Most Affordable New Car To Offer A Four-Cylinder Engine In 2024

Summary

• The 2024 Nissan Versa offers great fuel economy with its 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, making it an efficient and budget-friendly choice.
• Compared to rivals like the Kia Rio, the Versa boasts better power and efficiency at a lower price point, making it a standout in the market.
• Despite being phased out in 2025, the 2024 Versa comes packed with modern tech features, offering ample safety features as standard.

For some time now, the four-cylinder engine has been one of the most popular choices for cars across the entire industry. The four-cylinder can trace its roots back to 1898, with Mercedes-Benz claiming that the Daimler “Phoenix” was the first car to feature this type of piston engine. However, the four-cylinder has only started to gain serious traction in the last few decades for one main reason, that being fuel efficiency.

Compared to the larger five-cylinder, six-cylinder, and even eight-cylinder engines; the four-cylinder offers much better MPG ratings. With fuel prices reaching record highs in recent years, standout fuel economy is of the utmost importance, making the four-cylinder even more popular. It comes as no surprise that the 2024 Nissan Versa is fitted with a four-cylinder engine, making it not only the most affordable new car to feature this engine in 2024 but also one of the cheapest new cars on sale today.

Thanks to its four-cylinder, the Versa boasts excellent fuel economy, while retaining some extra power that the compact car’s rivals lose out on due to featuring even smaller engines. Here’s a closer look at the all-new 2024 Nissan Versa.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including the EPA, and NHTSA.

The Nissan Versa’s Small But Punchy Engine

Considering the price of the all-new Nissan Versa, the engine specs that come with it are pretty special. The 2024 Nissan Versa starts at just $16,390 for the base S trim, with the top-of-the-range SR raising the price tag to $20,400. While the engine for each of the four available trims stays the same, the top three trims come with a CVT transmission as standard, with the base S trim receiving a five-speed manual.

The engine for the 2024 Nissan Versa is a 1.6-liter four-cylinder, that produces 122 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque. The same engine was carried over from the 2023 model, which at first may seem like fairly low numbers, but the Versa’s power matches the modern expectations of a four-cylinder. Alongside the power, the fuel efficiency makes the low price tag even more surprising.

2024 Nissan Versa Performance & Fuel Economy Specs

(Data was collected from Nissan, EPA, Carbuzz)

The Versa Is One Of The Most Efficient New Cars In 2024

Although the ’24 Nissan Versa doesn’t take the title of the most efficient gas-powered new car on the market, the MPG ratings the compact sedan can produce from its 1.6-liter four-cylinder is the real highlight of the engine.

As expected, the fuel economy ratings for the two transmissions offered are slightly different. For the five-speed manual, you can expect 27 MPG in the city and 35 on the highway, averaging out at 30 MPG combined. However, if you opt for the CVT automatic, these numbers rise to 32 MPG in the city and an impressive 40 MPG on the highway, and 35 MPG combined according to the EPA.

Its Power and Efficiency Compared To Its Rivals

Despite entering the new car market with some of the best fuel economy ratings for the cheapest price, it’s always essential to compare new cars with their closest rivals. As for the 2024 Nissan Versa, its closest rival is the ’24 Kia Rio, which starts at a competitive price of $16,750, only slightly more expensive than the Versa.

The Kia Rio also stands toe-to-toe with the Versa regarding power, making 120 horsepower and 112 pound-feet of torque. With a rating of 36 MPG combined, the Rio does edge just ahead for efficiency, but the Versa improves upon the Rio’s power, albeit if it’s only by two horsepower. Overall, these two cars are as closely matched as you’ll get in the industry, with the Versa succeeding in being the cheapest out of the two by $360.

The ’24 Mitsubishi Mirage G4 also competes at the top of the compact sedan segment, which starts at close to $17,795. In terms of power, the Mirage’s 1.2-liter three-cylinder only produces 78 horsepower and 74 pound-feet of torque, falling short of the Versa. However, the Mirage’s combined 37 MPG gives it a slight edge in terms of efficiency.

