Nissan Versa Real World MPG

w9cw

What, only 86MPH - why not 150MPH!

I certainly wouldn't admit to anything like that; broken any other laws lately?

datgro

Hi folks,

I got my Versa at the end of July. I am a former Scion owner (18 months and then I totaled it in a crash). I'm used to seeing 37+ from my Scion. I got 43 mpg on a trip to Ithaca, NY.

I drive approximately 60 miles a day: 50 highway and 10 city. I'm averaging 31 mpg. in the Versa SL, CVT.

I coast constantly. On my commute in my Scion, there were specific places I would take my foot off the accelerator and I'd fly down the hill. Sometimes I wouldn't have to give it gas to make it up over the next hill. I'm driving at 5 a.m. so I can time the lights and don't have to make many stops. Same thing in the evenings. I rarely have to stop at lights because they're all timed and I am gauging
it pretty well.

However, in the Versa, I actually lose speed on the downhill. I watch the speedometer and see it dropping, instead of picking up speed. I had to take my car in because the TPMS was malfunctioning. The dealer asked me how I liked the car and wanted to know if I was getting 40 mpg. I told him I wasn't and he seemed very surprised.

I'll be calling the CS number to let them know I'm not crazy about the mileage. But otherwise (so far), I love everything else about it.

only1too in Baltimore

bobw3

I have a CVT on my Ford Freestyle, and I recommend that you use the cruise control as much as possible. This will give you the best mileage (I get 26hwy mpg on the Freestyle. And for going downhills the cruise really helps. Driving in the Smokey Mtns, I'll set the cruise for 65mph on the long downhills to keep the speed constant without having to touch either gas or brake. What sort of rpms are you getting at a 70-75mph?? Is the Versa pretty quiet at those speeds?

franko1

I just completed a 1250 mi. trip. RT Fla. to N.C. 70 to 75 mph speed. Avg. 32.3 mpg with a.c on 60%. One problem encountered was removing gas cap. From full tank to 1/4 tank the vacuum build up was so intense that I could not remove the cap. A red neck ,300 lb. guy offered his help and he couldn't remove it without a crescent wrench and cheater bar. With vacuum removed it can be installed and removed without difficulty.
Check your wheel nut torque.I find they are loosening up after a trip. Noted 50 to 80 in.lbs. torque.
I find the A/C is inadequate when outside temp.is around 95 deg. Blower must be set a #3 setting, then it is noisy.

flightnurse

Franko I find your comment about the A/C interesting.. I live in Phoenix, and this summer I had no problems cooling the car down, with temps as high as 118.

Tony

patvizina

I'm curious how high you had the fan set in 118 degree temps? My friend drive back and forth from Flagstaff in her Matrix. It is so noisy with the fan on that I can't hear her well on her blue tooth. Too much wind noise etc. Is this an issue with keeping the car cool down there? I need to know, as I am sensitive to the heat due to health reasons and HAVE to keep cool.
thanks, Pat :surprise:

flightnurse

regarding Noisy fan... Unless you own a LEXUS or MB, RR or even a Maybach you wont hear the fan, but in a 14K car you well, so get over it people..

This summer I had the fan setting at #4 the highest, and yes its noisy but then again its not a LEXUS.. When I got a phone call, I turned the fan down to #2 untl after the call was over, granted it wasn't the most ideal condition to be in.

Tony :shades:

datgro

->What sort of rpms are you getting at a 70-75mph??
->Is the Versa pretty quiet at those speeds?

The rpm gauge is under 2 for City and between 2-3
for highway. I don't go over 65, too much. The
beltway is too crowded and I'd just be gunning and
braking on the highway. I'd rather just keep it
between 60-65 with the occasional tap on the breaks
to slow when someone cuts in front of me.

Datgrl in Baltimore

voltronguy

>What sort of rpms are you getting at a 70-75mph?? Is the >Versa pretty quiet at those speeds?

The Versa w/ CVT is incredibly quiet under 3k rpm. I'm pretty sure you can easily do 70-75 on flat terrain with no noise(we don't have too much flat around here). As soon as it goes over 3k though the engine noise is quite noticeable. I don't know that it's "loud", it's just that it is nearly silent below 3k so there is a really apparent difference.

My wife has actually tried to lock the car up while it was still running Of course you'll only run into that with the intelli key.

bobw3

That's good to know. At 70mph, my Freestyle is at just under 2000rpm, and you can also hear it at 3000rpm. But at normal highway speeds 75mph plus or minus 5mph it's really quiet.

flightnurse

Just filled up, I averaged 31 MPG, this was with no A/C on at all. Most of it was rual driving too.

