LEAF -vs- Versa
- Thread starter TonyWilliams
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Herm
Well-known member
The Leaf is a few inches bigger in all dimensions, plus the doors and hood are made of aluminum to save weight. The next generation of the Versa will look a lot like a Leaf, as shown in the 2011 Shanghai auto show. Both cars are classified as midsize by the EPA.. the Volt is classified as a compact.
evnow
Well-known member
Hmmm ... somehow I always thought Versa was classified lower. Apparently not. Not sure why various car sites compare Versa with Fit & Yaris.Herm said:
lemketron
Well-known member
Funny, I snapped a couple of pictures when I parked next to a Versa too... 
TRONZ
Well-known member
And we do know that the LEAF and Versa do not share a single part in common, Right!!??
palmermd
Well-known member
Looks like the same lug nuts to me.
clearly the current versa and leaf dont have any common parts, but it does look like the new versa shares parts with the Leaf.
clearly the current versa and leaf dont have any common parts, but it does look like the new versa shares parts with the Leaf.
TomT
Well-known member
Yeah, and I also believe in the tooth fairy...
TRONZ said:
Jimmydreams
Well-known member
mogur said:
For the life of me, I really don't understand the obsession with the Versa vs Leaf. They're two different cars. Just like a Firebird and Camaro were two different cars.....similar, but different.
Why the constant comparison and subtle ridicule of the Versa?
Jimmydreams said:
A lot of critics portray the Leaf is just an electric Versa and a lot of Leaf owners are very touchy when it comes to this subject. Personally I would have bought my Leaf even if it was marketed as the Versa Electric because I just wanted an affordable EV (was actually searching for a VW Rabbit or small truck to convert when they announced the Leaf) that being said I was curious to drive a Versa ICE and see how they compare. So a couple weeks after I bought my Leaf I drove to the nearest Nissan dealer, plugged my Leaf in and went to find a salesman so I could testdrive a Versa. To any Leaf owner who is worried I or has second thoughts I highly recommend this. The Versa is an econobox and drives like you would expect a 4cylinder econobox to drive. You don't get that smooth quiet acceleration you get in the Leaf.
Herm
Well-known member
I have read both cars use the same rear suspension setup.
TomT
Well-known member
It honestly makes absolutely no difference to me whatsoever one way or the other, but to portray the Leaf as having not one thing in common with the Versa is simply putting one's head in the sand in my opinion.
I think it is just as silly as eliminating an EV from consideration simply because it is based on a manufacturers ICE vehicle. If it does the job well, who cares what its DNA is.
I think it is just as silly as eliminating an EV from consideration simply because it is based on a manufacturers ICE vehicle. If it does the job well, who cares what its DNA is.
tzzhc4 said:
TonyWilliams
Well-known member
Herm said:
Yes, it does. Look at where the key would go on the Versa... on the LEAF, they just plug the hole there.
It would be interesting to me to have a logical discussion about what parts are common, like suspension parts, to know what can work on our cars. Also, I'm always curious why auto companies change some things, but not others, on their similar models.
I presume that the windshields are interchangeable, but it appears that either the rear window is different, or just at a different angle. I would guess that the little opera windows and front door windows interchange.
Why it matters to some whether the car is 100% unique is just static in the factual data.
Since the cost of your parts depends on volume, Nissan will share parts wherever it can on all models, and the more parts shared with higher volume cars the better. The rule of thumb would be if the part can be shared then it is.TonyWilliams said:
While sharing parts is a good not a bad thing, the problem is that EVs require entirely different systems, and different systems require specialized and therefore expensive parts. This is why Ghosn has said that in order to be competitive without government rebates you need to be producing 500,000 - 1,000,000 copies of an EV a year.
With respect to styling, the Leaf has what I'd call generic Japanese styling. Looks a lot like a Mazda 3 to me. Obviously the new Versa hatch will look very similar as well. But I think people will buy a Leaf because it's an EV and it's cheap, not because it looks great.