Building Off Of 2023’s Refresh

As well as the four-cylinder engine, the ’24 Nissan Versa doesn’t see any major changes compared to the 2023 model. The Versa received its third-generation facelift in ’23, meaning that no significant changes had to be made to ensure the sedan was kitted out with all the latest tech and high-quality trims for 2024.

The Versa’s Clean, Modern Interior Trim

Overall, the Nissan Versa follows a simple interior design style, but that’s by no means a bad thing. Being designed with practicality in mind, driver controls, and infotainment systems are all easily accessible, which results in a sleek, modern look. As expected, the higher trims come standard with higher-quality features, but the base S trim still offers great quality for its low price.

The S trim comes with the standard cloth seat upholstery, with the SV line upgrading the premium cloth seats, and the SR trim taking up to the sport cloth seats. While leather seats aren’t available for the ’24 Versa, the SR trim receives a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter.

Every ’24 Versa trim comes with a matte carbon-fiber interior door trim, introducing a much-welcomed high-end feel. All trims also come standard with a six-way manual adjustable driver’s seat and four-way manual adjustable passenger seats.

An Impressive Tech Selection On A Budget

The technology lineup is perhaps the highlight of the ’24 Nissan Versa’s interior, bringing in all the latest features at the most affordable price for a brand-new car. However, quite a few of the more essential features are only available as standard with the higher trims.

As for the center display, the base S trim comes with a 7.0-inch touchscreen, with the SV adding NissanConnect to the system. The SV trim also introduces a digital screen within the gauge cluster, which adds another hint of modernity to your experience as the driver.

Moving up to the SR trim, the size of the screen is upgraded to 8.0 inches, also coming with NissanConnect. While most new cars in 2024 come readily equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, only the SR trim offers these two connectivity options as standard. However, all trims come with Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity, as well as wireless charging.

Regarding comfort-focused tech, the SR trim offers automatic climate control, along with the center console with an armrest and interior storage that also features on the lower-level SV. Heated front seats are another feature that’s exclusive to the top-level Versa SR.

Surprising Practicality For A Small Car

Despite being a sub-compact sedan, the ’24 Nissan Versa offers a solid amount of practicality, making it a great choice for both in-city driving and long-distance road trips. Inside, the Versa offers 39.5 inches of headroom in the front and 36.3 in the rear. For the hip room, you get 50.9 inches in the front and 50.1 inches in the rear. Moving to legroom, the ’24 Versa provides a generous 44.1 inches in the front, with a lesser 31 inches in the rear.

The ’24 Nissan Versa also offers plenty of cargo space in the trunk, managing to provide more space than its closest competitors. Overall, the Versa provides up to 15 cubic feet of cargo space, making it one of the most practical sub-compact sedans on the market in 2024. For reference, the ’24 Kia Rio has a cargo capacity of 13.7 cubic feet, with the Mitsubishi Mirage providing a lesser 12.4 cubic inches.

Ample Safety Features As Standard

A huge part of a modern car’s practicality and everyday usability is the safety features, which the Versa most definitely delivers on that front. The Nissan Safety Shield 360 comes with a compact sedan, that includes.

• Automatic emergency braking
• Blind spot warning
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Lane departure warning, and high beam assist.

The 2024 Nissan Versa received an overall five-star safety rating from the NHTSA.

The Future Of The Nissan Versa

Despite Nissan offering class-leading specs and features for the most affordable price in the sub-compact sedan segment, the Japanese brand will be discontinuing the model towards the end of 2025. The Versa isn’t the only Nissan that’s reaching the end of its run, with the Altima and Maxima also being phased out at the same time.

As with other manufacturers, the Versa’s production will end to make way for upcoming electric vehicles that will lead Nissan into the future. Alongside electric cars, crossover SUVs have also become increasingly popular in recent years, offering the same functionality as compact sedans combined with fuel efficiency. Despite the Nissan Versa reaching the end of its road, it remains still an excellent choice for a new car in 2024.