Nissan Almera

NISSAN entered the light-car sedan segment for the first time with the Almera.

Based on the Micra hatch, but built in Thailand, the five-seat four-door three-box baby boasts a longer-than-usual wheelbase and a big boot, making it somewhat larger than its donor vehicle.

Both are built on the Renault-Nissan alliance ‘V’ platform, with a front suspension consisting of MacPherson struts and an anti-roll bar, the class-norm torsion beam design at the rear, an electric-powered rack-and-pinion steering system, and drum brakes at the rear.

The Almera uses the same 1.5-litre twin-cam 16-valve four-cylinder petrol engine found in the Micra ST-L and Ti hatchbacks.

Driving the front wheels via either a five-speed manual gearbox or a four-speed automatic transmission, it delivers 75kW of power at 6000rpm and 139Nm of torque at 4000rpm.

Curiously, the Almera lacks a folding rear seatback, putting it at a distinct disadvantage against competing light-car sedans.