Versa Note makes KBB Back-to-School List, has lowest price to boot

Every year, Kelley Blue Book releases their list of 10 Best Back-to-School Cars, ranking vehicles by "fair purchase price" value and editorial pick from KBB.com. This year, the 2014 Nissan Versa Note made third on that list and comes in with the lowest Fair Purchase Price (FPP) listing of the entire ten-car group.

The top pick was the 2015 Honda Fit, which we cannot downplay as it is an excellent offering in the segment, but its price tag of $15,994 (FPP value from KBB) is over $2,000 more than the Versa Note's FPP of just $13,868.

The nearest competitor on the KBB Back-to-School Cars list is, in fact, the 2014 Chevrolet Sonic, another worthwhile contender, which made #7 on KBB's list at $14,366. For reference, the most expensive car on KBB's list this year was the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, with an FPP of $18,925.

Given the great lineup of cars on the KBB list this year, in fact, nearly all of which this author has driven, the fact that the Versa Note made the list at all is a testament to this new model's excellence overall. Both we and KBB have shown the Versa Note love over the past few months. The Wall Street Journal, however.. not so much.

However you look at it, for the Versa Note, an all-new offering base on the segment-leading Versa, to make so many lists is an obvious sign that it's hitting the mark. Say what you'd like, but the entry-level segment is heating up and reaching a broader range of buyers than any other segment in automotive now. To be a top contender in that segment is to own a big piece of the future of the automotive market.