2023 Nissan Versa First Test: Performance Isn’t Everything, Right?

Of all the 2022 and '23 vehicles we've tested—we're including both since it's early in the 2023 model year—Nissan's freshly-facelifted 2023 Versa sedan is the slowest both to 60 mph (10.0 seconds) and through the quarter-mile (17.6 seconds at 79.4 mph). And although it's quicker than about two dozen larger, heavier rides in our figure-eight handling test (28.1 seconds at an average of 0.57 g), it's still down there in minivan/SUV territory.

You might expect us, then, to deliver a harsh verdict on this budget-friendly subcompact, but we won't—because, truth be told, we liked nearly everything about the Versa SR save its sluggish acceleration and its key fob. Pokey though it may be, the Versa is also ruthlessly (fuel) efficient, and its sticker price, which is less than half of this fall's new-vehicle average transaction price (and that's for the top-of-the-line Versa model we tested), is a reminder that new-car buyers on a budget need not travel in steerage.

The Versa has been either America's least-expensive car or something close to it for decades, with the 2023 iteration starting at $16,825. Our SR test car is as good as a Versa gets: Alloy wheels, automatic climate control, and snazzy red trim on the interior. Priced at $21,075 with a set of (optional) floor mats, our test Versa stickered for $510 less than the bare-bones version of Nissan's entry-level Kicks SUV and only $280 more than Hyundai's Venue, the least-expensive SUV for '23. And remember, this is a loaded Versa we're comparing to these base-model sport-utes.

One of the things we like best about the Versa is that it doesn't look cheap, at least from the outside. After generations of dorky Versas, in 2020 Nissan made its smallest car look like a baby version of the midsize Altima. For 2023—again, just like its big sibling—the Versa gets a new front fascia, dropping the big chrome handlebar in favor of a slatted, blacked-out job. Unlike the 2023 Altima, though, the Versa's grille is framed by body-color strips, so it doesn't look as if its bottom lip has fallen off.

From the inside, the base-model Versa S does little to disguise its rock-bottom price, but the SR model we tested climbs surprisingly far upmarket. The SR features two of Nissan's new-for-2023 features, an 8.0-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system and a wireless charging pad. Both features worked well; the stereo was surprisingly good for a cheap-car sound system, with the bass-boost feature working its little lungs out, sometimes to excess. Materials and switchgear quality made it alarmingly easy to forget we were driving a $21,000 car.

The Versa's HR16DE engine dates back some 20 years, as do its output and performance numbers. The engine delivers 122 hp and 114 lb-ft of torque, and although the Versa weighs just 2,678 pounds—making it the lightest of any of the 2022/23 vehicles we've tested, save the ragtop MX-5 Miata—it's still down on power-to-weight. When we saw test editor Alan Lau's 0-60 and quarter-mile times, we wondered if he'd stopped for coffee on the way to the finish line. "It's low on power and slow," noted Lau, "but power delivery is refined and smooth thanks to the CVT."

In the real world, the Versa can keep up with traffic, though stoplight drag races are pretty much lost before they begin. Attempts to leap into left-lane gaps, we found, only succeeded in drawing the horn-honking ire of our fellow freeway drivers. If you're the type that has to be first, then the Versa should probably be your last choice.

For everyone else, though, the Versa's fuel economy should make its lackadaisical acceleration easy to forgive. The automatic Versa is EPA-rated at 32 mpg city, 40 mpg highway, and 35 mpg combined. We're used to turbo engines with laughably optimistic EPA estimates, but the naturally-aspirated Versa delivered what it promised, returning 35-plus in mixed city and freeway driving. On one run to the office, a mix of slow-and-go Los Angeles traffic and 55-to-65-mph flow, the Versa returned 42 mpg. And we weren't feather-footing it, either; in this car, one can't be shy with the accelerator pedal. That's one advantage to having fewer horses under the hood: they don't eat as much.

Handling? After running the Versa through our figure-eight course, test editor Chris Walton reported, "It's about as lame as you might expect. Barely enough power to keep the tires howling on the skidpad and very little acceleration across the middle. Turn-in is rather good, and it does hold a line without much steering input. The brake pedal feel is quite good and it's easy to stay out of the ABS, but that's because it's going so slowly."

Back on public roads, we didn't see much point in pushing the Versa hard. We found that the steering lacks feel, but the car tracks straight and true on the freeway. The ride is surprisingly comfortable and cabin noise only becomes an issue at higher speeds, attributes that we're pretty sure will be more important to budget-minded Versa buyers than its skidpad grip (which, by the way, is a respectable 0.85 g).

In terms of advanced features, the Versa is reasonably up-to-date: All Versas get power windows, locks, mirrors, and steering (yes, you have to think about those things in an entry-level car), plus cruise control, air conditioning, and forward-collision warning with automatic braking. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, though not standard, are available as part of a low-cost package on the Versa S, and are included in SV and SR models. SVs and SRs also get a blind-spot warning system, and our SR even had adaptive cruise control.

Oh, and that key fob that annoyed us? It has black buttons with no ink on the icons, so at night it's difficult to tell which button is which. Versa buyers will no doubt learn in due time, but as Versa borrowers, we had to press them in succession to figure out which one unlocked the car (luckily, we never made it to the panic button). Surely, Nissan, you could spend an extra 5 cents per key fob and still turn a profit.

Slow as it is, we found the Versa surprisingly palatable. It's roomy enough in the front seats, habitable in the back seats, and has a generous trunk. It's attractive, not soul-suckingly terrible to drive, and, frankly, has a nicer and better-finished interior than some cars we've tested that cost twice as much or more. Honestly, we're a bit surprised that Nissan would make the Versa so agreeable. We imagine the purpose of its entry-level price is to bring budget buyers into showrooms, but you'd think the power move would be to make the Versa dire enough that the bigger (and even nicer) Sentra would be an easier upsell.

Happily, Nissan's over-achieving loss is your gain, because the Nissan Versa SR is a bargain-seeker's gem. Let the rest of the world drop big bucks on low-end SUVs; for 21 grand, give or take, the Versa will get you to where you're going comfortably and efficiently, if not exactly quickly.