Nissan’s Versa combines class, 36 mpg, for $12,000
NASHVILLE, TENN. – Several new or renovated large SUVs notwithstanding, the word among more perceptive auto manufacturers is that “Small is going to be large†in the U.S. automotive market. Nissan is among them, introducing the Versa as a challenge to more fuelish large vehicles, and claiming size and power superiority over its rivals from Honda and Toyota.
A flurry of recently unveiled large and luxurious SUVs may be attributable to the finalization of designs that started four years ago when size and power were the objective of every car-maker, or it may just be bad timing. The public is living in todayÂ’s world, with possible glances to tomorrow, which makes it seem more as though the big-truck makers havenÂ’t noticed gasoline prices rising and vaulting to or beyond $3. Again.
Perhaps analysts who are probing to explain why General Motors and Ford are suffering financially, while Honda, Toyota and Nissan – among others – increase their sales, and market share, need to look no further. Without apologies to the big trucks, Honda introduces a new subcompact Fit, smaller than the enlarged Civic, and Toyota is introducing the Yaris, a replacement for the unpopular subcompact Echo, after enlarging the Corolla.
And now Nissan assembled a couple of waves of automotive journalists in Nashville for a late-April unveiling of the Versa. The Versa 4-door hatchback will hit showrooms in July, with a notchback 4-door sedan following at the end of this calendar year. A newly designed aluminum1.8-liter four-cylinder “MR†engine, with dual-overhead-camshafts, produces 122 horsepower at 5,200 RPMs and 127 foot-pounds of torque at 4,800 RPMs. A six-speed manual transmission brings the full power to life, and a new CVT (continuously variable transmission) automatic also will be available.
The cars, which will be built at the Nissan plant in Mexico, where the revised Sentra also is assembled, have EPA fuel-economy estimates of 30 in city driving and 34 on the highway with the stick, 36 mpg with the CVT. To start with, a four-speed automatic will be available, until enough CVTs can be built.
Nissan marketing types said the name, Versa, links to the term versatility. Could have fooled us; with the intro based at the historic Hermitage Hotel right here in Music City, some of us suspected that the name meant the “Versa†might be followed by the “Chorusa.Ââ€
Sure enough, Nissan also used the occasion to sing the praises of a newly renovated 2007 Quest minivan. Some of the more startling interior features of the Quest at its 2004 introduction have been toned down on the 2007, in a move from unique to more mainstream. Nissan bailed out on the cylindrical center stack and high center-dash-mounted instrument cluster, after only three years, because, as Quest marketing manager Kelly Hamilton said, such innovations “polarized most,†and were “not user-friendly, or aesthetically appealing to most.†Hmmm. The 2004 features were innovative, aesthetically attractive, and extremely user-friendly, if I were the user, but subjective praise didn’t equal enough sales to battle the Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna, let alone the Chrysler minivan fleet.
Actually, Nissan’s new home base is in Nashville, and while some of the company’s management types balked at giving up Southern California’s beaches for Nashville’s proximity to Nissan factories, the move allowed John Schilling, a Minneapolis native, to return to a public relations position he has always fulfilled so well. I didn’t get the chance to ask him if he was a Grand Ol’ Opry fan, although “his†Nashville Predators made the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the Tennessee Titans offer an NFL diversion.
But enough digression. The Versa is an interesting vehicle. A stylish and fun-to-drive little car, it also has some nicely sophisticated features. Used to be, the smallest cars were the most fuel-efficient, but also were stripped of anything resembling refinement, and comfort or luxury were out of the question. The Civic, Corolla and Sentra were among those that displayed those deficiencies, and only when Mazda came out with the dazzling new Mazda3 a year ago did the Civic, Corolla and Sentra make decided upturns in size and flair.
