Nissan Almera
The Nissan Almera is a small family car built by Nissan, launched in 1995. The Almera name is essentially the European export-market name for the Nissan Pulsar / Nissan Sentra.
Nissan Almera Mk I N15 (1995–2000)
The first Nissan Almera rolled off the production line late in 1995, as replacement for the Nissan Sunny, a nameplate which had been in use for nearly 30 years.
Power came from 1.4 GA14DE and 1.6 GA16DE petrol and 2.0 CD20 diesel engines initially in 1995, but a year into production a 2.0 SR20DE engined GTi was added to the range. The GTi had uprated suspension, front and rear strut braces and a quicker steering rack. The Nissan Almera was ungainly in appearance but beneath its bland exterior lay an excellent chassis which gave perhaps the best ride and handling of any small medium car on sale in Europe.
Almost all Almeras sold in the UK were hatchbacks with three or five doors - this is quite different to some other regions such as Ireland, where the saloon version is substantially more commonplace. Specification was good, with all models getting power steering, driver airbag and stereo as standard. Most of the range had antilock brakes, air-conditioning, electric windows and CD player as at least an option. As with all Nissans, build quality and reliability were first rate.
Nissan Almera Mk II N16 (2000–2006)
Launched early in 2000, the second generation Nissan Almera looked better than its predecessor with classic smooth, curved lines. Some still thought it was bland in comparison with its rivals. However, it maintained the original Almera's strong selling points of a long equipment list, spacious interior, comfortable ride, excellent handling, rock solid build quality and cast iron reliability.
Even today the Almera is still one of the best handling small family cars sold in Europe partly because the Almera shares roots with the Nissan Sentra - a sporty compact sedan sold in the USA.
The second generation Almera could be had as a three- or five-door hatchback or a four-door sedan, with 1.5 (QG15DE) and 1.8 (QG18DE) petrol engines as well as a 2.2 direct injection turbodiesel (YD22DDT) or common-rail turbodiesel (YD22DDTi).
Almeras can be also equipped with 1.5 common-rail turbodiesel from the Renault Megane II - Nissan had recently ventured with Renault and the Almera's diesel engine was the first instance of Nissans and Renaults sharing mechanicals.
In 2003 the Almera has undergone another update which included a face-lift, re tuned suspension, new engines and an updated interior.
First, the Almera's Macpherson strut front suspension and twist beam axle rear suspension have been re tuned. This results in a quieter ride and a reduction in the amount of rear bump-through experienced when heavily laden, improving high-speed stability and making the car more controllable after an emergency manoeuvre. Overall, Nissan says, the Almera has slighter firmer damper settings and marginally stiffer spring ratings, though there has been no loss of ride comfort or increase in noise levels in normal motoring. The suspension revisions have been executed in such a way as to only come into play at the upper edge of the dynamic envelope.
The face lift also included new chrome, projector-style headlights that are set in a titanium-coloured surround with separate lights for main and low beams set behind an enlarged translucent cover. The front bumper now has an integrated engine air intake that runs almost the full width of the car while a honeycomb mesh grille adds visual benefits to the frontal image. Some models also get small circular fog lights.
The interior of the face-lifted Almera has also been redesigned with better quality materials and a large color or monochrome center screen which controls all of the car's functions (climate control, CD player and trip computer). Higher trim levels also include Nissan's Bird-eye GPS system.
In 2006 the second generation Almera reached its sixth year of production but was still selling strong world wide. It is expected to be replaced in the near future by an all-new car based around the running gear of the Renault Mégane. The new car should maintain its predecessor's hallmarks of quality and refinement but also offer more modern European style.
The face-lifted Almera is built in Sunderland, UK and are exported to parts of the Asia-Pacific where they are sold as the Nissan Pulsar.
