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March 28. 2007
p o r t i a n c l o t s e r v e r Aufo R e v ie w
News and reviews on new motor vehicles
2007 Nissan Versa S- Hatchback
Little car with a
big heart
by K athleen
C arr
N issan truly understands the
w ealth o f riches to be found in
diversity. A s the first offspring of
N issan’s m arriage with Renault to
arrive on U.S, shores, the V ersa is
an am algam o f Japanese technol
ogy, French design and M exican
m anufacturing, trim m ed and tuned
to an Am erican audience. T he 2007
Nissan V ersa is a testam ent to the
auto industry's appreciation for d i
versity. Nissan selected the name
Versa to reflect the ‘ versatile space'
interior and cargo designs o f this
“w orld car." It also seem s to reflect
N issan’s versatile thinking.
“The V ersa doesn' t com prom ise
on sty ling, perform ance or versatil
ity,” states Nissan Senior M arket
ing M anager Joe S am filippo“this is
the first no-com prom ise entry-level
vehicle to hit the market. The Versa
fits N issan’s new across-the-board
sedan strategy, w hich prom ises no
weak spots, offering class-leading
interior space and com fort, with
upscale quality and am enities for
buyers seeking a sm art car” .
Cl i mbing prices at the gas pumps
co m b in ed w ith en v iro n m en ta l-
aw areness has persuaded car buy
ing 'echo boom ers’ to sacrifice the
gas-suckingSU V s; some might say
a decision to make do with less.
M aking do with less is som ething
w e’ve all learned about at some
point in life. M aking do with less
invariably involves adegree o f sac-
ri fice. The 2007 Ni ssan V ersa ral I ies
S pecifications: 1.8-Liter 4-Cylinder, 122-hp @ 127 Ib-ft torque engine; transmission: 4-speed
to fulfill those concerns without
automatic transmission; 28-City 35-Highway MPG; $14,500 MSRP.
the need for sacrifice.
Under the hood isa 1.8-liter inline- get you into traffic easily. Pound throw shifter. The Vers t respectful ly p a c t 2 0 0 7 V e rsa th e c u re to
four-cylinder generating an esti through the gears of the quick-shift provides 28-mpg on city streets and 'autoclaustrophobia’. The Versa
mated 120 horsepow er and 125 ing six-speed and the Versa hits 60 35-m pgon the open road, making the d esig n and en g in e e rin g team s
pounds-feet of torque, receiving an mph in a leisurely 9.5 seconds. It’s Versa a strong com petitor for the found a way to put a big interior in
ULEV( Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) not a pocket rocket, but it’s easy to attention o f possible hybrid buyers. a small car. The i nterior length, front
Nissan calls the new subcom to back, is over six feet long- equal
rating. The Versa is peppy enough to drive with a light clutch and short-
to that o f a full size SUV. The Versa
features a large cargo area, ideal for
ow ners with highly active lives,
with abundant head and legroom
fo ra grow ing family.
Included on all Versa m odels are
front seat-m ounted side air bags,
along with overhead side-curtain
air bags for front and rear passen
gers, tire-pressure m onitoring sys
tem, active head restraints and ve
hicle-speed-sensitive pow er steer
ing all o f w hich earned the Versa a
5 star safety rating. O ther standard
features include rem ote keyless
entry system , interm ittent w ind
shield wipers, tilt steering, a satel-
lite-ready-radio four-speaker audio
system w ith C D player; pow er
heated outside rearview mirrors and
rear privacy cover. The V ersa is a
Iittle car with big h eart!
If you haven’t driven a small car
lately, I believe the Nissan Versa
wi 11 be a very pleasant surprise. The
2(X)7 V ersa is big on the inside,
small on the outside and gentle on
the budget.
S ports ___________
Les Whitworth C.P.A.
Oregon Falls Short of Final Four
Florida beats
Ducks in Midwest
Championship
(A P) — G o ahead, hate Florida all you
want. But you can't beat these G ators. Not
in the NCAA tournam ent.