Tony :shades:

bendupre

Tony,

Glad you're starting to get better.

I just got off the phone with Nick Bunkley of NY TIMES. I have been interviewed twice this week by reporters from NYT: once about my experience with carspace and once about my decision to purchase a small car.

Both reporters asked lots of questions about the car. I was completely straight forward, and I let both of them know that I was happy with the car except for the mileage. I also let them know about the run-around I've been getting from my dealer and NISSAN consumer affairs.

I'll have to wait for the stories to print to see what they choose to quote me on. Neither of the stories are about ME so I'll be surprised if they choose to mention my problems. I don't want to trash this car... I love it, really. But I guess I am grinding an axe. I just have to think that if someone: My dealer, or esp. NISSAN Consumer affairs would have listened to my issue and tried to help me get my issue through to the technical people, I might have been able to at least say "The car is only getting 27 MPG on a 90% highway commute, but the manufacturer has been very helpful in finding a solutio to the problem" But alas...

Short sighted consumer affairs reps don't see beyond the end of the phone call. Their aim is to resolve the issue by getting you to hang up, not to take care of your problem.

Sad thing is they may never know, even if they read the Times article and the print about my dissatisfaction, that they screwed up by not listening to me. Oh well.

Ben

flightnurse

Ben, if they NYT quote you in anyone, they have to use your name. Money Mag interviewed me 15 yrs ago regarding a company I was starting up..

I took the car in, today for its first Oil change, the service advisor was friendly. When I told him I was here for the 30 minute oil change, he asked me if I had any other issues, I smiled, and said, Yes, I wish the car got better mileage. He was shocked to hear this, he comment to me was, what 30 City isn't good enough.. my reply was simple... I wish I could get 30 mpg with this car, period. Then I explained in great detail about all the Versa owners not getting close to what the EPA says.. His comment was, this is news to me... Well of course I said, and how many Versa have you come in contact with since the car was released back in July ? I got no comment....

I just chalk it up to, typical Govermental BS with these EPG MPG

Tony

tab00

Date Mile Gallons MPG
7/25 0234 ------- ------- (first fill up)
7/27 0581 11.7970 29.4140 (from Houston to Dallas)
8/02 0810 11.1036 20.6240 (testing performance)
8/05 0944 05.2830 25.3640
8/06 1232 10.6270 27.1200 (trip to Austin, TX)
8/10 1546 10.4940 29.9210
8/17 1789 10.2850 23.6200
8/21 2016 09.1250 24.8700
8/26 2249 10.1690 22.9120
9/03 2427 08.9000 20.0000
9/11 2756 11.2650 29.2100
9/19 2988 09.9200 23.3800
9/27 3251 11.1400 23.6000

overall average since purchase = 25.10

just for grins I will say that this is 100% "city" driving, never mind the fact that typically only 1.5 miles of my 12 mile commute are not on the highway. Even with this 100% "city" assumption my results have been deplorable. Notice that I have never achieved 30mpg, not even once. I will be calling Nissan to complain again, but I expect that to be fruitless.

I was curious to ask the group, does everyone have the same brand of tire? I have Continental P185/65 R15 86H

This week I am going to drive with GPS, meaning that I am going to reset the trip and fill up at the same time I reset the trip on my GPS. I intend to show the accuracy of the tripometer of the vehicle. (just eliminating possible points of "failure")

I have found so far that when I drive slightly "lead footed" I get milage closer to 20mpg. I suspect that if I really drove it like a ralley car then my MPG would be in the high teens. During normal, fairly conservative, driving I am getting 23-24. If I really, really "grandmother" it I get about 25. even on 100% highway trips I have never hit 30mpg. :lemon:

dudleyr

That is absurdly bad gas mileage. My 4,200 lb V-6 Sienna minivan can hit (and sometimes exceed) 30 mpg on the highway if I drive carefully (65 mph and no wind).

I would expect the Versa to get 40 mpg on the highway.

faction

I tend to get about 30-31 MPG with probably 75% highway miles.
hoping to get better as it breaks in. I'm only at about 1100 miles right now.

question: anyone have problems with their ignition? Mine started right off without hardly even having to turn the key for the first two weeks. Then it started to get cranky if it sat for a while (overnight or after a 10 hour shift at work). Then I would have to crank it hard three or four times to get it to start. The dealer has had it in his shop for a over a week now and can't figure out what is wrong.

flightnurse

I haven't had a problem with starting or the TPMS like others. My car has sat for up to 3 days and started with no poblems..