That left room for the new breed of smaller cars, aimed at the small-car segment that currently accounts for more than 1.9 million vehicles if you combine entry level and compact. ThatÂ’s 11 percent of the total U.S. vehicles sold annually. The Civic, Corolla and Sentra now reach compact, leaving behind subcompact, which is the niche the new breed of cars is battling to fill. The best thing about the new segment, besides good gas mileage, is a price point below $15,000, and in the case of the Versa, starting just under $12,000.
As gas prices rise, and 14-mpg SUVs and trucks seem less-appealing to commute-to-workers, small gas-sippers that offer sufficient comfort and convenience features could explode to unforeseen levels.
Nissan identifies the Versa as the first “no-compromise subcompact to hit the market†in the U.S. Marketing manager Joe Samfilippo said the Versa has an edge on the Fit and Yaris because it has more power, more front legroom, more rear headroom, legroom and kneeroom. A feature such as firmer, better-quality foam in the bucket seats makes a ride or drive in the Versa a cut above many competitors.
However, noting that the Versa rivals the Sentra for size and interior room, and has a larger, 1.8-liter four-cylinder compared to the 1.5 engines in the Fit and Yaris, I asked if possibly the Versa has more room and more power is because it is a larger car with a larger engine, while the Fit and Yaris were purposely aimed to be smaller cars with smaller engines. Turns out, Nissan introduced a car called the “Tiida†in Japan last fall, where it competes as a small luxury car in a class above the Fit and Yaris. That car now comes to the U.S. as the Versa.
The Versa is the first one on the global “B†platform, shared by Nissan and Renault, which was the financial savior of Nissan several years ago. The two companies worked together on the car, including the responsive DOHC engine, and the six-speed stick shift is a Renault design, while there are many other shared components.
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Product manager Orth Hedrick gave us a close-up examination of the Versa’s attributes, as my driving partner and I drove through the countryside, through small towns like Lynchburg, Murfreesboro, and Shelbyville – places that had always been just words to me previously. The Minnesota Twins always had a low minor league affiliate in Lynchburg, and a whole passel of stock car racers and country guitar pickers came from Murfreesboro and Shelbyville, for example.
Driving the car on some curvy roads, I found it to have plenty of spunk, and the electric power-steering felt like it might be too light at low speeds, but it firmed up at speed to afford precise cornering and a good feel.
The base Versa S has 60/40 split fold-down rear seats, micro-filter air conditioning, a 120-watt, 4-speaker audio system with a CD player, tilt steering, variable intermittent wipers, and front, side, and roof-mounted sided curtain airbags, and a tire pressure monitoring system – all standard, for under $12,000.
Move up to the Versa SL, and a 6-speaker, 6-CD audio with 180 watts is standard, along with other upgrades, such as 15-inch wheels, driverÂ’s seat height adjustment, keyless entry, cruise control, and soft-padded instrument panel.
Options include antilock brakes, electronic brake force distribution, and, on the SL, Bluetooth phone, remote audio switches on the leather-wrapped steering wheel, a Rockford Fosgate audio upgrade, and power sunroof. A Sport package also is coming, with sill trim, front and rear spoilers, and foglights. Satellite radio is another option, either XM or Sirius.
With enough options, you could turn the $12,000 Versa into a $16,000 mini-luxury-car. First thing I would do is put 16-inch wheels and lower profile performance tires on the little front-wheel-drive beast to turn good handling into sporty-firm. But as Hendrick pointed out, competitors compromised on interior space, “so we concentrated on making a spacious interior.Ââ€
If its assets are because it’s a bigger car with a bigger engine – as long as it gets 35 miles per gallon, and can be bought for $12,000.
Elliott, Badgers get streaking style back for NCAA
Wisconsin hockey coach Mike Eaves would never say it, but itÂ’s time for his Badgers to do something for him. They need to beat Maine Thursday night, and then also beat the winner of the North Dakota-Boston College first game. ThatÂ’s all.
