PF_Flyer's 2014 Nissan Versa Note

PF_Flyer

It's the red one on the left (mine is the 2013 Versa hatchback on the right) and it's Mrs. PF's daily driver. And let me tell you, she does put it through its paces with a 42 mile daily trek to her office through rural Central PA. Currently at about 39,000 miles (and counting) while getting 40 MPG with the CVT transmission.

PF_Flyer

Most unusual thing about the Note, for us anyway, is that it's the first vehicle we've owned since 1979 that does NOT have a manual transmission. We prefer manuals, our kids prefer manuals, what can I say?

When our second daughter graduated from college, she inherited my 2011 Versa hatch, so we needed to replace a vehicle. I got the 2013 hand-me-down from the wife, and we went to dealer, and salesman, that we've been buying vehicles from since 1979... all Datsun/Nissan (more on how that happened later). We'd already had 4 Versas (daughter #1 has our 2007 with 160,000 miles and my wife's 2012 was totaled when she was read-ended by a pickup). We pretty much knew the Note was going to be the choice, but if we got the manual, no power windows or doors, and no option to build one, soooo...CVT

Took a bit to get used to the feel, and it still feels odd at times, but it does the job

PF_Flyer

The Note is a little shorter in length and height, and narrower than the prior versions of the Versa hatch, so you lose just a few inches inside of width. For example, I can put my guitar in its hard case flat in the cargo area of the Versa, but it has stand on edge and angle up if I put it in the Note. I'll post some comparison shots soon.

Still plenty of leg room front and back in the Note and it doesn't feel cramped at all. Seats are very comfortable and even our 3.5 to 4 hour trips to NYC or DC don't really cause us any fatigue.

PF_Flyer

Another reason we bought the Note... I know it doesn't scream "enthusiast", but to me, my vehicles have always been worth "one car". The Note is the most we've ever paid for a new vehicle at a bit over $15K out the door. We tend to drive our cars a lot (averaged over 170,000 per vehicle for the 14 cars we've bought since we got onto the Nissan kick) but even then, the Note price tag fit in a snug spot in the budget. I could buy some larger and more expensive I suppose, but the Versa and Note fit our needs and do the job for us.

Michaell

Nice loyalty you've got going there ... wonder if the dealer or Nissan would consider using you and your family in some advertising?

PF_Flyer

We have thought about taking a shot of the family, each with their cars, along with the salesman that we've bought all of our cars from. He's going to be retiring soon, and it would be kind of a cool gift. The dealer must be doing something right after 14 vehicles

Michaell

PF_Flyer said:

We have thought about taking a shot of the family, each with their cars, along with the salesman that we've bought all of our cars from. He's going to be retiring soon, and it would be kind of a cool gift. The dealer must be doing something right after 14 vehicles

Is it the salesman or is it the product?

PF_Flyer

I suppose it started as product, and our experience has been great with the products. Over 2 million miles combined and the most major thing we've had has been a head gasket on a 4x4 after 170,000 miles.

Having a dealership and salesman that are as helpful as they have been is a real bonus. No-hassle doesn't come close to describing it

PF_Flyer

One for my wish list... I wish they would give you the option to put decent tires on new cars. We're really close to needing to change the OEM tires on the Note at 39K. That's really pretty decent in our experience for OEM tires over the years, but we generally get 50-55K out of a set of tires once we go to a better tire.

Side note (ooo a pun!) The 2013 Versa just topped 60K yesterday!

PF_Flyer

We're hoping the tire timing works out so we can switch back to the winter tires on the Note and get to next spring before buying new all-seasons. Have a friend with a tire shop/garage and we have been using Coopers for a number of years. New model we'll be going with are the CS 5's

The snow shoes are Nokians. Seems early to be thinking of it, but the birch tree leaves have started falling already

stever

In my UP days, I just ran Nokian WR-G3s all year round. They are advertised as "All-Weather tires". Switching is a big pain, even with a spare set of rims.

PF_Flyer

Just back from a 4 day trip to the NYC area that included a couple of days of rush hour drives that tested our ability to accelerate up to the traffic speed to merge onto the highway. We've always been a manual tranny family, but I was impressed with how the 109 HP & CVT handled to task. (MotorWeek lists the 0-60 at 10.1 sec) No doubt it would have been a bit dicier if there were 4 of us in the car, but nobody honked at me and I never felt "in the way". Most of our merges involved getting up in the neighborhood of 80-85 mph. Combined mileage for the trip according to the computer and including those pedal-to-the floor moments was 39.9 mpg.

