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Hi there I'm narrowing my option between these two hatchbacks, a non-CVT Nissan Note and a Mazda Verisa. Which would be best for:

1. City driving with occasional long trips.
2. Fuel efficiency.
3. Interior spacing (expecting a baby in a few months)
4. Engine reliability and safety.

Your advise would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers,
Douglas

There is not much difference between these two vehicles. Dimensionally they are almost identical. The Nissan Note 1.5L has a CVT transmission while the Mazda 1.5L uses a conventional 4-speed auto. The Nissan and Mazda engines are reliable but the Nissan CVT transmission is best avoided. The Nissan Note with an auto transmission seems to be the 4wd versions and for this reason it will be more costly to maintain and fuel economy will be higher. The Mazda Verisa is the good option in this case.

Thank you very much! Will go and look for a Mazda Verisa now.

Hi Dasramos,

If you're looking at a hatch why not look at the Nissan Pulsar Euro from 2003-2006. They have 1.8L engines, decent power for road trips and quite a big boot. They have the added bonus of 3 diagonal back seat belts. You'd be able to get this car at around the same price as a Verisa. It also has a conventional 4 speed auto

Hi Pat,

Thanks you for your advise. I did a search on the Nissan Pulsar and I'm liking what I see. Will keep an eye on it also.

Many thanks!

Hi Guys - one more thing.

What do you think about the Toyota Corolla Runx/Allex? How does it compare with the Nissan Pulsar and the Mazda Verisa?

Thanks

The Corolla/Runx is a great car and very reliable. Parts are cheap and its very easy to maintain. The 1.8L Corolla/Runx/Allex also has slightly more power than the 92kw Nissan 1.8L engine engine that's in the Pulsar if you're after that sort of thing. A lot of the Corollas though have the 1.5L engine. Its still as reliable but in my opinion its a little under powered if you're looking at doing a lot of long trips or driving over hilly areas.

The Pulsars are generally cheaper than the Corolla/Runxs due to the fact that the Toyotas seem to hold on to their value more. Therefore you should be able to get a Pulsar for less money than the Corolla/Runx. For example when I was looking the Corollas were around $10k and the Pulsars were around $8k although that was a couple of years back.

The other thing worth mentioning is that almost all the Pulsar Euros were sold NZ New so you should have some service history and support from Nissan NZ.

Hope that helps. Perhaps the best thing to do is test drive each of the cars and see which one suits your needs the best :)

Agree with the above but if you are looking for something different to the Mazda Verisa and if the budget allows you should consider taking the Mazda 3/ Axela 2.0L for a test drive too.