That would give Eaves and the Badgers the 2006 NCAA menÂ’s hockey championship, and it would create a unique clean sweep of NCAA hockey titles for Wisconsin, because the Badgers already won the NCAA WomenÂ’s title. ThatÂ’s why the menÂ’s quest forÂ…uhÂ…equality has significance. The Badgers women are coached by Mark Johnson, and Eaves and Johnson go way back.
When things get a little tense for WisconsinÂ’s hockey team, or the Badgers need a dose of inspiration, Eaves can summon up all sorts of stories from his rich hockey past, as a player and a coach. In fact, he did just that when the Badgers were embroiled in a scoreless West Region final at Green Bay against Cornell.
“Actually, the mood seemed to get lighter and lighter in the dressing room the longer the game went,†said Eaves. “We tried to loosen things up by talking about some memorable overtime goals. Likethe one Pat LaFontaine scored in the sixth overtime when the Islanders beat Washington in a playoff gameÂ…Ââ€
Of all the teams in the tournament, Wisconsin might be the most veteran. Freshmen have filled large roles on all four finalists, while Wisconsin is paced by sophomore Joe Pavelski (23-30–53) and junior Robbie Earl (21-25–46). Then comes senior defenseman and captain Tom Gilbert (11-19—30), and senior forwards Adam Burish (8-21–29), Ryan MacMurchy (8-17—25), and junior Ross Carlson (10-11—21).
When it got to the third overtime in the region final, though, it didnÂ’t matter who came through.
“Really, it comes down to will at that point,†said Eaves. “We still had energy, and we stayed focused. At this point, if youÂ’re going to have success, sometimes itÂ’s an underclassman who comes through. Jack Skille is only a freshman, but heÂ’s a horse. He has a great ability to skate, and he can go for long periods. Coach [Mark] Osiecki picked Jack to score the goal for us.Ââ€
Eaves, in his fourth season, has all of his own recruits for the first time, and he knows that even when they play their best, goaltender Brian Elliott is the backbone.
“It always starts between the pipes,†said Eaves. “BrianÂ’s play gave our defense confidence and our forwards confidence.Ââ€
Elliott has a 25-5-3 record and leads the nation with a .938 save percentage, a 1.55 goals-against average, and nine shutouts.
Eaves knows the other side of that coin, too. Wisconsin was the nationÂ’s No. 1 team through the first three months of the season, as the Badgers compiled a 19-2-2 record. Then Elliott got injured in practice, and the Badgers lost four straight and five of six to blow the WCHA title and the No. 1 national ranking, finishing the regular season with a staggering 3-7-1 slate before sweeping St. Cloud State in the final series.
That makes it truly a season of streaks for Wisconsin. After going 19-2-2, then 3-7-1, as Elliott had problems regaining his sharp edge coming off the injury, but after yielding an unusually high number of goals in a few games, he got things back in order. In their current 7-1 run, the Badgers have scored 21 goals, while Elliott has stifled Badger foes by yielding only six. Those six goals-against include the 4-3 loss to North Dakota in the WCHA Final Five semifinals.
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Other than the four goals in the North Dakota game, the eight-game stretch includes a pair of one-goal yields and five shutouts, giving Elliott a three-game shutout streak against Minnesota, Bemidji State and Cornell going into the Frozen Four. That equates to nearly a four-shutout streak, when you consider it took more than 11 minutes into the third overtime before Skille scored.
When it comes to winning championships, Eaves again can draw on his personal experiences. That goes back to the days when Badger opponents remember Eaves, wearing No. 17, and Johnson, No. 10, as a virtually unstoppable duo on coach Bob JohnsonÂ’s power play. Their records may never fall. No Badger has ever scored more goals than the 48 Johnson got in 42 games in 1977-78, or the 267 points Eaves recorded for his Wisconsin career. Eaves was captain for three years with the Badgers.
In 1976-77, Wisconsin won the WCHA title, the WCHA playoffs, and the NCAA championship, finishing 37-7-1, while Mike Eaves was named All-America, and teammate Mark Johnson was freshman of the year. In 1977-78, the Badgers finished second, and the WCHA scoring title was shared by Eaves (25-45—70), and Johnson (39-31—70), while Eaves was WCHA most valuable player, and both Eaves and Johnson made first team all-WCHA and both were first-team All America.
