As cars in general and small cars in particular continue to lose ground to SUVs and trucks in the American market, Nissan has actually been doing better than most brands. Through October, Nissan has sold more than 115,000 of its subcompact Versas, down just 6.7%. Ahead of its public debut next week at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Nissan has just dropped information on the refreshed 2017 Versa Note hatchback.
While the bulk of the sheet metal remains largely unchanged, the front fascia of the Versa Note has been completely revamped with the same “V-motion” grille that has been applied to the rest of the lineup over the past two years. The new face gives the Versa Note a lot more presence than the more anonymous look it had previously. Aside from a couple of new colors and wheels, the only other exterior change is that the sportier rear bumper that was previously used only on the Versa Note SR is now standard on all trim levels.
Inside, the changes are limited to the center console with the cup holders growing in size and the relocation of the 12-volt power socket and USB port to the front of the console with second 12-volt socket toward the back.
Mechanically the only notable change is an updated version of Nissan's Xtronic continuously variable transmission with the 1.6-liter four-cylinder carrying over. The transmission has been retuned with Nissan's D-step control logic that simulates the feel of a traditional step ratio transmission. The new tuning should provide a slight bump in real world fuel economy although the EPA highway rating drops from 40 mpg to 39 as a result of the revised test procedures that have seen all updated 2017 models lose ground on their label ratings.
The 2017 Versa Note goes on sale at Nissan dealers on November 22 at prices ranging from $15,480 for the base S model to $18,710 for the top SL plus $865 for delivery.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2016/11/10/as-small-car-sales-wilt-nissan-refreshes-2017-versa-note/
2016-11-10T00:00:00+00:00