PREMiERdrum Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Yesterday, we told you that the 2012 Nissan Versa is coming to the New York Auto Show later this month, and today we can show you exactly what its JDM counterpart will look like. Above is a completely undisguised photo of the Tiida hatchback as it sits in a parking lot in China. The hatch shares a virtually identical front end to that of the Versa sketch Nisan showed us back in October. The Tiida also shares a platform with the already in production Sunny, which shows that a sedan variant is also likely. The spy photo shows highly stylized headlamps and a grille that is framed in chrome. The lower fascia is agape, framed by a pair of similarly large fog lamp openings. Overall styling of the Tiida appears to be a bit more conservative than competitors like the Ford Fiesta, though it's a clear improvement compared to the outgoing Versa. Another spy photo, which is available on autoincar.com, shows that the Tiida carries a Direct Injection Gas 1.6 liter turbo engine, which currently pumps out 188 horsepower under the hood of the Juke, though we'd be very surprised if the Versa gets that kind of power – a naturally aspirated 1.6 will likely be offered. LINK - Autoblog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerM Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Looks like a dog when you pull his ears back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 Looks like a dog when you pull his ears back. I think it's a definite improvement... getting a Volvo S60 and Lexus CT feel, but it looks much better than the outgoing model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 (edited) It makes me think of this: Definitely an improvement, as stated above. Edited April 6, 2011 by rmc523 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 (edited) Interior... This would have been great! In 2002. Edited April 6, 2011 by PREMiERdrum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Car Examiner Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Let's hope Nissan keeps the price down. Something's got to serve as the bottom-feeder, and the current Versa has been unusually well-executed in that role. It's only when the cheap-looking car gets expensive that there's a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmm55 Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Interior... This would have been great! In 2002. Wow, Ford uses a cell phone as an inspiration for the center stack........what is that, a 80's boom box CD player? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 The exterior is a definite improvement over the current bloated-looking model. The interior aside from the ridiculously cheap looking double-DIN radio doesn't look too awful for a subcompact. Certainly not top of the class though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovaltine Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Why are "double-DIN" (or single for that matter) radios considered so "inferior" to units that are so integrated into the dash, that to replace them is a major operation requiring some kind of conversion dash panel/plate? Not defending Nissan here per se, but the concept of a modular radio that's easily replaceable with another unit makes total sense to me. Also.... as long as the car's audio system has good sound and intuitive controls, who cares if it looks like a piece of modern sculpture or not? I'm a child of the '70s so even that Nissan's radio looks "modern" to my eyes. Ford's not the only one to be going the integrated-to-a-fault route, to be sure though. Here's the era *I* came from! :shades: -Ovaltine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 (edited) Why are "double-DIN" (or single for that matter) radios considered so "inferior" to units that are so integrated into the dash, that to replace them is a major operation requiring some kind of conversion dash panel/plate? Because they look awful. Plain and simple. Sure, they are nice for the tiny percentage of people who change out the factory radios (which isn't nearly as necessary these days as it used to be), but that is their only advantage. I'm glad my Mustang has a single DIN opening, because that factory radio pretty much sucked. But I have no desire to ever change out the radio in my Edge. as long as the car's audio system has good sound and intuitive controls, who cares if it looks like a piece of modern sculpture or not? If the audio system has good sound and intuitive controls, what would be the reason to want to replace it? Edited April 7, 2011 by NickF1011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovaltine Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 (edited) Because they look awful. Plain and simple. Sure, they are nice for the tiny percentage of people who change out the factory radios (which isn't nearly as necessary these days as it used to be), but that is their only advantage. I'm glad my Mustang has a single DIN opening, because that factory radio pretty much sucked. But I have no desire to ever change out the radio in my Edge. If the audio system has good sound and intuitive controls, what would be the reason to want to replace it? Traditionally after it craps out, usually about year 5, and I don't want to invest in a $600 factory unit. A $119 Clarion from Mickey Shorr's looks good about that point in the life cycle. ;-) -Ovaltine Edited April 7, 2011 by Ovaltine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 Traditionally after it craps out, usually about year 5, and I don't want to invest in a $600 factory unit. A $119 Clarion from Mickey Shorr's looks good about that point in the life cycle. ;-) -Ovaltine The drop another $100 or so for the new mounting kit and bezel from Ford and call it a day... and save yourself the embarrassment of driving a car with an archaic looking interior (Versa, 2012 Civic, etc) :shades: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Traditionally after it craps out, usually about year 5, and I don't want to invest in a $600 factory unit. A $119 Clarion from Mickey Shorr's looks good about that point in the life cycle. ;-) -Ovaltine Frankly, automakers don't and shouldn't really care about what you do with your vehicle 5 years after you buy it. And as Premier said, do you really want to put up with an awful looking interior for years on the off chance that the head unit might crap out eventually? