Auto manufacturers aim to impress me with the vehicles they send for review. So typically they deliver high-line versions decked in the most sumptuous trims, and stuffed with every slick option a model line offers.
But last week Nissan dropped off a bare-bones Versa equipped with pretty much nothing. I had to roll down the windows manually with cranks. It had no radio. A blank plastic panel filled the space that radios have occupied in every other vehicle I have evaluated in the last quarter century.
Finally, a company had sent me the kind of car I could actually buy. I'm a frugal guy. And my tastes shade toward the simple.
Nissan sends around the sparse Versa 1.6 Base to brag as loudly as the showiest model in any auto maker's press fleet. The company calculates that the $9,990 sticker on its low-end Versa (before adding the mandatory $740 destination and handling charge) ranks it among the lowest priced new cars you can buy in American today. That really is an accomplishment to brag about.
It is also a timely reminder that, to save money, unavoidably you have to sacrifice. In the same way, you have to sacrifice to legitimately conserve resources, too.
Of course, you can get more equipment when you pay more for higher level variations of the small, sensible Versa. Stepping up from the basic, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine to the more powerful, 1.8-liter motor, the price can go as high as $16,780 for a Versa 1.8 SL. You can purchase the front-drive, four-door Versa as a versatile hatchback if you take the 1.8-liter engine. The smaller engine comes packaged only in the plainer looking, sedan body style. You also pick up such features as antilock brakes and dynamic stability control, cruise control, power windows and locks, larger, 15-inch wheels, and a fold-down rear seat. They don't add up to luxury, but the extra accessories can make the car more accommodating.
At Rockingham Toyota Scion Nissan Honda in Salem, N.H., the basement-priced Versa is a good conversation starter that attracts shoppers to the vehicle, said Eric Campbell, Nissan sales manager. The biggest bargain hunters may stay with the penny pinching, basic version. But other shoppers opt to purchase variations with added features that they consider worth the price.
"It all depends on where an individual customer sees the most value," Campbell said.
In all cases, value remains the model's primary asset, he explained, because the Nissan Versa offers more car for fewer dollars. Although it is undeniably compact, the Versa is larger and roomier than other entry-level models, including its primary competitors, the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris. (The U.S. government officially classifies Versa as a mid-size car, because of its cabin space.)
"In its class, it is the largest in size and the roomiest," Campbell pointed out. "Roominess, size and price all collaborate to sell the car."
Nissan is enjoying a good run with Versa. Since the start of the year, the model's sales across America have increased a whopping 74 percent over the same period last year. It is outselling the Sentra, a popular Nissan model which steps up in size from Versa. Through the opening months of 2010, only the medium-sized Altima has outpaced Versa's popularity among Nissan vehicles.
Campbell reports a similar pattern.
"Both the Versa and the Sentra have started to come on in the last couple of months. There's a lot of advertising out there, which is getting the market excited about the cars," he explained.
It helps that both the Versa and the Sentra are economical cars. Some people still feel reluctant to part with large sums after last year's economic slump.
"People see the light at the end of the tunnel, so they aren't as afraid to spend money," Campbell observed. While they spend less with the Versa and Sentra, "they're still getting something new and scratching that itch."
The no-frills Versa Basic also gives drivers an opportunity to contribute to environmental preservation - an approach overlooked by some people who may drive gas/electric hybrid models as a badge of green concern. In fact, a small, simple, stripped down vehicle probably has less impact on the environment than a showy, technologically complex hybrid.
The link between extreme frugality and extreme resource conservation are undeniable: less stuff consumes less resources. But hybrids are set up as premium vehicles, typically with pampering trim and cushy amenities that make motoring more comfortable. So while hybrids use less gasoline than conventionally powered cars, they consume more resources than they need to — not just in operation, but also during their creation and through to their ultimate disposal.
Why not go with an extreme economy car? Probably because models like the Versa Basic demand some personal sacrifice. In addition to no radio and no power windows, my evaluation model lacked power locks. It even lacked an outside keyhole for all but the driver's door. To unlock the other three, you have to reach inside and blindly feel for the toggle on the door handle.
Once inside, you won't find even a manual knob to adjust the mirrors. You have to lower the windows — with hand-cranks — and reach outside to push the mirrors into place.
The car comes with no vanity mirrors under the visors, no seat-back pockets, no folding rear seat to expand the trunk, no console storage bin, no center armrests.
I loved it. But I haven't seen any reports of drivers trading in hybrids to buy a Versa Basic. That's a shame.
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Jeffrey Zygmont has written about automobiles since 1982. Based in Salem, N.H., he writes books and articles about innovation, technology and culture. He can be contacted through the Web site www.jeffreyzygmont.com