Both went on to NHL careers, Eaves playing eight years for the Minnesota North Stars and Calgary Flames before his career was curtailed by recurring concussions, while Johnson played 11 seasons, mostly for Pittsburgh, Hartford and New Jersey.
Eaves got a head start in coaching, assisting at Calgary, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, then in Finland, at Hershey in the American Hockey League, and a year each as assistant at St. Cloud State and head coach at Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He also coached at Shattuck-St. MaryÂ’s in Faribault, Minn., but the thing that probably launched Eaves to the head spot at Wisconsin was that he spent two years coaching the U.S. Development team in Ann Arbor, Mich. That gave him the chance to coach the 2002 U.S. team that won the Under-18 world championship. He later coached the U.S. to the 2004 World Junior Championship.
One of his players on the National Development system and the Under-18 team was Greg Moore, currently a star at Maine, where he is captain and has scored 28 goals. “Maine plays hard, but also sprinkled in are somepretty good players,†said Eaves. “Greg Moore has power, strength and speed. HeÂ’s a player who goes to the tough places.Ââ€
Back at Wisconsin, Mark Johnson was assistant to Jeff Sauer with the men’s team, and when Sauer retired, the men’s job came down to two men – Eaves and Johnson. Eaves got the job, which caused some dissension among boosters, some of whom had backed Johnson, the son of the late coach Bob Johnson.
Johnson, however, landed on his feet by taking the job with the Badger womenÂ’s team. Like Eaves, Johnson led the Badger women on a steadily improving course over the last three years, and brought Wisconsin to a pinnacle with a 3-0 victory over two-time defending champion Minnesota two weeks ago.
At the same time, the Badgers were in Green Bay, as the top seed of the Midwest Regional, where they defeated Bemidji State 4-0, and then survived the incredible triple-overtime final with the 1-0 victory over Cornell.
Maine coach Tim Whitehead said he knows what the Black Bears are up against. “ItÂ’s the fifth straight year weÂ’ve been on the road in the NCAA,†said Whitehead. “We know Milwaukee will have a great environment, and the fact that Wisconsin made it guarantees it will be a special moment. It will be very difficult, but we know you never have an easy game at this level. Wisconsin is tough whether you look at their goaltending, defense, or forwards. TheyÂ’ve done a tremendous job of recruiting, because theyÂ’re strong at all three positions.Ââ€
If the Badgers win two more games this week in Milwaukee, Eaves can bring home the big plaque, and he and Mark Johnson can again stand side by side and share one of the more unique hockey sweeps imaginable.
Volvo’s safety technology hits new heights in C70
When Volvo recently introduced its new C70 retractable-roof hardtop/convertible in Maui, I was curious to learn how Volvo could transform its legendary safety construction to its pillarless new C70, without compromising its basic instinct for occupant safety.
Quite casually, I found a fellow named Thomas Broberg, the director of VolvoÂ’s legendary safety center in Gothenburg, Sweden. Every manufacturer has improved safety construction, and some are far ahead of others, but I donÂ’t think any car-maker is more dedicated to safety than Volvo. IÂ’ve seen the Volvo crash-test site in Gothenburg, and IÂ’m convinced VolvoÂ’s tests are not for comparative advantage, but to make Volvos as safe as possible.
But safety is less glamorous to advertise and promote than power, stylish lines, and contemporary luxury, so Broberg was not one of the featured presenters. When I found out what he did, we had several conversations about VolvoÂ’s safety concepts, which was like a quick course in safe car construction.