We've done trips to the DC area with 4 adults in the vehicle and I haven't felt any particular lack of power, although I DO tend to think about what gap I might try to shoot a bit more with a full load

PF_Flyer

I guess this counts as a first "issue" with our Note. With the season about to turn, the original wiper blades were in need of replacement. The OEM blades are an offset mount that have inserts that really aren't as readily available as they once were. I'll have to post some pics to illustrate. In any event, OEM replacements are pricey. The 12" passenger side was quoted at just under $40. Wound up going with a Trico 28" beam blade on the driver side ($18), 11" Trico Exact Fit for the passenger side ($8).

OEM blades did hold up very well for 45K miles, but not enough to justify OEM replacements

PF_Flyer

Here's a pic of the OEM wipers. You can see the offset mount of the plastic blade body and the blade inserts they use. Also the shape of the blade body is sort of designed like a downforce wing to keep the wipers pressed to the windshield at speed I suppose.

The offset mount is important to keep the whole shebang lower because a standard mount blade on the driver's side would have the windshield washer shooting right into the wiper arm.

PF_Flyer

Just about that time of year here. The leaves are down, roads wet, we've already had snow showers. In the next week or so we'll be switching over to winter tires from all-seasons. We've gotten very good performance out of the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2. They run virtually as quiet as the all-seasons and really improve things in the snow. They wear very well. We're putting a new set on the Note this year, but the set we have looks like they may have another 2 seasons in them on my daugther's Versa hatch. Tire storage is what basements are for, right?

stever

My last two sets of tires were WR-G2s "all weather" tires. Really liked them and will likely go back to Nokians when I need another set. The used van we got last year is running Michelins. I've had some lousy tires from them but these are wearing well.

The only issue with Nokians is that it can be hard to find them sometimes.

PF_Flyer

Made sure to give my friend who owns the tire shop/garage that we'll be making the switch soon. He stocks the Nokians every year, so I'm almost all set. Since my "workplace" is generally my couch, I'll get by on the all-seasons as usual

PF_Flyer

Wife is out of town this week, so I'm alternating cars anytime I go out. I have to say that I'm tempted to add Sirus/XM to my car. I'd definitely to the one that I could pull out of the car and use it in the house as well, but I'm thinking a second radio/contract ought to be a little less pricey.
Love being able to have our favorite channels along on trips

PF_Flyer

Got a new set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2's put on last Wednesday. (On Thursday the prior set of R2's went on my daughter's 2012 Versa hatch).

Bring on the snow! I'm sticking with the Cooper CS5 all-seasons given that the commute to my couch is pretty short. I may go over to Nokian WGR3 all seasons when the time comes for my car.

PF_Flyer

Took about a 450 mile round trip to a family gathering this weekend. Virtually all highway miles. Just under 41 mpg for the trip with the Nokians on. Rain on the way down, nice on the way back.

PF_Flyer

Time to get the tree! Even though we used the Versa and not the wife's Note, the principle is the same. Sometimes we find ourselves with a load that's a little bit long and prevents latching the hatch. And there are no place on the hatch lid to tie rope to (like the old days when you could snake a rope behind some bracing in a truck lid), so I push a carabiner into the latch on the hatch, add a bungee of appropriate length, and bingo! Pull the handle like you're opening the hatch, and the carabiner pops out. Easy peasy.

PF_Flyer

Just about to turn over 50,000 miles on the Note. Today was the regular oil change, checked belts, just normal preventative stuff. Lifetime average mileage 39.8 on the computer. Just a tick under that on the last tank with a little bit less highway miles the last week or two. Nokian snow tires just begging for some snow to start falling

PF_Flyer

Having a bit of recall work done on Monday on the Note. First one is to trim a part of the center console near the gas pedal that apparently can catch on drivers with large feet. We've got average feet and haven't noticed any issue. The other recall item is a reprogram on the CVT. Again, we haven't had any issue, so I'll be keeping an eye on any effect this has on our mileage, which is running right about 40 mpg combined at the moment.

