Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

2020 Nissan Versa sedan redesign brings significant price bump

Stephen Edelstein
By
1 of 10
2020 Nissan Versa
2020 Nissan Versa
2020 Nissan Versa
2020 Nissan Versa
2020 Nissan Versa
2020 Nissan Versa
2020 Nissan Versa
2020 Nissan Versa
2020 Nissan Versa
2020 Nissan Versa

The last Nissan Versa was a car that was easy to forget, but Nissan is trying to do things differently with the redesigned 2020 model. So instead of an auto show, Nissan chose the Tortuga Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to unveil the new subcompact sedan. But does the 2020 Nissan Versa have more to offer than just marketing stunts?

It’s immediately apparent that Nissan put more effort into the 2020 Versa than its predecessor. The previous-generation Versa sedan looked like it was designed during a coffee break, but the 2020 model gets dramatic exterior styling that makes it look like a mini Altima. Granted, Nissan’s massive “V-Motion” grille is still an acquired taste, but at least designers tried to do something distinctive.

The interior borrows heavily from the Altima as well, with a similar dashboard shape and flat-bottomed steering wheel. However, the central touchscreen display is embedded in the dashboard, rather than freestanding, as on the larger sedan. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available, but they aren’t standard equipment. Nissan did make autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, and automatic high beams standard, however. Adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, and a driver-attention monitor are optional extras.

Related

The front-wheel drive 2020 Versa is only available with one engine: A 1.6-liter four-cylinder unit. The pint-sized power plant produces 122 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque. Transmission choices include a five-speed manual and continuously variable transmission (CVT).

1 of 14
2020 Nissan Versa
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Nissan Versa
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Nissan Versa
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Nissan Versa
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Nissan Versa
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Nissan Versa
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Nissan Versa
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Nissan Versa
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Nissan Versa
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Nissan Versa
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Nissan Versa
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Nissan Versa
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Nissan Versa
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends
2020 Nissan Versa
Stephen Edelstein/Digital Trends

The 2020 Nissan Versa sedan starts at $15,625 for a base S model with the five-speed manual transmission. Adding the CVT to the S bumps the price up to $17,295. The mid-range SV trim level adds Apple CarPlay/Android Auto compatibility and other features for $18,535, while the top SR model starts at $19,135 (all prices include a mandatory $895 destination charge). Pricing is a significant step up from the 2019 Versa sedan, which started at $13,355, but the 2020 model adds more standard features. Nissan is no longer trying to win customers by simply making the car as cheap as possible.

Nissan is mum on future plans the Versa Note hatchback, and is likely expecting the similarly sized Kicks to take over that car’s role. The Kicks’ tall driving position and boxy styling allows Nissan to market it as a crossover, which is much more desirable to U.S. buyers than a hatchback. But the Kicks lacks all-wheel drive, making it functionally the same as most hatchbacks. Note that rival Toyota is bringing back the hatchback version of its Yaris alongside the current-generation sedan.

Updated on August 2, 2019: Added pricing information.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Electric trucks aren’t ready for the big leagues — but I still loved the F-150 Lightning
Ford F-150 Lightning

Electric cars are getting pretty cool. While Tesla popularized the concept of a "fun" electric car, these days there are quite a few options out there, like the Kia EV6, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, and even some luxury options from Mercedes and BMW. These cars offer awesome performance and often a sweet design, making them excellent choices for first-time EV buyers.

But with electric trucks, it's a slightly different story. To be clear, they're just as powerful, -- often more so -- than electric cars. But when you're driving a truck, you expect to be able to use that power in different ways, and frankly, electric trucks seem to have a way to go before they'll hold up in those settings.
Towing is tough
The Achilles' heel of every electric truck comes down to hauling: Adding a ton of weight to the load seriously impacts range -- and not in a trivial way. Add a camper or even a lightweight trailer, and you might find that you're getting half of the expected range out of a charge. That means that you'll have to charge up more than every 150 miles, and if you're towing a camper, it's very likely that you're driving further than that. And even lighter loads can have a heavy impact on range.

Read more
VinFast’s new electric cars will be available in the U.S. this year
VinFast VF6

As we move toward electric vehicles, all kinds of new car brands have been popping up -- giving the traditional automakers a run for their money. Over the past few years at CES, one of the more interesting of those has been VinFast -- a Vietnamese company that delivered its first cars in the U.S. in November. Now, the company is planning on more releases over the next year -- and at CES 2023, we learned more about what those cars will offer.

VinFast may not be very well known in the U.S., but it's actually one of the larger automakers in Vietnam. It certainly doesn't have the experience in manufacturing on the scale that it's hoping to in the U.S., but unlike many of the other electric carmakers, it is actually shipping cars -- not just building concepts. The VinFast VF8 crossover and VF9 SUV were announced earlier -- but little was known about the smaller VF6 and VF7 models, until now. Turns out, like their larger siblings, they're pretty compelling options.
VinFast VF6

Read more
Ram EV concept previews truck brand’s electric future
The Ram 1500 Revolution BEV concept was designed around an electric powertrain.

Electric pickup trucks are a hot trend in the auto industry, and Ram is late to the game. So the truck brand of massive automaker Stellantis needed to work hard to stand out.
Unveiled at CES 2023, the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV concept shows what Ram has in mind for its first production electric truck, which is scheduled to arrive in 2024. This concept version combines some features we’ve already seen on other electric trucks with a few clever new ideas. So while it may be revolutionary for the Ram brand, which is new to EVs, it’s more evolutionary when compared to other electric pickups.

Unmistakably electric
The Ram 1500 Revolution has the bulky appearance of a traditional truck, but with proportions that clearly mark it as an EV. With no need to accommodate an engine, the hood is much shorter. This allowed designers to make the cabin four inches longer than today’s internal-combustion Ram 1500 without shortening the bed, Ram claims. The grille is also smaller, although Ram compensated for this with a giant light-up logo and headlights with the same “tuning fork” elements as its current gasoline and diesel truck grilles.
The roofline is a bit lower and sleeker, which probably helps with aerodynamics, but like a traditional truck, the Revolution rolls on massive wheels and tires. The 35-inch tires are wrapped around 24-inch wheels with smooth covers and light-up elements. The charge port, meanwhile, is located in the driver’s side front fender. It makes a noise when the truck has started charging and blinks to show that charging is ongoing.
Like rival truck makers, Ram incorporated a frunk where the engine would normally be, plus the RamBox storage bins from its current trucks. Nearly every opening, including the tailgate, frunk, and charge port, is also power-operated.
Underpinning all of this power-operated convenience is the STLA Frame dedicated EV platform, one of four such platforms Stellantis plans to use for future EVs across its many brands, such as Chrysler and Jeep.

Read more