5 Reasons Why The Nissan Almera 1.0 Turbo VLT Is Still Relevant Today

The local B-segment sedan market is getting more interesting (and pricey) this year, with the latest addition being the newly-launched 2023 Toyota Vios AC100. While both the new Toyota and the Honda City sedan are constantly high up everyone’s wish list when looking for a B-segment sedan, one contender is always overlooked, for some reason.

Of course, we’re talking about the Nissan Almera – Edaran Tan Chong Motor’s (ETCM) answer in breaking the Vios and City’s duopoly. Although the former recently got a whole new generation entry, we reckon the Almera still packs quite a punch to hold itself against the ‘big two’.

Having sampled the Nissan Almera in its range-topping 1.0 Turbo VLT and updated with the latest Tomei Aero Package, here are five reasons why we reckon it’s still relevant against its more popular segment rivals.

1. It looks pretty decent, especially with the Tomei Aero Package

The Almera might be one of the older models in its segment now, but don’t let its ‘age’ fool you as the car still looks decent and fresh by today’s standard.

Fuelling that sentiment further is the Tomei Aero Package option, which adds a bevy of exterior aero parts. This includes the front lip, side skirts, faux ‘diffuser’, as well as the sporty Tomei GT rear wing.

In this range-topping VLT variant, the Almera comes with LED headlights with L-shaped LED DRLs. This, plus the Nissan’s signature V-shape front grille and the aforementioned Tomei front lip, gives the Almera an aggressive-looking front.

Gloss-Black Rear GT Wing & The 16-inch Two-Tone Alloys are sporty additions indeed

Aside from the side skirt, the Tomei kit also grants the side profile with door handle protectors and door visors, while the interior gets the metal sports pedals and door sills, for good measure. Meanwhile, the Almera rides on a set of 16-inch alloy wheels with double five-spoke design, finished in two-tone hue.

All in all, looks can be subjective. But we think it is universally agreeable that the Almera’s design truly stood the test of time.

2. The range-topper has decent kit

Honestly, this is where the Almera fell a bit behind against its rivals, but we’d argue what it lacks aren’t huge deal-breakers for most.

On the passive safety front, the Almera is on par with its fellow rivals, primed with six airbags, ABS with EBD, as well as traction and stability control. However, it’s a bit lacklustre on the active safety front, lacking few novel features like the Lane-Keeping Assist (LKA) and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC).

Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) & Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) indicators at each side mirrors

Then again, we think the absence of these won’t be a huge issue, more so comforting that the Almera is already equipped with essential ADAS features like Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA).

This 8-inch player supports wired Apple CarPlay, but no Android Auto present. Weird!

Though not fully-digital, the Almera driver's display still looks decent

On board, the Almera’s 8-inch infotainment comes with wired Apple CarPlay connectivity, but Android Auto is weirdly absent. Additionally, it’s now the only model in the segment that lacks dedicated rear climate vents – yet another ‘L’ this Nissan saloon has to take.

Elsewhere, the Almera is pretty much on par with the rest, primed with a semi-digital instrument display cluster, reverse parking camera with 360-degree view, keyless entry and ignition, multiple USB and 12V outlets, as well as automatic air-conditioning.

3. It drives surprisingly well, thanks to the turbocharged mill

This part is where the Almera arguably shines compared to its segment rival. While both the Vios and City still harness the same 1.5-litre 4-cyl engine carried over from their previous iterations, Nissan has switched things up for the N18-gen Almera. 

Instead, it sports a smaller 1.0-litre 3-cyl turbocharged mill – making it the sole B-segment sedan in the market to come standard with a force induction engine. This, in turn, grants the Almera with a total system output of 99 HP and 152 NM.

Though both the Vios and City have peppier horsepower figures, we reckon the Almera’s 152 NM torque output – the highest among the three – truly makes a difference, especially for the daily urban fare.

Credit also must be given to the Almera’s improved Jatco-sourced Xtronic CVT gearbox, which facilitates the power transfer from the engine to the front axle smoothly. Compared to past versions of the Xtronic box, the ‘rubber band effect’ is much less apparent here, and you won’t experience much of the notorious CVT jerks too.

4. It comes with a pretty spacious and comfy cabin

On board, the Almera comes with a decently spacious cabin that comfortably seats five adults. Measuring 4,495 MM long with a wheelbase of 2,620 MM, legroom is definitely not lacking in this car, and it doesn’t trade-off much in terms of boot space too.

We'd reckon 482 L is more than enough for your 'balik kampung' trips

In fact, that sizable 482-litre boot sees the Almera able to house some a proper space-saver spare wheel and tyre set – a seemingly rare sight in most new cars nowadays.

Biannual trips to the famed Swedish furniture outlet that shan’t be named won’t be an issue for the Almera too thanks to the 60:40 split-folding rear seats, which help further expand the large boot space further.

Also, in spite of its sporty appearance, the Almera still offers decent headroom especially for rear seat passenger. Unlike one of its segment rivals, the Almera’s sporty fastback-like design doesn’t come at the expense of rear passengers’ headroom.

5. You might not have to wait months for it. However…

It is no secret that due to their immense ‘popularity’, both the Almera’s Toyota and Honda rivals see waiting periods spanning months, especially for the up-specced variants.

Having flown under the radar for some time now, demand for the Almera is somewhat lesser than that of said segment rivals. This could be a key draw, especially towards those who wish not to wait months to take delivery of their new car.

The only catch? Price. The range-topping Nissan Almera 1.0 Turbo VLT, with all its goods and bads, is currently priced at RM95,888 on-the-road sans insurance – making it the priciest in segment. And that does not include the Tomei Aero Package’s additional RM1,000 fee offered especially for purchases of the new Almera. By the way, the kit in itself costs RM8,000.

In ETCM’s defence, said price not only includes the standard 5-year unlimited mileage vehicle warranty, but also an additional 5-times free service charge – which is not offered to both its segment rivals. Sweetening things further, the Almera’s 1.0-litre powertrain also means that road tax fee sits cheaper than its rivals - just RM20 annually.

To summarise, yes the Almera is slightly more expensive compared to other rivals. But for folks who simply can’t wait months for a new car to be delivered, then the Almera is indeed worth a serious look. 

And for those who don’t mind waiting, we think the Almera is still a viable option for you, as long as you’re willing to live with its minor shortcomings at a slightly higher price.

So, what do you think?

We’ve already put up our ‘defence’ argument for the Nissan Almera against its rivals in this highly-competitive B-segment market. But have we done enough to sway you away from those two obvious choices? Would you take the Almera to be your legally-owned ‘steed’ for how many years your loan period warrants? As always, leave your thoughts in the comments down below…

SPECIFICATIONS

NISSAN ALMERA 1.0 TURBO VLT