“German cars all do well on safety, and companies like Honda, Toyota, and now the Korean companies, are all improving their safety,†said Broberg. “ThatÂ’s good for us. WeÂ’ve been working at it for 75 years.Ââ€
We hear a lot about cars that obtain a 5-star, or 4-star, or less, in insurance industry or government crash tests. Others have used the crash ratings to promotional advantage, while Volvo has gone its own, independent route. Vehicles are categorized by size, and a crash test of hitting a barrier equates to a simulation of a vehicle crashing into another of identical size. The more refined and comprehensive Volvo tests at GothenburgÂ’s safety center include far more.
“You have to look at what is NOT covered by the star ratings,†said Broberg. “When they started to rate us, we came out quite high. In the star tests, cars are crashed in one frontal test, at one speed, with one standard size occupant. So a 5-star rated vehicle might not be safer than a 4-star vehicle – it was just safer in one test at that one speed. If you took another model of the same car, it might come out differently.
“In our tests, we have offset, angle, underride and override impacts for front structures,†Broberg said. “In the XC90, for example, itÂ’s bigger and higher, and you canÂ’t compensate for the pure energy of the crash. Yet, we used our tests to lower the ‘load-pathÂ’ with a higher bumper, so that in a crash, our XC90 would engage the safety system of the other vehicle, to properly set off the sensors for its airbags, etc.Ââ€
At the safety center, Broberg directs a staff that goes well beyond the crash tests it conducts internally from every angle, including rollovers. He has 160 people on a traffic accident research team, which is on-call 24/7 to immediately hustle out to every accident in Sweden that involves a Volvo.
“Our team gets on-site, and gives a questionnaire to occupants fo that the lab can recreate accidents,†Broberg said. “We bring in the cars and study the impact angles, and we even set up what might have happened with a dummy, where a seat might have been unoccupied.Ââ€
The extensive evaluation of 50,000 accidents has led to understandable knowledge and refinement of the art of vehicle crashes and tactical pursuit of lessening the danger – always a work in progress at Volvo. According to Broberg, among accidents involving lethal injuries, 25 percent were from side impacts, 35-40 percent were from front and front-corner impacts, and only 1 percent were caused by rear impacts.
Among non-serious injury crashes, however, 30 percent were from rear-end impacts. Interestingly, rollover accidents – mostly called by cars going off the road – comprise less than 3 percent of all accidents, but rollovers account for 8 percent of fatalities.
Fully 97 percent of all side-impact crashes occur at less than 30 miles per hour, which figures in Sweden, even more than in our hurry-and-run-the-red-light society.
Computer aided design has helped safety considerably. “Since 1995, we have been using computer-aided engineering,†said Broberg, who singled out the XC90 SUV among those that benefited from improved design tactics. “We were able to use newer technology to make the S40 as safe as the larger S80. If an S40 and an S80 crashed into each other, I would say occupants of the S40 would be equally as safe, because of the newer technology we used in designing it.Ââ€
One method is to build the structure and crash it on a computer without the engine installed, and installing the engine and all the accessories after gaining optimum crush space.
It is a common fallacy that larger cars are always safer, when really they only have the advantage of physics when they hit a smaller vehicle. But just as large vehicles can be unsafe, it is possible to make more compact vehicles safe. Broberg said it was more of a challenge to make the S40 sedan as safe as larger sedans such as the already safe midsize S60 and larger S80, than it was to adopt the S40 safety to the new C70.
WeÂ’ve all heard advertising that claims the use of “higher-grade steel.†Broberg explained that five grades of steel as well as aluminum were used in building the C70, Regular steel is “thin, not as strong, but more flexible,†said Broberg, “although it still shouldnÂ’t deform on low-speed impacts.Ââ€
Regular steel is used for body panels and also to create crumple zones, the areas designed to crush while absorbing the energy of an impact. High-strength steel is higher gauge, but not thicker, it just withstands a higher level of stress. Extra-high-strength steel is next up the scale, and then comes ultra-high-strength steel, which is still stronger. The top grade is boron steel, which is extremely strong, but also is extremely hard to manufacture, because it is more difficult to drill or to stamp. It is used where the computer-designed structure indicates the need for the strongest support.
