South African motorists might remember the nameplate; the small family car was introduced by Nissan back in 1996, and was updated in 2000 and discontinued in 2006 (although it remained in production in Thailand until last year). But now Nissan has brought back the Almera in an all-new design at an affordable sub-compact/B-segment price.

Nissan Almera – Features

Nissan says the new Almera is designed to punch above its weight with large exterior dimensions, a spacious interior and a big boot. The five-seat sedan features distinctively large tail lights wrapped around the flanks, large chrome grille, sporty looking headlamps, 15-inch alloy wheels and a coupe-like window profile.

“The all-new Nissan ALMERA is an extremely important new car for Nissan in South Africa, where the B-segment is the largest and fastest-growing segment in the market,” says Janico Dannhauser, Product Manager for Passenger Vehicles at Nissan South Africa.

New Almera – Engine and fuel consumption

The new Nissan Almera is equipped with a 1.5-litre engine delivering 73kW of power at 6000 rpm and 134Nm of torque at 4000 rpm. The engine is mated to a five-speed manual transmission and achieves average combined fuel economy of 6.3-litres/100km with CO2 emissions of 149 g/km, while the four-speed variant achieves 7.2-litres/100km at 171 g/km.

New materials and improved machining processes have helped create a lighter, more rigid and more aerodynamic undercarriage.

New Almera – standard features

The new Nissan Almera is further geared with a standard kit that includes:

• colour-coded door handles and mirrors,

• chrome exterior detailing,

• power-adjustable side mirrors,

• air conditioning with dedicated rear vents and independent fan speed control,

• a radio/CD/MP3 audio system with aux input port, four speakers and steering-wheel audio controls,

• a height-adjustable driver’s seat,

• tilt adjustment for the steering wheel,

• remote central locking with speed-sensitive auto-locking doors

• and a comprehensive trip computer with two trip meters, instant and average fuel economy readouts, tank range and service information.

New Almera – Interior

The interior space is stylised with high quality and textured surfaces designed to provide a comfortable driving environment. The upholstery is in a durable black and grey cloth combination with interior panels in black finish. The instrument cluster features polished detailing, an LCD information screen, and silver design highlights on the centre console, facia and around the air vents. The long wheel base contributes to more cabin space, generous rear legroom, a large rear centre drop-down armrest with two cup holders, and 490 litres of luggage space.

New Nissan Almera – Price

Nissan Almera 1.5 Acenta – R165 000

Nissan Almera 1.5 Acenta Automatic – R175 500

The all-new Nissan ALMERA range is available as standard with a 3-year/60 000 km service plan and Nissan’s 3-year/ 100 000 km warranty, with 15 000km service intervals.