Tony

150mphclub

The posted speed limit on I-10 in West Texas is 80, so I only exceeded it by 7.5%. Several cars passed me on the trip.

krichards1

I live in Sacramento, Ca and recently saw on Motorweeks program where they tested 5 compacts and the Versa got 35 in their test loop. Did anyone else see that ?

jaxs1

That's what Motorweek got, but why can't real owners match it?

doromachi

I believe "some" owners can, not all maybe but some. I'm there, in fact I exceed the Motor week and Nissan's estimate in the City. I don't have a real city to try it. I live near a small 24,000 pop place and traffic really moves well. There is a lot of stop and go as all lights are not timed right.

Some people will never get the best mileage because they never learned to drive conservatively and never will. That's not necessarily a negative identification, just a fact.

jaxs1

I've been following many gas mileage forums here and it seems like the Versa is one where owners rarely or never get mileage close to estimates. Owners of Civics and Camrys and Accords and Avalons and Malibus and other cars seem to get close to estimates often or even exceed on the highway.

Something is different about the Versa.

bobw3

I wonder what mpg people are getting with the CVT, which is what I'd buy. When I first bought our Freestyle with CVT, it took us awhile to used to it. Our initial mpg was under 20, but now we're getting consistly in the mid-20s. There's a definite learning curve with the CVT.

faction

I'm getting about 30-31 with my CVT with probably 50-75% highway driving. I consider myself a conservative driver...I might go 3-5 miles over the speed limit and try not to do too many fast starts or stops. I drive my husband crazy when I drive. :P

You say there is a learning curve. Any suggestions for us new CVT drivers? One of the major reasons I got the Versa was for the 36 mpg. It's little frustrating to not even get close to that. I'd be happy with 34. Even my 12 year old Altima with 200,000 miles on it gets 30.

jaxs1

Motorweek got 36 MPG in their tests that aired last week.
Maybe there is something wrong with most of these cars or the mileage will take a dramatic jump after full break-in.

I'd really think about getting a Versa if most owners were getting 35+ mpg and I could find them with ABS on dealer lots

doromachi

No Jackrabbit starts and using the "tap accelerator" under 45 miles per hour when there is coasting room. Many people don't know that you can let off the gas pedal at 45 or below and just tap the pedal again go into a semi-free wheeling mode. Other wise the motor is alway acting as resistance to coasting. Think this only available at 45 and below.

bobw3

In general, keep the RPMs low (2000 or less for the Freestyle) and use the cruise as much as you can.

When accelerating, don't just press the gas and hold it like you would for an automatic transmission. By doing that on a CVT, the RPMs will go up and just stay there until you let off the gas, so one you start to accelerate after a stoplight or stopsign, let off the gas for a fraction of a second and you'll see the RPMs drop, then accelerate again and you'll see that the RPMs are lower than they would be if you just hold down the gas during acceleration.

I'm used to a manual transmission, so I use the gas pedal almost like a shifting gears, except I just let off the gas slightly to "shift" the CVT to lower RPMs. So if accelerating to highway speeds, I'll probably let off the gas just for a split second a few times on the way to 75mph, and I'll actually see the RPMs dropping just like on an automatic as it shifts gears. Of course if I need to accelarate quickly for safety, I just hold the gas down and it goes to 75mph quicker.

litesong1

Faction...You're getting better mpg than some Versa drivers. But you can't consider yourself conservative if you are 3 to 5 mph over the speed limit...even if all others are 5 to 10+mph over the speed limit. You can call yourself conservative if cars are behind you trying to push you faster down the road & you like it that way. And any fast starts at all explain why you don't get higher mpg. Best to love high gas mileage because we don't want to hurt our planet anymore than we are already. That way of thinking will teach us to drive for economy...not just to get somewhere because we're on a tight schedule.

flightnurse

Ok Boys and Girls, just filled up tonight, I drove a record 385 miles on one tank, took 13 gallons to fill that comes out to 29.69 MPG. This was doing without A/C on (temps here in PHX are finally liveable with it) and I spent 75% driving over 45 mph and 30% under 45 mph. No jack rabbit start, no over reving the engine, I usally keep the RPMS under 3K for city driving and never go over 2200 on the freeway (whihc is about 70)

My car has 4100 miles on, and well go in for it first oil change on friday, I'll also tell them I'm not happy with the MPG...