Aluminum canÂ’t be made as strong as high-strength steel, but its strength to weight ratio is better. The side beams in the doors of the C70 are made of extruded aluminum, which is made by forcing molten aluminum through an opening and into a mold. It can take a tremendous load from the front or side, yet still fit in the door area, which is thin because of the need to also house the window and window mechanism.
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“When we went from the S40 to the C70, we were building a 2-door instead of a 4-door,†Broberg said. The coupe/convertible doesn’t have the inherent safety of the 4-door S40’s fixed roof or pillars. Along with the door beams, the C70 has extra support at the lower area of the center B pillar to secure and keep the door shut in case of an impact.
“We also built a horseshoe-shaped reinforcement for the rear of the frame, and we came up with a crumple zone not in the door but in the center of the car. So in a severe side impact, the car squeezes together, with the middle of the car compressing.Ââ€
The C70 windshield pillars encircle the glass with boron steel to act as a rollbar, and smaller aluminum rollbars pop up out of the rear seat headrests to also serve as rollbars if an impending rollover is sensed. The C70 has airbags all around, and is the first production car with side airbags imbedded in the door in anticipation of rollbar protection. They stay inflated longer, for about 7 seconds, to add to occupant safety.
Volvo used its largest XC90 SUV to test the structural safety of the C70, Broberg said. They ran the XC90 into the side of the C70 at 50 miles per hour. “Even though that speed in a side impact represents only 3 percent – the extreme,†said Broberg.
“There is still a lot to be done in passive safety,†he added, meaning the type of safe construction that requires no input from the driver. “Things like whiplash, and long-term injuries, and fatalities have been improved on a lot, but we also are looking at active safety – things that might help accident avoidance.Ââ€
That includes precise steering and firm shocks and suspension components, and Volvo has some unique and innovative other methods for getting inside a driverÂ’s head to avoid crashing.
“We know the human bodyÂ’s biomechanics,†Broberg said. Then he tapped his head and added, “But up here, weÂ’re all so different in how we react. We could take over operating the car from the driver, like an airplane on autopilot. But a pilot is trained to operate the plane, and drivers arenÂ’t very well trained to hande a car in an extremely stressful situation. We have lights and warning buzzers, but our research now is working on how drivers think and react. We can do only so much with technical things, but how much can the driver do? Helping a driver concentrate is one.Ââ€
One simulator Volvo uses is called Virtex, which puts a vehicle inside a cylinder that can be controlled in all directions, allowing the feel of motion, road, acceleration, braking, and lets different people drive under exactly the same circumstances. On the S40 sedan, something called IDIS – the intelligent driver information system – calculates how busy a driver might be from driving, turning, braking, etc. The first thing it does when it detects a serious driving situation is to hold all incoming cell phone calls.
Broberg said one device helped come up with electronic brake distribution (EBD) to apply more brake force when the carÂ’s radar device notes that the driver isnÂ’t hitting the brakes hard enough to stop short of an impending crash. Volvo showed that unit two years ago, and various companies have come up with similar devices since. But more is necessary.
“One study showed that in 50 percent of accidents one of the carÂ’s drivers didnÂ’t even step on the brake,†he said. “WeÂ’re always trying to assist the driver without overloading the driverÂ’s capability.Ââ€
Volvo also tests drivers by having them keep driving until they fall asleep in a controlled setting. The carÂ’s system can analyze how a car goes down the road, and how a driver plans and executes a curve. Some drivers are smoother than others on the steering wheel in a curve, but as a driver gets more and more tired, he or she makes many more small corrections. When the computer notices an increase has reached the point of drowsiness, it warns the driver with a beep.
“A warning makes the driver ultra-alert,†Broberg said. “But our tests show a driver soon gets drowsy again. Really, all this device does is tell you to take a break.Ââ€
Sometimes the most serious safety problems have the simplest solutions.
About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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