After a long wait, Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) officially launched the highly-anticipated Nissan Almera Turbo in Malaysia in November 2020. The new iteration is remarkably different from its predecessor; from the exterior to interior, from the engine to safety, every aspect received a tweak this time. “The only thing carried over from the last Almera is the key fob,” said Christopher Tan, the company’s sales and marketing director. 

Available in three different variants - VL, VLP, and VLT, the price of the new Almera starts at RM 79,906. The mid-spec VLP is priced at RM 85,715, while for the range-topping VLT, customers need to shell out RM 91,310. All prices are on the road, without insurance, and inclusive of the ongoing SST exemption.

But, does Nissan get the recipe right for the new Almera to compete with the popular rivals like the Honda City and Toyota Vios, which also gained a makeover in recent times. To find out the answer, here we bring the pros and cons of the new Almera, have a look.

 Nissan Almera Pros

Fresh exterior

The sharp looks and good proportions of the all-new Almera are a massive step-up from the previous N17-generation model. It just looks fresh and modern with the styling elements like a bold V-motion front grille, arrowhead-shaped LED headlamps, sharp lines, boomerang-styled LED tail lights, and floating roofline. Size-wise, it is 45 mm wide, and 70 mm longer than the older model.

Upmarket cabin

The cabin looks premium with a dual-tone dashboard incorporating a colored 7-inch semi-digital display and an 8-inch touchscreen Nissan Connect infotainment system with Apple CarPlay compatability. Adding to its sporty appeal is the flat-bottomed steering wheel teamed up with “Zero Gravity”-inspired semi bucket front seats. The leather upholstery and touches of chrome, piano black, and carbon-fibre across the cabin further enhanced the premium look of the sedan.

Downsized but boosted engine

All the variants of the new Nissan Almera are powered by the same engine, which is only two-thirds the size of the outgoing unit. But the new 1.0L mill comes with a turbo, an electronic wastegate, and Mirror Bore Coating Technology. It produces 100 PS of maximum power at 5,000 rpm and 152 Nm of peak torque between 2,400 to 4,000 rpm in comparison to earlier 102 PS and 139 Nm. Nissan claimed fuel consumption of up to 5.4 litres per 100 km, which is similar to the new Honda City.

Advanced driver assists

As part of the Nissan Intelligent Mobility pack, the new additions on the driver assistance front include a cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, intelligent around-view monitor with moving object detection, intelligent forward collision warning, and blind-spot warning. 

Nissan Almera Cons

No Android Auto

In the latest version, Nissan added Apple CarPlay but skipped the Android Auto support for the infotainment system, which came as a big surprise. On the other hand, its main rivals offer both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay technologies.

No rear air-conditioning vents

Nissan added a slew of modern features to the new Almera but the sedan still misses on the rear air-conditioning vents, which is quite common in most of the new and updated models.

No paddle shifters

All the three Almera versions are mated to an Xtronic continuously variable transmission that does not feature paddle shifters. Undoubtedly, the automatic transmission is in trend these days as customers prefer this for convenience, but some auto-enthusiasts like to use the paddle shifters for performance, fun, and better control. 

Boot space is relatively small

The new Almera has a total boot space of 482 litres, which is relatively small in comparison to its rivals. Honda City and Toyota Vios offer more than 500 litres of trunk capacity.

Two airbags in base trim

The entry-level Almera features only two airbags proposing a poor value for money, as the base variant of the Honda City is packed with four airbags and the equivalent Toyota Vios offers a total of 7 units. However, the higher Almera trims offer six airbags.

Verdict

Well, if we ignore these few points, we can say that the new Nissan Almera Turbo is a well-rounded B-segment sedan that carries the potential to revive the brand’s aging lineup in the local market.

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