PF_Flyer

Nothing different that we can tell, so far, after the CVT reprogram. Everything seems as it was. We're closing in on 60K miles on the Note and we're going to do the recommended transmission flush. I don't have any complaints about the CVT thus far, but it's so far from our almost 40 years of driving nothing but manual trannies, that all the negative stuff I read about people who have (or think they have) issues gets in your head like a car noise you can't pin down with your ear.

PF_Flyer

So far, looks like the CVT reprogram has created a nice little bump in mileage. We're averaging about 41mpg since the reprogram, and that's with our Nokian winter tires still on. (swapping out for summer tires very soon)

PF_Flyer

Just about to 60K on the Note and we're going to have a CVT flush - actually a "drain down" since they say they don't drain all the fluid because of the way the CVT is built. We're not having any issues with the CVT, but talking with the service manager, the flush is recommended at 60K. Truth be told, the CVT is still WAY outside my experience with over 2 million miles on manual trannies preceding this vehicle. I feel the urge to get a vehicle with a third pedal coming on

PF_Flyer

Replaced the Bridgestone tires that were original equipment on the Note today with Cooper CS5 Grand Tourings. Given that we put Nokians on for the winter, the Bridgestones lasted something like 42-45,000 miles which is pretty good for OEM tires in my experience. We're been getting 50K+ on the Coopers we've used in the pqst, so I'm expecting the same going forward. Reset the average mileage computer since we're past winter (I think) and looking forward to a number of road trips this summer!

xwesx

And, there are an awful lot of crickets chirping in here since your last post nearly nine months ago! How are those Nokians faring for winter #2? How much did you pay for them on that little thing?!

PF_Flyer

xwesx said:

And, there are an awful lot of crickets chirping in here since your last post nearly nine months ago! How are those Nokians faring for winter #2? How much did you pay for them on that little thing?!

Ah.. I have an AUDIENCE

Nokians are doing great. We even moved the set we had over to daughter #2's Versa and got a brand new set for the wife's Note this season. We really like them a lot. Great traction, not much of a mileage hit at all compared to all seasons, and a quiet ride when things are dry. We paid about $560 for the set (I think it might be a little less than that, that was the amount on the statement, may have been regular maintenance on that as well), and with the amount the wife drives now, we expect to get 3 seasons out of them.

PF_Flyer

I'm still kind of antsy about the CVT. Probably because part of what I do around here involves consumer reviews of Nissan vehicles and there are a LOT of complaints about the CVT in larger vehicles like the Rogue. We're at about 71K now and it's still humming or purring or whatever that noise it makes along

Oh yea, I did just have to replace the rear shocks for inspection. Right rear shock was blown.

PF_Flyer

Almost forgot... at the beginning of Dec the wife was coming home from work, stopped at a red light. Light goes green and she starts off. Car coming from the road to her right has a sort of turning lane to merge onto the road with a Yield sign. Driver didn't yield and hit the right front wheel. SOMEHOW, no bent sheet metal. Bent wheel and suspension parts, and a few tire marks on the front clip that had to be buffed out. Bent parts replaced, marks buffed off, alignment performed. $600 and the non-yielder's insurance paid.

xwesx

Only $600?! That's amazing. Even the most minor of collisions seems to cause huge damage bills.

I have been exploring different makes of winter tires over the last many years, and I keep coming back to Goodyear's Ultra Grip Ice as the best balance of traction (both ice and deep snow) and treadwear. Continental and Bridgestone were both stretched to three winters, but were definitely done at the end of the last one. I have a set of Michelin (X-Ice 3) on our 2010 Forester now, but I'm pretty sure that they'll be done after next winter, too. In Fact, they may actually be wearing faster than those other brands, if that's even possible!

We had our first set of UGI for five winters, and they still had 7/32" of tread after the last winter, and that's over 30,000 miles of use. Unfortunately, they moved to this new "WRT" designator, and this design just doesn't carve deep snow like the original did.

I had not seriously considered Nokian before (due to cost), but it may be worthwhile giving them their go!

