2014 Nissan Versa Sedan: What's Changed

• Most significant changes: Suspension and steering changes
• Price change: None
• On sale: Now
• Which should you buy, 2013 or 2014? 2014

Nissan can still claim it sells the least expensive new car in the U.S. because it didn't change the price on any of the 2014 Versa trim levels. The Versa is a sedan-only model. A new Versa Note hatchback goes on sale this summer.

The sedan still starts at $12,780, including $790 in destination charges, for the base S model with a five-speed manual transmission.

You don't get much with the base model, though. It has 15-inch steel wheels and a two-speaker stereo with a CD player and auxiliary inputs. There are no power windows or locks and no cruise control. For those items you need to move up to the S Plus trim with a standard continuously variable automatic transmission at $14,580, including destination.

10 Cars for $10K: The Best Used Cars for $10,000

At Cars.com, we focus on new cars, but when it comes to overall car sales, used cars own the field. CNW Marketing Research reports shoppers bought more than 40 million of them in 2012, the highest total since 2007. For every new car sold, nearly three used cars changed hands.

Shoppers are still taking the used route despite near-record used-car prices, which soared so high that we suspended our $10,000 used-car recommendations — once a regular Cars.com feature — for two years. Blame the recession, which slashed new-car sales and the resulting supply of late-model used cars that are typically traded in for them.

Used-car prices are coming back to earth, according to Manheim's Used Vehicle Value Index, but that's not to say used-car prices are low again. They have ebbed enough to give $10K cars another go.

2014 Nissan Versa Note: Photo Gallery

Nissan's Versa sedan was updated for 2012 — now it's the hatchback's turn. The 2014 Versa Note hatchback shares its powertrain with its sedan sibling, but looks nothing like the previous Versa hatchback or the redesigned sedan.

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The new Note has flashier styling, more convenience features and will slot above the sedan in price. With about 115 cubic feet of cabin room and a price tag around $14,000, the Versa Note should appeal to buyers looking for a compact hatchback. Here's a photo gallery shot by Cars.com staff photographer Evan Sears.

2014 Nissan Versa Note: Up Close

The new 2014 Nissan Versa Note, a five-door subcompact hatch made in Mexico will slot a notch higher than the entry-level Versa sedan in the U.S. That means it will have a more expensive starting price and a more comprehensive list of standard equipment.

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In person, the Note is decently attractive, if lacking some of the visual punch of Chevrolet's Sonic.

2014 Nissan Versa Note at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show

• Competes with: Ford Fiesta, Mazda2, Chevrolet Sonic, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent
• Looks like: Nothing like a Versa sedan
• Drivetrain: 109-hp, 1.6-liter four-cylinder; five-speed manual or CVT
• Hits dealerships: Summer

Nissan redesigned the Versa as a budget-conscious sedan for 2012. Journalists seemed to despise it, but buyers snapped it up. The next step for the company is the new Nissan Versa Note, replacing the Versa hatchback. A more premium entry than the basic Versa sedan, the Versa Note is aimed at younger buyers and features a host of connectivity functions as standard equipment. The Versa Note also has more dramatic styling aimed to appeal to a flashier audience.

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Underneath the skin, this is still a Versa, however.

2013 Detroit Auto Show: What To Expect

As what is widely regarded as the most important U.S. auto show of the year opens next week in Detroit, an automotive icon returns to the claim the spotlight.

The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette is poised to be the star among the more than 50 production and concept vehicles slated to debut at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The show runs Jan. 19-27 — with press, industry and charity preview events on Monday-Jan. 18 — at downtown Detroit's Cobo Center. Last year's NAIAS attracted nearly 771,000 people, according to organizers.

Sunday night's press debut of the seventh-generation Corvette is hotly anticipated, and for nearly the past three months Chevy has done much to fan the flames, teasing us with tidbits of information and blink-and-you-missed-it video images. The automaker has disclosed that the new 'Vette will have a new 6.2-liter V-8 engine that's good for 450 horsepower and a zero-to-60-mph time of less than four seconds — all while improving on its 2013 predecessor's 26 mpg; Chevy also has said the 2014 model's aerodynamics were designed with Corvette's years of racing in the American Le Mans Series in mind.

Check back for full coverage of the 2013 Detroit auto show. Until then, here are the vehicles we know about now:

Car Backseats You Want to Sit In

We’ve told you which cars to call front-seat dibs to avoid being stuck in the backseat with leg cramps and neck spasms. It only seems appropriate to fill you in on which cars allow you to relax comfortably in the backseat and let the friend who called shotgun play road-trip navigator while you chill out and enjoy the scenery. 
 
It’s a safe bet that anything with L or XL after the model name will be an obvious candidate for calling rear-seat dibs; you’ll likely be lounging in extended-wheelbase luxury. But luxury cars aren’t the only class with big backseats. Some gems within their own classes have enough backseat room and surprise features to feel like the car was designed just to provide maximum comfort for rear passengers.

Frequent Redesigns Leave Some Cars Behind

The steady pace of vehicle redesigns and midcycle updates has increased precipitously over the past decade as the competition for market share continues to get fierce. The average new car is redesigned or refreshed every 2.6 years as compared to 3.2 years just a decade ago, according to Merrill Lynch. Renewed competition among American, Korean and European carmakers has coalesced into a sort of friendly arms race in the automotive sector.

Nearly all of this is good for the consumer, but it does create some oddities. For instance, some older body styles that share nameplates with their newer, more popular brethren get left behind in the redesign process. One that comes to mind is the Nissan Versa hatchback. Now two model years removed from the Versa sedan's redesign, the hatchback is, arguably, the more refined and sophisticated of the two, though its asking price is much steeper and its gas mileage isn't as good.

Below we outline models that have been left astray from their more popular compatriots.

2013 Nissan Versa Sedan: What's Changed

• Most significant changes: Now rated 31/40 mpg  
• Price change: TBA 
• On sale: August 
• Which should you buy, 2012 or 2013? Better mileage and value means you should wait for a 2013

For the 2013 model year, the Nissan Versa sedan gets improved gas mileage, a new transmission option and more standard features. The 2013 Nissan Versa sedan is available in three trims , 1.6 S, 1.6 SV and 1.6 SL.

The Versa hatchback is also available for 2013, but is again a carryover of the previous-generation Versa.

Nissan Confirms New Rogue for 2013

Buried within the news about the launch of the 2013 Nissan Altima, Nissan confirmed that it's preparing an all-new version of its Rogue compact crossover. We don't know much beyond that, but we expect the model to be heavily influenced by the Hi-Cross Concept shown at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

The concept was a seven-passenger compact crossover featuring the Rogue's inline-four engine along with a new turbocharged four-cylinder coupled to a hybrid powertrain, and a new continuously variable automatic transmission. It seems perfectly reasonable to expect all those powertrains on the new Rogue, given the competitive nature of the segment.