Not yet, anyway.
Inside, outside, early, late— the G ators
find a way to get it done when there's a title
at stake.
Joakim Noah and his buddies are head
ing back to the Final Four, looking for a
second straight national cham pionship
after Florida's 85-77 victory over third-
seeded Oregon in the M idw est Regional
final on Sunday.
Lee H um phrey m ade seven 3-pointers
and finished with 23 points, and Taurean
G reen added 21. Noah had 14 points and
14 rebounds. It was Florida's 16th straight
postseason victory, a stretch that includes
on e national ch am p io n sh ip and tw o
Southeastern Conference titles.
N ext stop for the top-seeded Gators;
A tlanta, w here they'll play UCLA in the
national sem ifinals in a rem atch o f last
Florida's Al Horford watches as Oregon's Bryce
Taylor dunks the ball during the first half of
Sunday's NCAA Midwest Regional final basketball
game in St. Louis. (AP photo)
Rasheed Wallace
Banks in 60-footer
(A P) — Rasheed W allace made
“ You could give him a hundred
the m iracle shot o f the night — and he w ouldn't make one, but he
maybe o f the y ea r— banking home made one,” he said. “I personally
a 60-footer as tim e expired to send would have liked the ball to be
the gam e to overtim e, and the D e throw n more tow ard the rim or the
troit Pistons w ent on to beat the comer, but you can' t criticize a lucky
D enverN uggets 113-109 on M on shot. T hat w as a lucky shot.”
day night.
D enver led 106-103 in overtim e,
W allace tried to claim that he but W allace hit another tying 3-
called the bank shot, but w as pointer, this one from a more co n
drow ned out by the jeers o f his ventional distance, to tie the game
with a minute left.
teammates.
“OK, I'm lying about
that,” he said with a
laugh. "But I'll take it
either w ay.”
T h e N u g g e ts a p
p e a re d to h av e the
gam e won as they pre
pared to inbound the
ball at m idcourt with a
98-95 lead and 1.5 sec
onds to play.
M a rc u s C a m b y ’s
sh o rt p a ss, th o u g h ,
w as
tip p e d
by
Tayshaun Prince, and
W allace scooped it up
and let fly with a two-
handed set shot that
banked in as the buzzer
so u n d ed .
“W e shoot those all
the tim e b efo re the
gam e," W allace said.
“This one w ent in, but
it isn 't like it won a
cham pionship or any Detroit Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace
thing.”
watches his 60-foot shot tie the Denver
N u g g e ts
c o a c h Nuggets at the end o f regulation in a
G eorge Karl knew his basketball game Monday in Auburn Hills,
team had been beaten Mich. The Pistons went on to beat the
by a fluke.
Nuggets 113-109 in overtime. (AP photo)
mil
services
5121 Nl'.33r<l
\
m - i i i i i '
Portland, OK 0721 I
year's cham pionship Gam e.
Oregon was trying to get to the Final
Four for the first time since w inning it all
in 1939, the first year o f the NCAA
tournam ent. But the D ucks (29-8) w ere
done in by foul trouble the entire gam e
and by freshm an Tajuan Porter going
cold.
Porter, the 5-foot-6 guard w ho w ent
o ff for eight 3s and 33 points in Friday
night's regional sem ifinal, didn't make
his first field goal until there were 40
seconds left in the gam e. He finished
with 10 points, but was ju st 2-o f-12 from
the field.
Aaron Brooks led O regon with 27
points, and M alik Hairston added 18
and five rebounds before fouling out
with 3:54 to play. M aarty Leunen and
Joevan Catron also fouled out, and
Brooks and A dam Zahn finished with
four fouls each.
U ltim ately, though, the G ators were
too much for the Ducks. Just as they've
been for everybody the last tw o years.
"To get into the Final Four like this,
it's an unbelievable feeling," Noah said.
"W e're happy but w e're not satisfied."
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