PF_Flyer

We've run the Nokian Hakkapeliitta r2's for about 6 years now. Last time I had snow tires before that was in the late 70's. We had just been running all-seasons until the wife's commute grew to 48 miles one way through a lot of rural PA. Her commute is a lot less now, but we'll use her Note in winter weather... even thouh it has that CVT

xwesx

LOL! Nothing wrong with the CVT (aside from its effect on the driving experience!). I suspect it will be reliable for you as long as you own the car. But, hey, if you keep it less time than you might otherwise, nobody's going to hold that against you!

PF_Flyer

Said it before, the Note is our first non-manual since 1979, so even after 70K I'm out of my element (disclaimer: never had a Honda)

PF_Flyer

Been a bit, so... at about 86K miles on the Note and everything is fine. I'm still semi-antsy about the CVT. I'm not hearing or feeling anything that I think is a problem, but you know how it is when something in a vehicle gets your attention. Half the problem is reading so many reviews where people talk about their problems with CVTs. I've never had a transmission issue with ANY of my vehicles (about 2.5 million miles combined) yet I've heard people who (at least the SAY) they've had multiple transmission replacements in whatever car it is they own. I don't personally KNOW anyone who ever had a transmission fail in a new car... check that... my Dad and Grandfather bought identical 1965 Chevy Impalas that both had hinky transmissions that made them get rid of them. But those are the only two in my lifetime that I'm aware of among friends and family. And Dad's was a blessing in disguise as it led to our 1966 Chrysler Newport that I drove until I gave it up at 238,000 miles

xwesx

It's always nice when you can keep a vehicle on your timeline...

Thanks for the update!

PF_Flyer

Well thanks for noticing

Another frosty morning here, but the Note is still “on key”...heh

PF_Flyer

Re-reading the thread, I guess I should report on MPG too. Computer says were averaging 36.7, at least since the last time I reset it over a year ago.

xwesx

PF_Flyer said:

Re-reading the thread, I guess I should report on MPG too. Computer says were averaging 36.7, at least since the last time I reset it over a year ago.

Do you have to reset it separately from the trip meter? I know the one on my Forester is tied to the trip, and it will only log 10,000 miles before it resets (taking the average with it). Still, that gives a pretty solid idea of how it's been doing!

PF_Flyer

The avg MPG is separate from the trip meters. Once of the settings on the display that you can cycle though. Let's see if I can remember them without going out to look

There's the odometer, trip A, trip B instantaneous mileage, average mileage, miles left on the tank... I think that's it

PF_Flyer

Oh yea, the distance to empty will flash when the fuel reaches a certain level. Sometimes a decent grade will make that start flashing when you're not quite really low. Closest I've ever run it was showing 16 miles to go on the tank. This of course is calculated on how fast you're using fuel, so the number can go up and down as you speed up or slow down. As I recall, I still had a little over a gallon left in the tank when I filled up that time, so there does seem a fair margin for error.

kyfdx

Most of the low fuel lights are set for 2 gallons

PF_Flyer

I like to play the "GPS says we have 109 miles to go, trip computer says we have 108 left on the tank, can we make it??" game. The wife always chickens out

PF_Flyer

Looks like the winter tire change is upon us!

xwesx

Congrats!

PF_Flyer

Snow shoes put on yesterday. Let it snow!!!

xwesx

PF_Flyer said:

Snow shoes put on yesterday. Let it snow!!!

Wait, it took a week to get them on after that photo you took? Must have come and gone quickly....

kyfdx

xwesx said:

PF_Flyer said:

Snow shoes put on yesterday. Let it snow!!!

Wait, it took a week to get them on after that photo you took? Must have come and gone quickly....

I'm sure he has all-seasons on the rest of the year.

Down here, you can get by without winter tires until Christmas. As long as you don't have summer tires, there is no rush.

xwesx

kyfdx said:

xwesx said:

PF_Flyer said:

Snow shoes put on yesterday. Let it snow!!!

Wait, it took a week to get them on after that photo you took? Must have come and gone quickly....

I'm sure he has all-seasons on the rest of the year.

Down here, you can get by without winter tires until Christmas. As long as you don't have summer tires, there is no rush.

I'm not sure if I should find y'all lucky, or feel sorry for you...

PF_Flyer

That snow was just laying while it fell. It disappeared as soon as it stopped snowing. We haven't had any since then, but this weekend has a chance

Yes, I run Cooper CS5 all seasons when we don't have the snows on.