Tony

p.s. This thread doesn't have go to and pick apart my post on my driving style, this is just a FYI... Those people over on the Nissanovers web site are full of it for posting MPG of 34....

jaxs1

Thats comical unless it's mostly city mileage.
You can beat that mileage on the highway with an Impala or Avalon.

flightnurse

this is current, and that is why Versa owners aren't happy with the mileage we are getting with the cars, other then that, I would rather has my Versa then Chevy Impalar...

Tony :shades:

link3

Hello, I'm new to this forum and also a new (as of 2 weeks ago) owner of a Versa SL with CVT. So far I have a little over 1,000 miles on my new car.

I've averaged about 28.5 mpg during 85/15 split City/Highway driving and 32.5 mpg with a 10/90 split City/Highway (while going no faster than 70 mph). During a 90% highway driving stint while going between 75-80 mph for about 1/3 of the way, my mileage dropped to 31.3 mpg. I think that if I kept my highway speed to 65 mph max, that the mpg would be better (but not likely 36 either).

Bob

faction

LOL! I guess "Conservative" is a relative term!
Maybe I should be more specific and say that I don't go faster than 65. In a lot of cities(not mine thankfully) that would be considered to be a slow driving hazard.

sngwrtr

OK, had the Versa a little over a month, with 7 fill ups. I have an SL with CVT and ABS. Have a 40 mile one way commute to work. Drive 85% highway 15% city; HOWEVER, about 7-10 miles of my highway commute is in gridlock that can take anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes to get through.
#1 - 300.6 miles 9.5 gals 31.7 mpg
#2 - 269.2 miles 7.8 gals 34.5 mpg
#3 - 328.5 miles 10.3 gals 31.9 mpg
#4 - 335.2 miles 11.0 gals 30.5 mpg
#5 - 310.6 miles 9.3 gals 33.4 mpg
#6 - 351.3 miles 11.2 gals 31.4 mpg
#7 - 328.1 miles 10.4 gals 31.5 mpg

average - 31.99 mpg.

I'm happy with that, particularly because of the gridlock, which some days is the equivalent of sitting there idling for 10-20 minutes. I followed the manual instructions for the first 1200 miles. Usually drive around 70 mph on the highway, some cruise control, A/C fan on "1" almost 100% of the time.

yerth10

The Versa - CVT model costs $2K more than 4 Speed and also weighs 220 pounds more. Is the reason for the higher cost because of the extras thrown in.

Also is the ride in CVT visibly smoother than the ride in 4 Speed.

Nissan has outlined CVT as their platform to increase the mileage and are currently selling 5 models (Murano, Maxima, Altima, Sentra & Versa) with CVT options. Thats matched only by Toyota with 5 models (Prius, Hybrid versions of Highlander, Camry, RX400h and GS450h).

flightnurse

The difference between the S and SL is much more then just the CVT. You have upgraded Radio, steering wheel controls, better fabric, CVT, alloy wheels, cruise (to just say a few) the ride between the 4spd and CVT are like night and day. The CVT is so smooth, it makes all other transmission feel like rolling on rocks.

CVT is the future of transmission, Audi is in its 3rd yr of offering CVT in thier A4's... Drive a Versa with a CVT and then drive the 4spd, you well see the and feel the difference...

Tony

yerth10

Yes, CVT is superior both theoritcally and practically.

But then, why should GM/FORD go for 6-speed,
Benz for 7-speed and even Lexus for 8-speed in 1 of their model. They could straight away go with CVT.

Is there anything that makes CVT costlier than those Automatics.

flightnurse

I was just talking to a friend of mine regarding this tonight. My personal feelings is, Americans don't like change too much. the CVT is something to get use to, and for americans that isn't good. But once more and more cars have it, people well get use to them..

Tony

jacksan1

In the December issue, Consumer Reports will have the test results of the Versa, Fit, Yaris and Rio. A CR tester has recently left some postings on consumerreports.org, and one of her posts included the overall mpg test results for the Versa and Fit.

The CR tester said that the Versa with CVT got 28 MPG overall in the tests. I know that they have also been testing the 6-speed version, but this particular post did not include the mpg number for that config.