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerM Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Traditionally after it craps out, usually about year 5, and I don't want to invest in a $600 factory unit. A $119 Clarion from Mickey Shorr's looks good about that point in the life cycle. ;-) -Ovaltine I'm with you on that. Maybe others' experience differs, but I haven't had a factory radio that lasted as long as the car. The Taurus (late 90s or early 2000s) had a ovoid unit that I can imagine must look totally ridiculous with an aftermarket adapter in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomServo92 Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Traditionally after it craps out, usually about year 5, and I don't want to invest in a $600 factory unit. A $119 Clarion from Mickey Shorr's looks good about that point in the life cycle. ;-) -Ovaltine My '02 Lincoln LS still has the original head unit. Still sounds good. However, if it dies, I'm going either the eBay or "auto recycling" route to replace it. I'm not going to muck up the look of the interior with a cheap head unit in an even cheaper looking plastic bezel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PREMiERdrum Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 My '02 Lincoln LS still has the original head unit. Still sounds good. However, if it dies, I'm going either the eBay or "auto recycling" route to replace it. I'm not going to muck up the look of the interior with a cheap head unit in an even cheaper looking plastic bezel. Yep. I bought a used head unit for my '06 Explorer on ebay, because I wanted the AUX in that was available starting in 2007. It was cheaper to buy a head unit and plug than it was to buy the adapters required to make the old one work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aneekr Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Because they look awful. Plain and simple. What exactly is "awful" looking about them? Maybe I'm missing something, but aesthetically there's nothing about the head unit in that 2nd gen Nissan Tiida photo that is either notably beautiful or repulsive. It's similar to the units used in numerous other Nissan vehicles. If the audio system has good sound and intuitive controls, what would be the reason to want to replace it? Features unavailable not present with the OE head unit, such as bluetooth HFP and audio, satellite radio, DVD playback, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 What exactly is "awful" looking about them? Maybe I'm missing something, but aesthetically there's nothing about the head unit in that 2nd gen Nissan Tiida photo that is either notably beautiful or repulsive. It's similar to the units used in numerous other Nissan vehicles. It looks dull as dishwater with a tiny display. Features unavailable not present with the OE head unit, such as bluetooth HFP and audio, satellite radio, DVD playback, etc. Most new vehicles come with such features now. If you really are that much into your audio to want to upgrade a vehicle, you will have no problem with shelling out the few extra bucks for an adapter plate for the dash. Automakers aren't in business to cater to tiny segments of the market that don't bring them any extra money. Audiophiles are such a segment. Fitting a vehicle with piles of aftermarket equipment does absolutely nothing for the automaker's bottom line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Car Examiner Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 It looks dull as dishwater with a tiny display. That's a complaint you have with this particular unit. You can have a rectangular unit that's attractive and that has a larger display. I'm all for functionality over glitz, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 (edited) That's a complaint you have with this particular unit. You can have a rectangular unit that's attractive and that has a larger display. I'm all for functionality over glitz, though. About the only rectangles that seem to integrate well with interior designs of today are video screens or on center stacks that are especially narrow, where the rectangle can fill the entire width of the column. Consoles that don't utilize white space well (even those that don't use DIN units) are also visually offensive in my eyes. The current Mustang is a good example of this. Edited April 7, 2011 by NickF1011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
156n3rd Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 A bit late with a copy of every other hatch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovaltine Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Btw.... for those who are interested.... I've always wanted to know what DIN stood for, so here it is! DIN refers to a standardized radio/stereo size for vehicles (large enough to accept a CD). 1 DIN is the standard DIN specification. 2 DIN or double DIN refers to units that are twice as high as the standard DIN, half DIN is half high as 1 DIN. International standard ISO 7736 defines a standard size for car audio head units. The standard was originally established by the German standards body Deutsches Institut fur Normung (The German to English translation is: "German Institute for Standardization"), and is therefore commonly referred to as the "DIN car radio size". It was adopted as an international standard in 1984. Head units generally come in either single DIN (1 DIN), which is 50 mm high; or double DIN (2 DIN), which is 100 mm high. Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_DIN_stand_for#ixzz1ItaNwmnO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retro-man Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I liked the Versa for its humble awkwardness. I thought it had strong roots in Datsun's earlier days: It had character. What will be left when they make all the cars generically "good looking"? I hate slickness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 My friend got a Versa for a rental this past week for a road trip to VA...my Mustang and his E-250 Van don't lend themselves too well to 4 + hour drives...anyways it was perfectly acceptable as a rental car...had actually decent room for 3 6 ft+ guys to get into get something to eat and the front seat didn't make me go numb after a couple hours. Otherwise its pretty damn boring...a good applicance. I like his mom's Fit better... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmm55 Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Traditionally after it craps out, usually about year 5, and I don't want to invest in a $600 factory unit. A $119 Clarion from Mickey Shorr's looks good about that point in the life cycle. ;-) -Ovaltine I've never had a radio "crap" out. Not my 64 Galaxie, 69 Cougar, 82 Capri, 96 Mark VIII (trunk CD player did though), Miata, Mustangs.........not a one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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