Those waiting for an all-new model will have to wait because the Nissan Almera got a refresh and just made its debut in Thailand. With sub-compact sedans jockeying for a bigger slice of the market, and with not too many all-new models coming out – most are just facelifts like this one – can Nissan’s player make it big against its contenders?
Nissan Almera gets a facelift for 2023, not all-new yet
Photo: Nissan
The refreshed Almera had its official reveal just last week in Thailand. Seeing as we do source our units from there, it’s likely that this will make its way to the Philippines sooner than later. As we mentioned, it’s all a facelift with almost all changes done only on an aesthetic level. Let’s have a look, shall we?
Photo: Nissan
This time, the Almera strays from a somewhat subdued look to a rather aggressive front end. Gone is the framed grill and in its place is a massive horizontally-slatted piece with chrome trim. What you see in the photo above is the kitted version, but underneath the chin, you’ll find a reshaped bumper with smoother, flowing lines. If you expect to see more outside, well, that’s about it because no change has been applied to the sides and to the rear.
Wheel options will depend on the variant purchased. The refreshed Almera comes in 4 – E, EL, V, VL – and it will most likely carry all if not most should it enter the PH market. The available color options are Storm White, Black Star and Gun Metallic (all variants), Radiant Red and Night Blue (EL, V, EL), and Gray Sky Pearl (V and VL). There are also special two-tone colors only for VL grade which are Gray Sky Pearl with Black Roof, Gun Metallic with Black Roof, and Storm White with Black Roof.
Going back to the “kitted” versions, there are three packages, namely the Iconic, Ignite, and Ultimate packages.
The Ignite Package enhances the sporty look with front, side and rear skirts of the same body color and shiny black color as well as a duck-tail-shape rear spoiler in stylish shiny black color. The Iconic Package comes with a black front grille, roof molding shark fin, sport pedal set, dual floor carpet, and kick plate. The Ultimate Package comes with both exterior items, namely front, side, rear skirts and duck-tail-shape rear spoiler, front grille, and roof molding shark fin, as well as interior items including sport pedal set, dual floor carpet, and kick plate.
These stylish packages also enhance the style of the interior with soft-touch door panel finishers with silver door trim finishers.
Photo: Nissan
Inside, you’ll also see that almost if not everything has been carried over from the pre-facelift Almera. The two top variants, though, do get a nifty two-toned dashboard colored in black and blue. For the two lower variants, they will retain the gray-colored motif which is also void of the (blue) soft touch panel you see in the photo above.
As far as safety goes, this is where Nissan paid attention to this release of the Almera. The Nissan sub-compact now comes with Nissan’s 360° Safety Shield that includes Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) that warns the driver of an approaching car or object from the rear and side during reverse parking, Intelligent Around View Monitoring (IAVM), Moving Object Detection (MOD), Intelligent Forward Collision Warning (IFCW), Blind Spot Warning (BSW), and Hill Start Assist (HSA).
Other advanced protection technologies include Pretensioner and Load Limiter Seatbelts, 6 SRS airbags for all vehicle grades, Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) that keeps the vehicle stable in all conditions for precise turning, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), and Brake Assist (BA) systems.
Comfort and tech functions that come with include a wireless charging pad, an upgraded infotainment system NissanConnect that supports both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a navigation system via Google Maps on its 8-inch touchscreen display audio system, as well as a voice recognition system.
Photo: Nissan
No new mill will be found under the hood. The Almera retains its 1.0-liter turbo engine, producing a maximum power of 100 HP and 152 Nm of torque. There’s no mention of a manual transmission option and it’s likely that all variants will come with Nissan’s Xtronic CVT.
Pricing in Thailand Baht (converted to PHP on the current exchange rate) ranges from PHP 904,967 for the E to PHP 1,152,226 for the VL.
Do take these conversions with a grain of salt as these are rough conversions and are not finally indicative of their market price in the Philippines. However, the price for the VL does look quite attractive, doesn’t it? If Nissan PH can keep the price of the Almera down to a competitive number, it can give its rivals a run for their money, surely.
