When the Nissan Versa was launched in Australia as the Tiida, many automotive watchers were excited by the prospect of blending Renault�s European flair with Nissan�s Japanese reliability. �Here,� they said, �Is a car that�ll please everyone.�
What they got was a narrow-bodied subcompact with so-so styling, a plasticy dashboard, a shocking lack of equipment and an overinflated price tag. Not to mention Kim Cattrall in the TV spots. If this sounds strangely familiar to our older readers, you�re right on the money. Twenty-three years before the crossbred Tiida hit Australian shores, another mongrel was being birthed in Europe.
