Nissan Almera: A city commuter that ticks all the right boxes

Autofun Philippines – The Nissan Almera is a compact 5-seater sedan designed for urban commuters and reminiscent of the larger sedans offered by Nissan in the past.

There is a new obsession with crossovers in the global market among car buyers and manufacturers, to the point where many companies are shifting their attention away from sedans and hatchbacks. It has gotten to the point where some manufacturers operating in Bangladesh no longer even have a new sedan to offer.

In a world where all car models are converted into full-size crossovers, one cannot forget the advantages of compact cars; cars are easy to maintain and above all fuel efficient, especially in times of high fuel prices, and Nissan Almera price Philippines.

This is where the Nissan Almera comes in. Introduced in Bangladesh by Pacific Motors earlier this year, this compact sedan seems to fulfill all the requirements. 

The Nissan Almera is a compact five-seater sedan designed for urban commuters and reminiscent of the larger sedans offered by Nissan in the past. The front fascia features a new, much larger badging in the center of Nissan’s signature trapezoidal chrome grille. The hood bulges and the boomerang-shaped LED headlamps line up with the grille.

The sides of the car are quite simple with the hood lowered like a coupe and 15-inch alloy wheels. The rims would look even better if they were painted black right from the factory, especially the red rims we lent for review.

The back is where the car looks best. The futuristic LED taillights with “Gloss Black Dome” and a sporty diffuser in body color, as well as the black trim on the rear bumper, give it a sporty yet premium look.

Despite the car’s inconvenient appearance from the outside, stepping inside the passenger seat, you will be surprised at how spacious the interior is. The fabric rear seats comfortably accommodate two medium-sized adults — with plenty of legroom and headroom — and plenty of room for a third adult passenger. However, the sedan version does not have rear armrests or rear air vents.

The front seats, also in fabric, come in two tones to match the color of the dashboard.

The center console features an 8-inch infotainment system. Unlike refurbished market Nissans, the Almera comes with the infotainment language set to English as standard. It supports wired Apple CarPlay but not Android Auto, although it does let you stream music from Spotify or Apple Music. The sound system includes six factory-fitted speakers.

The second screen is integrated into the instrument cluster right behind the sports flat-bottom steering wheel. It can display a tachometer or other necessary vehicle information.

maiden voyage

Nissan Almera is equipped with a 3-cylinder turbocharged engine, capacity of 1000cc, combined with a reliable continuously variable transmission (CVT). The engine may look small compared to other compact hatchbacks, but it can produce 99 hp and 152 Nm of torque, which can be felt as soon as you start turning the throttle.

There is indeed a delay before torque builds up, as with all turbochargers, but the Almera is in the faster power delivery category.

With five passengers on board, including me driving the Almera, she never felt hungry during our trips around town. In fact, pressing the gas once in a while is also quite enjoyable thanks to the high torque at low revs. In the opposite direction, the 8-inch infotainment system displays the size of the car with the first 360-degree camera in the segment, which is not often found in low-end sedans of Japanese manufacturers. This will certainly come in handy in a densely populated country like Bangladesh or Thailand (where Almera is imported).

The Almera also comes with blind-spot monitoring, collision warning, emergency braking, brake assist and vehicle dynamics control, among many other safety features.

In most cars, extras are usually just a gimmick. However, the features of the Almera enhance the driving experience in the city, just as the car was designed for. Final thoughts

The Nissan Almera is designed to be a compact city vehicle and it does its job well. It comes with an internal combustion engine that is reliable and inexpensive to maintain; fuel consumption compared to many hybrid models currently on the market; and includes unobtrusive features useful for city driving, especially a 360 camera and blind spot monitoring system.

It also has a slightly sportier exterior, especially at the rear, and an ergonomic interior that can comfortably accommodate five medium-sized adult passengers, including the driver.

Almera now has six new colors for a limited time, 25% off at Tk 280,000 (registration fee not included) with a 3-year or 40,000 km warranty and four free after-sales services.