V-Motion grille all the cars!
Other than a few small tweaks, it's business as usual for Nissan's littlest hatchback.
The Nissan Versa Note is, along with its sedan counterpart, the best selling entry-level vehicle in the US. It makes sense, then, that a refresh wouldn't mess with success too much, and that appears to be the case with the 2017 Versa Note.
The exterior is now slightly different. The front end sports a V-Motion grille, which is a fancy way of saying "This is the same grille you find on every Nissan from the Sentra to the GT-R." The Versa Note's styling now falls in line with the rest of the lineup. Two new colors are on offer, as well -- Monarch Orange and Deep Blue Pearl. All trim levels now get the sportier rear bumper previously offered on the Note SR.
The changes otherwise are mild. S Plus and SV trims get new wheel covers, while the SL gets new alloy wheels. The cup holders are larger, due to customer demand, and both the 12-volt outlet and USB port have been moved to the front of the center console. For charging junkies, there's a second 12-volt outlet along for the ride, now, too.
The sportiest trim level, SR, adds a whole bunch of extra kit, including fog lights, body-color side sills, faux-suede seats, a sport steering wheel and integrated turn signals in the rear-view mirror. The top-tier SL adds electronic gadgetry such as a 5.8-inch touchscreen navigation system, heated front seats and Nissan's Around View Monitor, which uses exterior cameras to display a top-down view of the car.
No matter which trim you opt for, the powertrain remains the same. It's packing a 1.6-liter I4 engine, good for 109 horsepower and 107 pound-feet of torque. The front wheels receive that power by way of a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which was updated to include shift simulations that feel a bit more natural to automatic transmission owners.
The 2017 Nissan Versa Note will debut at the LA Auto Show in November. The suggested retail price is $15,480 for the base S Plus model. The sporty SR model will set one back $17,980, and the top-tier SL will cost $18,710.
Update, November 11: Added pricing information.
Bigger cupholders are nice, but a second USB port would be nicer.