00:00 This is the 2024 Nissan Almera, and we drove all the way to La Union to see what this refreshed
00:06 subcompact sedan is all about.
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00:24 What's new with the facelifted Almera is, well, of course, the face.
00:28 It still has that chrome and gloss black plastic combo on the grille, but instead of the old
00:32 V-Motion design, it now has horizontal slats in place of the old mesh grille.
00:37 It also sits on new 16-inch alloy wheels with a new two-tone design.
00:42 At the rear, though, you won't see any changes.
00:44 This is literally just a facelift, but it does get a new moon pearl gray finish that's
00:49 exclusive to the top-spec variant.
00:52 Inside the Almera retained its old interior.
00:54 It still got the same design, basically.
00:56 Same steering wheel, same dashboard layout, and same center console.
01:00 What's new here is the two-tone finish right here that also carries over to the seats.
01:05 The head unit now also comes with Android Auto connectivity.
01:07 It still has Apple CarPlay, but it's just wired.
01:10 But it does get a new wireless charging pad up here.
01:13 The car also still has its Auto Stop/Start feature, but it now gets added high-beam assist
01:17 to the package.
01:18 Now, another addition here, which is arguably the biggest change in the Almera, is the new
01:22 Nissan Connected Services, which we will demonstrate later.
01:25 Now, no changes to headroom and legroom available here, but we'll show it to you anyway.
01:30 I'm about 5'5" and this is what we're looking at here in the backseat.
01:34 This seat is set to almost my driving position, and I've got a lot of legroom to work with.
01:40 Now, headroom is so-so.
01:42 If you're a bit taller, you might want to watch your head.
01:45 And speaking of watching your head, do it when you're on the way in because I hit my
01:49 head here.
01:50 It's pretty low.
01:51 Now, amenities here in the back.
01:53 You've got no AC vents, and I don't think that's a deal-breaker.
01:57 You do have a USB-A charging port and a center armrest with cup holders that comes at the
02:03 expense of a fifth passenger.
02:13 What we say is arguably the biggest addition in the new Almera is the Nissan Connected
02:17 Services.
02:18 Basically, it allows you to connect your smartphone to the vehicle via a dedicated app.
02:22 The app has various features, one of which is vehicle health.
02:26 The app also has a monitoring feature which allows you to set a curfew or a zone limit
02:31 for your vehicle.
02:32 Basically, if it goes past that area where you set the zone limit, it's going to alert
02:36 you through your phone.
02:37 The Nissan Connect app can also track your vehicle service history so it can remind you
02:41 if it's time for a PMS.
02:43 It also has a Find My Car feature which will be very handy for those who keep forgetting
02:48 where they park their cars.
02:49 The Nissan Connect app also has an anti-theft feature which prevents your car from being
02:54 stolen and in the event that it does get stolen, you'll easily be able to track where your
02:58 car is.
02:59 Finally, the app also has remote controls for your Almera.
03:03 You can lock, unlock, or engage the lights and the horn, or even turn on your engine
03:08 through the app.
03:09 Currently, Nissan Connect features are only available in the top-of-the-line Almera.
03:14 Each purchase of this one will come with a three-year subscription courtesy of Nissan
03:17 Philippines.
03:18 However, past that three-year mark, we still don't know how much it's going to cost.
03:22 Nissan doesn't want to think about that just yet.
03:27 The new Almera retains its 1.0-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine that generates
03:32 99 hp and 152 Nm of torque when mated to the CVT which we are driving right now.
03:39 In the manual variant, that output goes up to 160 Nm.
03:42 So it's still the same as before.
03:44 So basically, this Almera still drives the same.
03:46 Now, that turbo-CVT combo can feel a bit jerky in stop-and-go traffic, but when you're on
03:52 the highway, it's pretty smooth.
03:54 I'm driving right now at highway speeds and when I need to overtake, I just give it more
03:58 beans and it just goes.
04:01 It has enough power.
04:02 As far as fuel consumption goes, it's still as efficient as ever.
04:06 On the way to La Union, we were doing 17 km/l, mostly on the highway.
04:11 We are driving right now at 100 km/l constantly from La Union.
04:14 We had some idling time at several gas stations and some drive-thrus, and the gauge is now
04:19 showing us 15 km/l which is actually pretty decent.
04:23 Now, in the city, I'm confident you can get about 10, 11, or even 12 km/l out of this
04:28 one.
04:29 As for the ride, we actually had our tires overinflated when we were driving to La Union,
04:35 but now we have corrected that and the ride is so much better.
04:39 It's still a city car, of course.
04:41 You will still feel the bumps on the road, but actually NVH levels are kept to a minimum
04:46 inside this cabin and it makes for a very comfortable ride.
04:50 Worth mentioning here though is the lack of adjustment for the seat belt.
04:54 In this update, they didn't really change anything inside this cabin so it's still the
04:58 same.
04:59 You can't really move this.
05:00 But, you do have tilt and telescopic adjustment for the steering wheel.
05:04 You have six-way adjustment for the driver's seat so it's not really that difficult to
05:08 find the right driving position.
05:10 The nifty addition in the new Almera is the Lane Departure Warning feature.
05:14 It adds to the existing package that already included features like autonomous emergency
05:19 braking with forward collision warning, blind spot monitoring, and of course, the parking
05:24 aids which includes a 360-degree camera that makes this subcompact sedan even easier to
05:29 park.
05:30 Also new for the Almera is the tire pressure monitoring system which works hand-in-hand
05:34 with the new Nissan Connect services which we discussed earlier.
05:39 As for the prices, the new Almera starts at Php 839,000 for the base EL manual variant.
05:45 The VE CVT variant costs Php 1,059,000.
05:49 This top-of-the-line VL variant costs Php 1,149,000 and it comes with a three-year subscription
05:55 to Nissan Connect Services.
05:58 People bought the Almera for the performance, for its fuel economy, and even for its design.
06:02 But, for me, the strongest selling point for this new Almera is the addition of Nissan
06:06 Connect Services.
06:08 It brings the car ownership experience online and makes it much more convenient and overall
06:12 just better for customers.
06:14 Of course, we will find out how useful these features exactly are once we try this vehicle
06:19 out for a week or so.
06:20 So, watch out for the full review.
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