that come with the territory. My wife commutes an hour to work, and we make frequent 3-4 hour drives on our travels, and the ride comfort is great, never feeling cramped. Weve been spoiled by the XM radio. Fuel economy is very good, and we didnt have to pay any premium for a hybrid. Solid, reliable transportation that wont break your budget. 4/14/16 Update: No real changes in opinion on anything. Since were at 60,000 miles, and after a talk with the service manager to inquire about whether a transmission flush on the CVT is recommended at 60K (it is), were having that done tomorrow. They tell me its called a "drain down" because with the CVT they dont drain all the fluid out because of how the transmission is built. Not having any issues with the CVT that I can tell, although weve been driving manual transmissions so long, that this is still a bit outside of my experience. Late winter we had a transmission reprogram done on a recall, which actually bumped up the mileage a bit, but didnt seem to change how it feels at all. Getting 41-42 mpg combined driving at the moment. Were going to Indy for the race this year, so that will be the next long road trip to check highway mpg.

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  Great for parking garage. - 2016 Nissan Versa Note
  By Erik - April 25 - 3:00 pm

  Forgive the wall, Im on mobile.So got this as a rental, it looked cool and I wanted to try it. It had just over 2k milkes and I put 350 miles on it. Did a bit of city ( vegas!!) freeway and some "mountain" driving. Lets point out the Pros of this. The blue tooth is simple and easy, and you can take it a step further by downloading an app. But I just used Google maps, which only works if you have the stereo on Bluetooth mode) Its great for parking, tight turns, great for those u turns, braking, and decent fuel economy. The steering response is middle of the road, maybe a bit above because the car doesnt roll if you have to jerk it over to the next lane. It does have a back up camera and you can see all around when in traffic. I didnt get a chance to see how well The traction control worked. The A/C did okay for 110F heat and no window tint. Meaning it was on full blast 95%, even when it was under 100F. The audio system sounded better then I imagined! Weaving in and out of traffic is a breeze, and youll have plenty of room. Its not the ugliest or boring for a compact. There was plenty of room for just the two of us. The dash is nice to look at and the double glove box was very convenient. Heck the knee one was very deep. Seating was firm but comfy. Combine the seating and suspension for a sporty feel. Now the cons; even if you are at the front of the line at a stop light, youll be last. Not only is take off unnaturally slow, the actual throttle response is about a whole second behind. Then after that youll start to crawl forward ( no need to worry about burn outs!) This can actually be annoying because if traffic speeds up a tad while rolling down the road itll be a few before youll catch up. It was amazing that it could go 70mph ( okay there were times we may have went 85mph but we were just keeping with the flow!! And the ride was challenging due to the swaying. Well get to that later) Imagine you are getting on the freeway, you hit the Apex and pin the throttle, the rpms jump up and as need to start merging, desperately, you look down and realize you are only doing 55-60mph, pending if the hill was in your favor. Okay you get it, accerleration is not what this car is meant to do. But you may think this can hold its speed. I mean come on, its modern, it has a CVT, and its small! Well sure it can. But only if its minor. If you start climbing a little itll rev up. And if its a 6% grade, you might want to take the slow lane with the truckers. So how does it handle? Well on a flat road its perfect, that goes for the pavement. If its concrete with slits youll start swerving like a tractor trailer with high cross winds, sad part is its only a slight over exaggeration. At around 50mph it becomes noticeable. Maybe its a safetly feature to keep you paying attention! I too thought maybe someone hit something. But seeing another versa I had to follow and see if they did the dance, and they did. With all the negative I wrote, I really do not hate this car! Sure its gutless, the road surface can be a challenge, and the suspension is borderline cheap feeling, but it was fun! The only way I would own this was if I got it with 6sp and 30 more ponies. ( I do kick my self for not getting the fiat 500!)

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  I love my Versa Note - 2014 Nissan Versa Note
  By Stacey - March 23 - 7:02 am

  I have owned my Note for a little over two years and have about 60,000 miles on it. I have a long work commute and was sick of giving half my money to the oil industry. I get about 37mpg. Compared to similar cars, the Note has a lot of space and cargo room. Five of us to Florida on a camping trip cargo room. Mine did come with an unlimited power train warranty from the dealership. I have kept up with every single required maintenance. I love my car, but if youre looking for a sports tuner, this isnt it. This is a good run around with the kids car. Its like my mini SUV. BTW, my husband is 62" and has plenty of head and leg room, which was one of his big concerns when I decided to go to a small car.