Full disclosure: this is not a sponsored article. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's dive in. If you're currently shopping for a B-segment sedan, chances are, the Honda City and Toyota Vios are the default 2 choices in your shortlist. Nissan Almera, what's that? Yeah, that's what I thought too when the 2020 model was launched on our shores.

3 months after its launch, you'd still be hard pressed to see Almeras roaming the roads. Conversely, the 2020 Honda City seems to be very well received, they're everywhere. It's the same story with the 2020 Toyota Vios (which, to rub salt into the wound, was launched later than the Almera). 

The chin-scratcher is this; why is the carbuying audience treating the Nissan Almera like an afterthought? Are the City and Vios really that much better than the Almera? Because on paper, it doesn't seem so. What are we missing?

A dowdy predecessor

One of the most obvious reasons why the N18 Almera is having it tough is because it had a pretty awful predecessor. One that overstayed its welcome. In its 8-year tenure in the Malaysian market, the N17 Nissan Almera was one forgettable model.

It's shortcomings were less apparent when it was launched, but as rivals kept improving and innovating over the years, it felt like the folks at Nissan just stopped trying altogether. The result? The Almera got left behind and disappeared into oblivion in its segment. 

It was middling or below average at everything it set out to do. Comfort? Meh. Handling? Boat-like. Looks? Won't go near one. It did have a spacious interior, if we're scraping the bottom of the barrel. Things got so bad for it that you'd only buy one because of the massive discounts. Even Grab drivers refused to use it, preferring the Perodua Bezza instead. 

Make Nissan great again

I must admit, I approached the 2020 Almera in that same manner, thinking it'll not be far off from its predecessor. How wrong how wrong I was. Without a hint of hyperbole, the 2020 Almera is a corker. It's as far removed from it's predecessor as Pluto is from Earth. To say I was blown away, is putting it mildly. 

You get in, and straight away, the ergonomics are bang-on. Steering, pedals, visibility. All excellent. The Zero Gravity seats are brilliant, even for a bloke my size. Dual tone finish makes the cabin feel airy. Felt pretty well built too. All while maintaining the one good thing about the previous Almera, spacious rear quarters.

You must be thinking, it can't be any good to drive, right? Wrong again. The 1.0-litre turbocharged engine combines so well with the CVT box' to make full use of whatever performance (100 PS, 152 Nm) it has. Sure, it runs out of puff at around 5,000 rpm, but who drives an Almera like that all the time? The mid-range is where the good stuff happens. 3-cylinders? Pffttt, didn't matter one bit. 

Ride and handling? Superb. There's a calmness and composure to its body control, whatever speeds you care to throw at it. Long story short, it doesn't feel like a boat anymore. It's no Lotus Elise in the handling department, but the responses are clean and direct. Insulation? Better than the Honda Accord. 

The point I'm trying to make is, the product team behind the Almera deserves so much more credit than this. You can sense and feel just how much effort has been poured into this new model. That's even before I give it praise for being a genuinely handsome thing. If this is a turning point - and I hope it is - for Nissan to make great cars again, the Almera would be a fantastic watershed moment.

Conclusion

Suffice to say, the Almera impressed me so much that it got my vote for WapCar's Car of The Year 2020. Some of my colleagues voted for the Honda City (they're entitled to their own opinions, but they're wrong), can you believe it?!

The only things I didn't like was the lack of Android Auto, and the test car's Monarch Orange paintjob (Dark Metal Grey for me, please). Foibles that can be easily remedied. It's a car I'd happily own myself, and will happily recommend. It does everything exceedingly well.

So, do yourself a favour. Before you pull the trigger on that purchase, go, take a spin in the Nissan Almera. I am by no means saying that the City and Vios are bad or inferior cars. That the Almera can go toe to toe with them now is a testament itself to just how good it is. Just a test drive, and perhaps you will be as pleasantly surprised as I was.