il nrthtnh (ífthseruer Page B 6 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