Used 2013 Nissan Versa S PLUS for sale 

The car is available in a total of 3 trim levels, namely S, SV, and SL. All three trims are packed with the same engine. The price for the S trim comes at $11,990 and goes up to $16,890 for the SL trim. As basic features in the car, you get just the right necessary equipment, including air conditioning, 15-inch wheels, cloth upholstery, a trip computer, and a height-adjustable driver seat.

An optional S Plus package for the base S trim adds 2 rear speakers, a rear spoiler, CVT, and cruise control. There is also an optional SV Convenience package for the SV trim that adds steering wheel audio controls and a 60/40 split-folding rear seat. The SL trim gets an SL Tech package that adds navigation, a rear-view camera, and a satellite radio. 

We Recommend 

We recommend the SV trim of the Versa. In this segment, it’s more important to focus on the practicality and ease of use of the features than just going all out. It offers a ton of features that make a lot of sense in the daily purpose of life. The SV additional package is also something we recommend along with the SV trim.

The car gets a 1.6L I-4 engine. This engine has a power output of 109 hp @6,000 rpm and produces a torque of 107 lb.-ft @4,400 rpm. The engine is pretty ordinary but has enough acceleration for a car of this class. The S trim gets a 5-speed manual and has a 4-speed automatic transmission as optional.

All the other trims are equipped with the CVT. The car is a front-wheel driven car and all-wheel drive is not available. The sedan reaches the 60 mph mark in 9.9 seconds and completes the quarter-mile in 17.5 seconds.

The Hyundai Accent is the quickest of the lot, with over a second lead over the other two in 0-60 mph. This car also gets a better top speed of 118 mph, which is one unit more than what Nissan offers. The Nissan and the Fiesta are pretty close in terms of performance and vary by a very marginal amount here and there. The Nissan, however, is the slowest of the lot.

The economy offered by the Versa is pretty good at 27 mpg in the city and 36 for the highway. The combined mileage stands at an estimate of 30 mpg. This is offered by manual transmission. The 4-speed automatic does a city/highway mpg of 26/35. The CVT transmission does very well, and we were super impressed by the 31-mpg city and 40-mpg highway efficiency numbers. However, the CVT is not reserved for the middle and top trim.

The Versa has very under-par fuel tank storage at 10.8 gallons. We really hope that next year this number changes by a significant amount. This small tank affects the overall range as it stands lowly at 291 city miles and 388 highway miles. The Fiesta has the best range on offer, at 348 city miles and 468 highway miles. The Accent, on the other hand, has good efficiency numbers and is the middle car between these two.

The Versa's interior is roomy, comfortable, and offers enough support. But that’s it. The cabin does not appeal much, lacks a neat touch to it, and you don’t really like the dull environment you’re greeted to.

The materials are not of high quality, and there is a lot of hard plastics everywhere, while the fit and finish stand substandard. The interior is like the price of the car: cheap, and we can't complain.

The roominess in the interior of the Versa helps its passengers on short drives. I personally would prefer the Accent for long drives. The front seats weirdly seem to take away comfort from you the longer you sit on them. Taller passengers would wish for a telescopic steering adjustment. But the rear seating speaks a different story. The comfort is marvelous, with good support, and this is where you would want to be for long drives. Taller passengers will be happy with the generous legroom on offer here. The cargo space is impressive at 14.8 cubic feet, but the rivals do much better with 15+ cubic feet storage. Major interior features include-

• Power windows
• Air conditioning
• Remote entry
• Driver’s seat armrest
• Front and rear cupholders
• Trunk light

How intuitive is the 2013 Nissan Versa’s infotainment system?

The infotainment system is simple but useful even at the base trim. You get a CD player, auxiliary audio input jack, and 2 speakers. An additional package adds another 2 speakers in the rear. On the middle trim, the features increase with the addition of Bluetooth, iPod interface, and steering wheel controls. The top SL trim adds navigation, satellite radio, and a touchscreen interface. Some infotainment features include:

• Bluetooth
• Steering mounted audio controls
• Satellite radio
• Navigation
• Touchscreen interface

The exterior was redesigned last year and replaced the more rectangular type designs with a lot of curvy design elements. The front is simple and well laid out. You have a blacked-out grille surrounded with chrome accents neatly finished by the large teardrop-shaped headlamps.

The roofline is low, and the car appears long from the sides. The wheels, however, look small for a car of this size. There are no curves or lines here and it looks very plain. The rear has a few lines, but it's hard to notice. It is, however, very well blended by the large taillights that give an upscale look to the car. Overall, the exterior looks premium.

The Versa sits tall and is longer in proportion to the other cars in the segment. It has a long wheelbase, which aids in better legroom in the rear seating. The Accent and the Versa are very similar in terms of weight. But the Accent and the Fiesta are wider, thus opening up better shoulder room. The Fiesta has the least wheelbase of 98 inches, whereas the Versa offers the longest wheelbase of 102.4 inches. Major exterior highlights of the sedan are-

• Fog lamps
• 15” alloy wheels
• Remote trunk release
• Chromed door handles
• Rear spoiler

There are better options if safety is your top priority, but the Versa got a 4-star rating from NHTSA. Also, the IIHS gave the Versa a “Good” score, which is a pretty high level. Standard safety features across all trims include airbags, antilock disc brakes, stability control, and traction control. Optional is the rear-view camera. Other important safety features are:

• 4 wheels ABS
• Ventilated front discs and rear drum brakes
• Rear door child safety locks
• Emergency braking assist
• Tire Pressure monitoring

The Nissan Versa is a super affordable, easy to use, and low on maintenance car. It has good reliability and good rear space, but the performance and the low interior materials are a disappointment. People don’t bother much with performance in this segment and were ready to make a few compromises last year when the car came out. But this year has introduced some better and more reasonable cars, but they don’t come at this price point. This price is very cheap, and you get a higher segment of used cars for this much money. If you can look past the cheap interior and instead look at the low maintenance costs and decent comfort, we will surely ask you to put your bet on this car.