Nissan Almera Reviews

Almera: it sounds like a South American novelist, or an athlete's foot cream. In fact it's the sedan version of the Nissan Micra hatchback. VALUE Almera ST manual opens the pricing at a manufacturer's recommended retail of $16,990, the auto adds $2000, while the Ti, in automatic only, tops off the range at

Nissan's Almera ain't pretty with a dated, upright look only a mother could love.Nissan needs to lose the pancake boot, slab sides and kooky face and head hunt a decent designer to give (most of) their cars a lift. This one is like a booted Micra and is a size up on most competitors in the light car segment. That's a positive.We got hold of the $18,990 Almera ST auto and there wasn't a rush to get hold of the keys. The Almera ST is also available in manual for $16,990. Goodies include Bluetooth phone and a multi function trip computer with the reset button in the middle of the instrument pod. The audio is acceptable and there are some wheel controls for audio and phone.It runs the same powertrain as high spec' Micra; a twin cam, 1.5-litre, petrol four cylinder with 75kW/139Nm output. The auto is a four-speeder. Go for the manual and you get one extra cog, something the auto desperately needs.Why? Because it hunts (flicks between gears) between third and fourth incessantly on the highway and particularly on hills unless you push the overdrive off button locking it in third cog. On a short stretch of hilly highway, we left it in D and counted 18 "hunts" from the bottom of the hill to the top -- about eight kilometres further along.This has the effect of increasing fuel consumption alarmingly which was difficult to ascertain because fuel info' is given in kilometres per litre instead of litres per 100km. Nissan says it uses 6.3-litres/100km average. A possibility we think. Engine performance is OK and once you're up and running on the flat, it's relatively smooth and quiet.Then you only have to put up with the totally hard interior bereft of any soft surfaces except for the seats and carpet. The dash has a bulging passenger side for some reason and a control panel cluster in the middle which is easy to use. On the plus side is generous kit (to a point), impressive room particularly in the rear seat and headroom areas. The boot is large and there's a full size spare.You get six airbags and seeing as the Micra scores four stars from ANCAP so Almera should be the same...It has a fairly standard small car feel to the ride with a degree of sportiness. But the drum rear brakes are out of the ark. It's comfortable and composed through turns but don't bother pushing it as you might with a Ford Fiesta. The suspension is a strut front/torsion beam rear which is simple and effective.

I generally only get noticed in traffic when I'm lucky enough to be behind the wheel of something exotic. But not this time. More than a few noticed me behind the wheel of Nissan's Micra-with-a-boot, the Almera - but for all the wrong reasons. It's not a pretty little runabout, as you can see, but Nissan will be banking on price tags, fuel economy and space as being higher on the priorities list than styling.Money talks at this end of the market, and the ST manual sedan is a bit of a chatterbox at $16,990. It has air conditioning, a four-speaker MP3/CD sound system, power windows, 15in steel wheels, tilt-only adjustable steering, audio and phone controls on the steering wheel, remote central locking. However, there's no cruise control, no USB port and no splitfold rear seat access to the large boot, so the value equation falters a little.There's not really much in the Almera that qualifies as new technology - it has a Bluetooth phone link (minus audio streaming) with wheel-mounted controls, a trip computer (including a maintenance reminder) and an auxiliary input jack for the four-speaker sound system, but no USB equivalent. The 1.5-litre engine is not exactly cutting edge - a 16-valve, double overhead cam unit producing 75kW of power and 139Nm of torque, the latter at 4000rpm.It's not the first time Nissan has come up with an exterior that is noticed for all the wrong reasons - looks part Maxima, part Micra and all out of kilter. The cabin is low-rent as you'd expect in the cheapest car segment, but at 190cm I can find a decent driving position - even with tilt-only steering - and can easily fit my legs in behind my own driving position.However, head room is far less cavernous thanks to the plunging roofline - anyone approaching average adult height is going to become intimate with the roof lining. The cargo space is up there for the segment at 490 litres but is hamstrung by the absence of a folding rear seat back - splitfold or otherwise.The Almera has yet to be slammed into an obstacle by NCAP - it's US cousin the Versa ranks four stars with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and "good" under the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety testing regime. There are dual front, front-side and curtain airbags, stability control, anti-lock brakes (front discs but rear drums) with brakeforce distribution and emergency brake assist.Budget motoring rarely presents a sublime driving experience and sadly for Nissan the Almera doesn't change that tune. There's ample space in the front thanks to the tall and somewhat ungainly looking body and despite the tilt-only steering adjustment a reasonable driving position can be attained.The steering is light and it's easily directed in a metropolitan situation - where Nissan says this car will spend the vast majority of its time. Don't look for it to liven up when the roads become rural ribbons of bitumen - this is a suburban machine. The gearshift isn't anything to rave about either - it's too notchy and rubbery - but most will opt for the automatic.Ride quality was a little on the rugged side, which was surprising given the runabout family duties it seems destined for - it's not unbearable but I expected a little more compliance given its metropolitan target market. Rear seat occupants won't want to be tall - headroom at the back is nowhere near as generous as the legroom, thanks to the sloping roofline heading aft.Cargo space is more than ample, particularly given the overall size of the vehicle, but the absence of fold-down seat backs is limiting for larger load carrying.

