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2024 Nissan Almera — First Drive Impressions

The La Union Nissan Media drives proved to us that the refreshed Nissan Almera is more than just surface-level updates.

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2024 Nissan Almera

Nissan Philippines brought us to a media drive with the newly-refreshed Nissan Almera fresh out of its media launch. After the launch, we all gathered in the lobby of Okada to get ready for the long journey ahead.  

The journey started in Okada, where we drove over 600 km of highway, country roads, heavy city traffic, made unforgettable memories, had a heavy stint of rain, and got everything we needed to know about the new Almera. 

This drive was perfect on how we can gauge the Nissan Almera and why its updates, while on the surface are just purely cosmetic, are very worthwhile with the overall feeling and packaging of the Almera as a whole. 

Nissan Almera

Starting with the exterior, gone is the old-fashioned V-Motion grille and replaced with an updated V-Motion grille, or so at least that's what Nissan says. While it does still have that sort of V shape, it's now wrapping across the whole front fascia as a whole with a larger grille that mimics that shape and follows the lines that flow all across the body. That being said, it requires more observation to make you realize that the V shape is still there. Not that we are complaining. This new grille works in person and gives the Almera added road presence and elegance. While we were skeptical with initial photos online at first, in the metal, it looks really great.

Nissan Almera

Another aspect of the vehicle that caught our eye was the gorgeous Moon Pearl Gray color of the Nissan Almera. Again, like the grille, in person, this color is breathtaking and should be seen in the metal to appreciate. It gives off different hues depending on how the light hits it. It's like a cross between Audi's Nardo Gray in soft lighting and Mazda's newest Rhodium White in harsher sunshine. Amazing. That Moon Pearl Gray is then accented with a black roof, which again gives added elegance to the vehicle due to it giving an illusion that it is a longer car than it actually is, and is rounded off by great looking two-tone diamond cut finish 16-inch alloy wheels.

Nissan Almera

The taillights, while also accented with a black outline and do complement the overall look of the vehicle, we wished that Nissan should have just given it a full LED bar treatment rather than two separate LEDs that just shadow across the tunnel to make it look better at night—a missed opportunity if you ask us.

Another modest change but a worthwhile one. Why? Blue leather accents. That's why. The new black and blue leather seats and interior scheme give a refreshing vibe but still feel elegant to look at. While interior design still remains the same as the pre-refreshed Almera, this new interior scheme makes sure that the Almera is ready for what the competition has to offer.

Nissan Almera interior

There are quite a lot of piano black plastics used, in which some might complain about. However, if you ask us, it’s probably the material of choice that we would still use to maintain that elegance and the cohesiveness that matches the black accents from the exterior of the vehicle. What we didn’t like was the faux carbon fiber used to surround the gauge cluster and the side pockets of the doors. I mean, plus points for showing an effort, but it could look tacky at times.

Nissan Almera

We found the seats of the Almera to be quite supportive during the long drive stints, and the interior space is more than adequate as well. It’s a great place to be in for those long drives, although we wished the center armrest was a bit longer, especially for the driver, since there is a cut-off in the driver’s area.

Overall though, we think that the Almera’s interior design is on top of the competition, especially in how it gives off a premium feel.

Nissan Almera technology

The Almera’s centerpiece is a seven-inch infotainment display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Unfortunately, there is no wireless capabilities for these features, so utilizing the included wireless charger is a bit useless. It irks us quite a bit, but we are still happy it has these capabilities for easy navigation and music access, especially for our long journey to La Union.

Nissan Almera technology

The driver gets a semi-digital gauge cluster with a seven-inch TFT display for the tachometer and a traditional analog cluster for the speedometer. The TFT display can be used to access various functions of the Almera, such as its Blind Spot Warning (BSW), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), and Forward Emergency Braking (FEB).

As far as standard technology goes, it is not a massive change compared to the pre-refreshed Almera, but what it does differently is the availability of NissanConnect Services, and it’s a nifty bit of kit.

