When the latest Versa sedan was shown in New York in April of 2019, Nissan Canada reps stated the car would not be sold here. However, the attrition of vehicles in the segment,  including Nissan’s own Micra and Versa Note, the Chevrolet Sonic, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Accent, Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris, opened up enough marketing space for Nissan to think the car has a good chance here.

Along with the Nissan Kicks, the Versa sedan is built on the new-generation Micra platform that debuted in other markets for the 2017 model year. Like the current Altima and Sentra, the Versa is an attractive, contemporary design. The Versa has the same wheelbase as the Kicks, but is 201 mm (7.9 inches) longer, slightly narrower, 130 mm (5.1 inches) lower and about 40 kilograms lighter.

Essentially a Kicks sedan, the Versa shares most of the cabin features, including the dashboard, with its tall hatchback showroom mate. The gauges are easy to scan and all controls are logical and work with a satisfying precision. Fit and finish are much better than in small Nissans of the recent past but there is a lot of hard, and perhaps, too shiny plastic, on the doors.

Power for the Versa stems from Nissan’s ubiquitous 1.6L four that is rated at 122 horsepower. Torque reaches the front wheels via a CVT.

The Nissan 360 Safety shield, with intelligent autonomous emergency braking, including pedestrian detection and rear self-stopping, are included.

Driven briefly, the Versa is, like the Kicks is pretty serene unless pushed hard, when it becomes a bit vocal. Like the Kicks, the Versa delivers adequate power and no more, and requires a lot of throttle to gain any incremental speed on the highway. However, once a steady cruising speed is attained, refinement, except for perhaps too much road noise, is quite impressive for a car in this segment. The Versa’s steering is not as tactile as that of the related Kicks and it didn’t hold its line on highway as well either.

The front seats feel a bit thin at first but have nicely contoured backrests and prove comfortable enough over a several hour run. Compared with the Kicks, rear seat room is diminished by the lower roofline and the lower-mounted seats.

The unbranded audio system in our SR sedan sounded better than the Bose-branded equipment in the Kicks SR Premium. The air-conditioning was barely adequate in sweltering Toronto weather.

With air-conditioning, forward collision warning, including for pedestrians, autonomous emergency braking, including in reverse, is nicely equipped and priced aggressively. Stepping up to the SV adds alloy wheels, blind spot and rear cross traffic monitors, heated front seats, a driver drowsiness warning, upgraded fabrics and wireless cellphone charging, which makes it a bargain. The SR includes a few sporty trim accents, enhanced cabin trim, two extra speakers, remote starting, front door keyless opening via handle-mounted buttons, a trunk spoiler, L.E.D. headlamps, a leather wrapped steering wheel and mirror-mounted turn signals, and is priced to reflect the value of its content.

Predicted reliability is average to below average. Smaller Nissans generate much higher than average servicing and repair costs. The CVT transmission often expires just after the warranty ends and premature failure of components such a ball joints are accompanied by massive repair bills.