Owner Review: A comfortable, fuel-sipping family car - My 2020 Nissan Almera VLT

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Basic information

2020 Nissan Almera VLT

Reason why I bought this car

I was looking for a car to replace my dad's 16 year old Toyota Vios which has started giving a lot of problems. I needed a reliable car as the car is for family's use and we would travel quite frequently.

Car selection process

• I had a budget of: RM 10k~130k
• Models that I have considered include: Toyota Vios, Toyota Altis, Mazda 2

The reason why I choose this car

I remember seeing the design for the first time when Wapcar went to Thailand in 2019 for the coverage and I was mesmerised by the design since then. It has one of the sportiest looks, with the up to date design. I was initially so sceptical about the performance of Almera that I have a second thought of considering other models such as the Vios, Altis, Mazda 2 and X50. I’ve heard about other Nissan models which have gearbox issues and was afraid that Almera would end up the same way.

But hey, why not give Almera a chance right? When I first bought a Honda City in 2014, many warned me of the unreliability of the gearbox. I chose to ignore it and the car is still working wonderfully until today. Patiently waited for Almera to be launched but not after several delays. I actually went to 3 different branches to test drive the Almera 3 times before deciding. Each time I test drive the car, I must say, I’m impressed by the pick up, with just a 1000cc, it has one of the highest torque among its peers. It has the best safety feature among its peers. This is before Toyota launched its new Toyota Vios and the new City RS. But still, if they were launched before Almera, I would still choose Almera.

User experience

• I have already done 4,000 km
• My average fuel consumption is 7.46 L/100km

The car is superb! The handling in fact is better than Honda City 2014 and the seat is just as comfortable. The suspension is just slightly stiffer than the Toyota Vios but it is still far more comfortable than Honda City. Took the car for a spin to KL 2 weeks later. Driving it feels like driving a C-segment car. The insulation is really good, wind noise is not noticeable at 120km/h. The car stayed planted even at 140km/h thanks to the wider than average tyre given. As mentioned earlier, pickup is good and overtaking is not an issue. It is in fact faster than the highly praised Honda City.

I did not modify the car but it managed to make a few heads turn when I was in town, that proves how good looking the car is. But the seats are rather uncomfortable, the leather seat is a total let down. Long hours of driving especially under hot sun will leave you with a sweaty body as the leathers are non breathable. The AEB is a life saviour, we have experienced few emergency stops by the car in front and the AEB manages to warn us. A 360 camera is a nice feature to have especially when parking at the parking lot with a tall curb in front. Most importantly, the car saves us a lot of fuel. Pure town driving gave us an average of 13.4km/l while driving on the highway could go up to 22km/l. Overall, it is a brilliant car.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• High Torque
• Good Pick Up
• Spacious
• Comfortable especially going through a hump
• Good safety feature (even in the lowest spec)
• Trendy and sporty design
• Good handling

Cons

• Does not come with android auto
• Price is expensive compared to its peers
• Quality of leather seat is uncomfortable
• Small spare tyre
• Could have included other accessories such as dash cam

Ratings

Total Score: 4
Performance: 5
Quality & Features: 4
Space: 5
Ride Comfort: 4
Fuel Economy: 5
Price & Cost: 3

Summary

After much testing and hesitation choosing between X50, Almera and Altis, finally, I went with my heart and took the Almera. It’s like love at first sight. The car was booked via a close friend of mine and had waited almost a month for the car. Coincidentally, a day before my birthday, my friend informed me that I will be getting the car tomorrow which is on my birthday. It has to be one of the most expensive birthday gifts that I presented myself with. Besides reminding myself to renew my license, I’m now reminded to renew the insurance and roadtax too. Hahahaha. Overall, it is a very nice car to drive and it makes a lot of heads turn too.

Some interesting events

After I got the car, I took it for a spin in KL. My family and I went to fetch my aunty for breakfast. She got in the car not knowing it’s a new car because we have one exact same colour car with almost the same number plate as my other car. She did not realise it until we were going back after breakfast and she went hey where’s your car? This is my car. “Did I come in this car just now?”. We had quite a laugh in the car saying how she did not realise it because the difference is quite significant. But of course, the question of why did you buy a Nissan popped up. I just said, because of the cheap road tax. This is the main reason why I bought it :D

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