The NissanConnect services give you access to Automatic Collision Notification, SOS Emergency Call Button, My Car Finder, Theft Alert, Vehicle Health Report, Remote Engine Start/Stop, Remote Lock/Unlock, Maintenance Alert and Reminder, Remote Horn and Light, Speed Alert, Zone Alert, and Curfew Alert all in the convenience of the NissanConnect app from your phone. We were able to try a few of these features out, and it worked like a charm. As long as the phone and the car are connected to a satellite signal, theoretically, the NissanConnect Services can work anywhere you are in the world. Now obviously, we didn’t fly out of the Philippines to test this out, but from the comfort of our Hotel Room, we could see the features, such as Remote Engine Start/Stop and Remote Lock/Unlock work.

The NissanConnect services are included with this top-of-the-line VL variant, but whether or not it is a needed feature is still up for discussion. If you are a parent monitoring your College kid, well, it’s quite nifty. If you are the College Kid, well, you're out of luck because your late-night clubbing days could be over.

Nissan Almera performance

We already had a set of expectations for how the Almera will drive the moment we stepped foot inside the vehicle if the pre-refreshed model was anything to go by, but it is only now that we were able to see its capabilities during a long-distance drive with a couple of twisties along the way.

The Almera’s powertrain remains unchanged, with a 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder making 99 hp and 152 Nm of torque mated to a CVT. The figures don’t sound impressive on paper, but the Almera had no problems accelerating and maintaining highway speeds. The pairing of the engine and the CVT is tuned correctly to keep you in the correct powerband at all times, and if you put it to sport mode, then there is added throttle response, which was particularly useful once we reached twisty country roads.

Nissan Almera performance

In the twisties, the suspension was firm and compliant enough to handle corners with ease, and sport mode gives added concentration to the CVT with simulated gears that act like a conventional automatic. Overtaking wasn’t quite a chore as we initially thought, thanks to its torque and overall powerband.

When the rain started pouring, the Almera handled the wet brilliantly. We were assured that its safety systems kept us in check at all times, even when visibility was very low. However, the forward collision warning started to show its faults in the face of torrential rain. Admittedly, the situation was more extreme than we anticipated and the system did eventually work again when visibility improved.

Nissan Almera

We were able to get a total of about 14.2 km/\L in fuel efficiency throughout the three-day trip, which included highway driving, very spirited country road driving, and heavy city traffic. Not bad if you ask us. Should you drive the Almera efficiently, which we barely did, those fuel-efficiency figures will definitely improve much more.

If we were to nitpick, we didn’t like the Almera’s throttle response from a stop. There is a noticeable delay when putting your foot in the throttle, but a workaround that we found is you should let the car roll forward first, then put your foot in the throttle.

Nissan Almera

As we returned to Okada after the media drive, we couldn't help but feel that the refreshed Almera is an unassuming gem in the sea of compact sedans. Nissan has succeeded in refining and elevating the Almera, making it a formidable contender in its segment.

If you're in the market for a stylish, comfortable, and well-equipped sedan with dynamic driving capabilities, the 2024 Nissan Almera is undoubtedly worth considering. With its impressive updates and overall charm, the Almera has proven itself as a worthy choice for both daily commutes and weekend getaways. We can confidently say that the Almera has surpassed our expectations, and we're excited to see this gem shining brightly on Philippine roads.

Currently, we are hard-pressed to find a better car than the Almera in its class. It presents nearly everything you can ask for and more. You have power, space, comfort, and, most importantly, style. From a surface-level perspective, a simple refresh shouldn't impress us that much, but it’s the overall package and presentation of the refreshed Almera that caught our hearts. 

The price is quite steep with a P1,149,000 price tag for this top-of-the-line VL variant, but we feel it is worth every peso.

Specifications

Engine

1.0 L

Fuel Type

Gasoline

Performance

99 hp @ 5,000 rpm

Transmission

CVT

Summary

Name Nissan Almera 1.0 VL Turbo CVT with NCS
Body Type Sedan
Price ₱1,155,000
Transmission Category CVT

Engine

Performance

Economy & Environment

Dimensions

Safety & Security

Features

Technology

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