Honda Fit with AT got 32 MPG overall, according to the same CR tester post.

yerth10

28 MPG is not impresiive for a car that weighs 2,800 lb and measures 169 inches in lenght. May be Corolla will give more or CR mileage is much different from EPA mileage.

backy

CR's overall mpg for the Corolla automatic is 29 mpg--just one more than the Versa, and the Versa is a heavier car. CR's mpg numbers are based on their own testing, which is designed to mimic real-world driving. So they are usually different than the EPA numbers.

jacksan1

The Civic EX with AT also got 29 mpg under CR's testing conditions.

In fact, under CR's conditions, 30 mpg overall is a VERY GOOD number due to their rigorous real-world simulation that extends to thousands of miles (CR claims to average 6,000 miles to come up with their mpg numbers). EPA's is the dream number. Some people achieve EPA's figures, but very few do. CR's numbers, on the other hand, tend to be within reach.

bobw3

If they're only getting 29mpg on a Corolla, then I would wonder about how they got their numbers. Plus I think with the Versa, if they're testing with a CVT then I think CR will get lower numbers because they're not used to driving CVTs and probably over-rev the engine all the time. So I'd wait until you see what transmission they use on the versa.

With these sort of review, the mpg isn't so important because you get varied numbers for that. Autoweek averaged 30.73mpg http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060410/FREE/60331007/1006/r- ss03&rssfeed=rss03
I'm more interested in other aspects of the comparison.

dudleyr

That number CR gets is the overall average. The Civic with automatic gets 43 on the highway (steady 65) and about 21 in the city test. The overall is 29. About the same for Corolla and others. Even the Accord gets 38 highway on the CR test.

The CR numbers are easy to get and even beat - use synthetic oil and a little extra tire pressure. Also the tests are at an actual 65 mph most cars are indicating 2-5 mph higher when they are actually going 65.

The CR mileage tests are the most comprehensive and consistent in the industry. They don't just fill up the car drive and repeat to get the amount of gas used. They splice an extremely accurate flow gauge into the fuel line.

w9cw

Ford is experiencing some serious problems with their CVT in the Five Hundred and Freestyle. Hence, the emphasis on the Japanese-built 6-speed automatic.

jacksan1

Autoweek averaged 30.73mpg

Yes, but in what context? That is the problem of many a fuel rating of tests out there. We never know how those tests reach the numbers that they present. Maybe Autoweek drove mostly freeway. We just do not know.

CR clearly explains its methodology, and applies it in all tests, which allows for apples-to-apples comparison of vehicles within a given test and even across different tests. They sharply delineate the city mode and highway mode. CR controls testing variables tightly (they even account for wind velocity, atmospheric temperature, and driver differences). In this sense, the absolute mpg figures are not that important. What is significant is that CR's testing methodology allows us compare different vehicles, knowing that they were all tested under a well-controlled environment.

bobw3

What problems? Ford is putting larger engines in the 500 and Freestyle, so that's why they're going to the 6spd automatic...the current CVT can't handle the torque. But for the current engine the CVT is working fine.

datgro

28 mpg is also not impressive for a car that is supposed to
bet 32 city/40 highway. Even if the testing conditions are
'perfect' as opposed to 'normal every day', the 40 mpg hasn't
been reached by ANYONE so far.

In all the cars I've owned, I've been able to beat the factory/test mpg rates. I got 43 mpg on a trip with my
Scion Xa. And I didn't have cruise control on the car.

datgrl

bamacar

Which car are you talking about?
The Versa CVT is 36/30 EPA and gets 28 for CR.
The Corolla Auto is 38/30 EPA and gets 29 for CR.
The Yaris and Fit Manuals both get 34 for CR.

Corolla manuals - EPA 41/32 do get 40 mpg on highway trips. Even my 34 EPA highway Honda Accord manual got 33-36 on highway trips on a regular basis.

Some cars get the EPA numbers; others don't.

bobw3

It seems strange that for autos/CVTs that CR gets worse MPG then the EPA posted figures, but when CR tests the manuals they get about the same as the EPA posted figures.

Maybe when CR tests the mpg for manuals they upshift quickly and leave it in the higher gear longer...basically babying the manual. But when they test cars with automatics, they're more inclined just to press the gas down and hold it.

Until they have robots testing the cars, there is always the human factor that makes errors. I'm more inclined to believe the highway MPG because if you put any car on cruise control at 65mph and leave it in the highest gear, after 100 miles on each car you'll have a good comparison. So when the CR report comes out, I'm going look at and compare their hwy mpg, but the city mpg has too many driver variables. You can compare, but I think the error rate on the city MPG is much higher than on the highway MPG (of course it depends on how they test the highway MPG).