http://www.insideline.com/nissan/versa/2013/2013-nissan-versa-sedan-clings-to-cheapest-car-in-america-title.html
Talk about almost a complete opposite driving experience! I was on vacation in Honolulu this past week and was
stuck with in a 2012 Nissan Versa. Granted it got over 30 mpg during my mostly city driving, and it did get me from point A to B, but it was probably the second worst car I've ever driven, the worst being a previous gen Versa. The interior was covered with the cheapest grade plastics this side of GM cars from the 90s and the powertrain was so anemic that I had a hard time keeping up with even the laid back Hawaiian driving style. The CVT had a rubber band-like effect, where the power was very soft at tip-in and then it was followed by a non-linear power input, although with just 100-some odd horsepower, the non-linearity was not all THAT obvious.
Despite all that, it seemed to be a very good fit for the application. Most days were spent on the beach, complete with sand everywhere and wet swimming trunks and towels. If it was my Genesis, I would've locked all doors and would not have let anyone or anything inside! For island living, a cheap, simple car is certainly good enough and there's less guilt over getting it dirty!
Oh BTW, it was still pretty awesome to return home to the quiet V8 burble and instantaneous acceleration.