It seems as though everyone is a critic, especially when it comes to the Nissan Almera. Trawling the internet for early word on the Japanese automobile manufacturer’s new light sedan unearthed on-liners wading in, at times quite ferociously, to the car which has just come to Australia.The Nissan Almera 1.5 ST four-door sedan starts at $16,990 for the manual and $18,990 for the automatic. The Almera 1.5 Ti four-door sedan is also available for $20,990 in automatic only. There’s a multifunction computer putting info at the driver’s beck and call with displays of fuel consumption, driving range and service reminders.Also included are Bluetooth connectivity, steering wheel audio controls, four-speaker sound with MP3 player and auxiliary plug. Rear park assist is on hand, as well as climate control air conditioning, keyless entry and push-button engine start.On offer in two specification levels – Almera ST and Almera Ti – the former with five-speed manual or four-speed automatic, the latter in auto only. Up front there’s a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine producing 75 kW of power at 6000 rpm and 139 Nm of torque at 4000 rpm, driving through the front wheels.The manual goes through 6.3 litres of 91 RON fuel per 100 kilometres on the combined urban/highway cycle, the automatic 6.7 litres per 100 kilometres, putting out 149 grams per km and 159 g/km of carbon dioxide respectively.Having spent time with the Almera on its media launch Down Under, I beg to differ. Based on the same platform as the Nissan Micra hatch, Almera’s strength lies in its passenger cabin with, literally, class-leading space.Almera’s rear seat legroom of 940 mm is 94 mm greater than Hyundai Accent, 59 mm greater than Holden Barina and 36 mm greater than Toyota Yaris. Headroom in front is similarly generous; in the back not so. The outstanding volume extends to the boot with 490 litres, 25 litres more than the Accent and 15 litres more than the Yaris.And so to the exterior, which seems to have stirred the online pot. The Almera shares a new Nissan global design direction with the forthcoming Pulsar and Altima models, its signature grille and large wraparound halogen headlights, fog lamps and rear spoiler together producing a fuel saving aerodynamic package.It rolls on 15-inch steel wheels with covers, or the same size alloys, while the spare is a full-size steel wheel. Much negativity has been focused on the exterior with many comments using the word ‘ugly’, others harking back to the less-than-exotic, but nevertheless, cheap-and-cheerful Datsun 120Y.Safety matches that of other vehicles in the class with vehicle stability control, ABS anti-skid brakes with electronic brake force distribution and brake assist. There are six airbags across the model range, including dual front, side and curtain airbags.On a short drive in the country (the wintry Dandenongs) the Nissan Almera manual ran true to form, finding the flat to its liking but running out of breath in higher gears hitting the hills – no excessive chore for the accomplished driver.However, the stubby gear lever suffered from having a long, loose throw with clutch travel likewise. The aforementioned spacious cabin provided a relatively comfortable and especially quiet travelling environment.

Nissan has put a boot on the Nissan Micra. If light sedan buyers are more interested in style than space, they'll soon boot the Almera off their shopping lists.The Almera isn't a bad car: it's just budget vanilla in a segment where similar money will let you enjoy the taste of real beans. Still, Toyota gets away with the same thing in the more expensive and marginally less roomy Yaris, so Carsguide could be proven wrong.The Almera ST starts at $16,990 with a five-speed manual gearbox and features like keyless entry, Bluetooth connectivity and an auxiliary jack for the iPod. That price puts it up against the Hyundai Accent sedan. The Accent has the edge in specification, looks, performance and fuel use. It loses out in steering response, rear legroom, and boot space.Spend another $2000 and the Almera can be had with a four-speed auto rather than the five-speed manual. At that point it runs into the better looking Ford Fiesta, which comes with a six-speed dual-clutch auto and is our pick in this class for driving dynamics.Invest $20,990 in an Almera Ti and there's climate-controlled aircon, reverse parking sensors, alloy wheels in place of steel, fog lights and a rear lip spoiler.A monochrome display shows fuel use, driving range and a service reminder. The sound system is basic but no worse than many rivals. A USB input would have been appreciated, though. The Almera isn't the only light car with a four-speed auto, but it certainly doesn't flatter the 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine.The Almera is far from the best-looking Nissan in the showroom. It lacks the quirkiness that made the Micra pug-dog appealing. And the humped roof makes a mockery of the rear legroom claim: it needs the class-leading space to let 180cm occupants slouch and avoid hitting their heads on the roof. It might stop the kids from kicking you in the back, though.The boot is cavernouse but limited by the fact the rear seats don't fold down, ruling out the option of loading long objects, or a bike. The interior is well put together but looks and feels cheap with hard, textureless plastics and a silly storage slot above the glovebox that's great for throwing things at the passenger.ANCAP hasn't crashed the Almera yet. Given its based on the Micra, expect a four-star rating - the hatch's passenger cell was deemed reasonably strong but the pedals moved enough to cause "moderate" damage feet in a prang. The sedan has all the safety software and six airbags, but needs an official crash credential to compete with the five-star cars in this class.Nissan was at pains to point out the Almera will be an urban runabout - and that explains the absence of cruise control. It also means Victorian owners will spend a lot of time watching the speedo instead of the road. Around town the four-speed auto is no worse than the Yaris's similarly restricted transmission and it will be an acceptable shopping trolley. The manual gearbox's extra cog is a better match for the modest engine outputs - but around 80 per cent of buyers in this segment buy an auto. So expect it to kick down hard when going up hills, with a matching rise in engine noise. Sharp steering makes this a nimble car to commute in but it is a touch too sensitive on 80km/h-plus B-roads. The good news is the suspension is well tuned to handle typical road corrugations and the solid chassis means understeer, while it occurs early, is progressive and easily tamed.