Having said that, the fit of the Versa in the pictures is particularly bad. The fit and finish of my Leaf is far better than that. So $15K does get you something.
evnow
Well-known member
The styling is more European than Japanese.SanDust said:
BTW, I've met a lot of people who liked the styling of Leaf a lot (to my surprise) - some have commented purely on the styling before they realized the car was electric. I've got almost universal thumbs-up on Blue color in particular.
mogur said:
I couldn't agree more. I also agree it would be nice to know which parts are in common. Would come in handy down the road for sourcing parts when repairs are needed. I imagine a body panel or door would be cheaper if I can get it off a Versa in a junkyard.
TimLee
Well-known member
There's an MNL topic where someone has detailed exactly what the Leaf suspension components are with the intent to be able to buy performance suspension upgrades.
None of the suspension matches the Versa. It mostly matches larger Nissan vehicles, probably because of the battery weight.
I think the put down attitude about the Versa is silly. :roll:
In buying a vehicle under the Cash for Clunkers I seriously considered the Versa and the Altima.
Both are mid-size vehicles. The Versa is on the small end of mid-size. The Altima is on the large end of mid-size.
I ultimately bought an Altima because I prefer the larger vehicle.
But I love the Leaf, even though it is a polished up fancy electric version of the Versa.
Why does the fact of that bother some people? :roll:
How else do you think you would build the Leading Environmental Affordable Family car if you didn't start with a Versa? :?
Now when Nissan produces the first electric version of the Altima with all the upscale options or an even more upscale Infiniti version, I will definitely be in the market for one.
But till then, I'm proud to be driving the world's most efficient affordable vehicle. Even if it was based on the Versa.
None of the suspension matches the Versa. It mostly matches larger Nissan vehicles, probably because of the battery weight.
I think the put down attitude about the Versa is silly. :roll:
In buying a vehicle under the Cash for Clunkers I seriously considered the Versa and the Altima.
Both are mid-size vehicles. The Versa is on the small end of mid-size. The Altima is on the large end of mid-size.
I ultimately bought an Altima because I prefer the larger vehicle.
But I love the Leaf, even though it is a polished up fancy electric version of the Versa.
Why does the fact of that bother some people? :roll:
How else do you think you would build the Leading Environmental Affordable Family car if you didn't start with a Versa? :?
Now when Nissan produces the first electric version of the Altima with all the upscale options or an even more upscale Infiniti version, I will definitely be in the market for one.
But till then, I'm proud to be driving the world's most efficient affordable vehicle. Even if it was based on the Versa.
TonyWilliams
Well-known member
TimLee said:
Hear Hear !!
EricH
Well-known member
In today's (Saturday 8/13) Wall St. Journal, Dan Neil ("Rumble Seat" columnist, former Pulitzer-winning car critic from LA Times) writes about the Nissan Quest, and makes a point of this (specifically that the Quest and the GT-R have the identical key fob, as do other manufacturer's among their various models).SanDust said:
I have used the Versa strictly from a visual perspective; it's as close a 'production car' as I've seen to the Leaf's overall size/style. It never crossed my mind about the two models sharing parts. My sole concern is that one motivation for car theft is to re-sell parts; the more unique parts the Leaf has, the less motivation for anyone to steal my car
. Of course, as has been pointed out here, the more unique parts on the Leaf, the more the Leaf will cost, and the less likely my local Nissan dealer has the part in stock if/when I need it.yoyofella
Well-known member
The $11k Versa Sedan 1.6S is not exactly the same car as the Leaf, which comes standard with features like power window, navigation, hands-free, alloy wheel, hatch, shorter wheelbase, auto tranny, and many others. The closest Versa would be the Versa 1.8SL, which cost about $20k after adding comparable feature..
Even after all the upgrades, the Versa will still have a smaller wheel base compare to the Leaf, which means a slightly more cramped seating and somewhat worse crash rating . IIHS scored the 2011 Versa an "acceptable" rating on side impact with rating of "marginal" on driver injury, while the 2011 Leaf received the highest rating of "Good" on all measures.
Even after all the upgrades, the Versa will still have a smaller wheel base compare to the Leaf, which means a slightly more cramped seating and somewhat worse crash rating . IIHS scored the 2011 Versa an "acceptable" rating on side impact with rating of "marginal" on driver injury, while the 2011 Leaf received the highest rating of "Good" on all measures.
