Anorak hides Almera's Armani

The Almera offers tremendous value for money.

Since then Toyota has also felt the heat of Kia, Hyundai and Volkswagen breathing down its neck as it became a little too fancy and a tad too pricy.

Nissan eventually gave up the battle and the Almera disappeared from the local scene and was replaced by the Tiida which, to add to the confusion, replaced the Nissan Sentra which then also bit the dust.

New livery

Now both Nissans are back in brand new livery - the Almera in one-model sedan shape and with only the choice between manual or automatic transmission and the slightly larger Sentra which steps into the ring against Toyota Corolla, VW Jetta, and Chevrolet Cruze.

The boot is big enough for most things you may wish to lug about - which is ideal for the family with kids (not that you'd put them in the boot - just their skateboards etc).

Although Nissans traditionally had more of a sporty edge than others in its class neither of the two 're-born' Nissans are likely to set pulses racing with their rather ho-hum looks, drive and performance.

The market has been buzzing (with mixed opinions) about the return of the Almera and after a week at the helm of the auto version, I can understand why. Certainly in the looks department the Almera is decidedly grey and reminiscent of earlier Japanese and Korean offerings... hardly a mode of transport likely to set your trousers alight or make you reach for a blood pressure tablet.

A little bland

Its four-speed auto transmission is decidedly old school and the fact that it is linked to a 73kW/134Nm unit is hardly likely to inspire anybody to head for a snaking mountain pass or Killarney race track. Maybe the five-speed manual model will feel a little livelier... The suspension and steering set-up also delivers little excitement and the Almera certainly is certainly not the most agile option in the B-segment.

A little bland, but the cabin is spacious.

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The living quarters, too, are uniformly bland and understated and it doesn't help that it is furnished in black and grey, albeit with a sprinkling of relieving shiny bits.

But flip the coin and on the reverse side the Almera suddenly becomes a Lovable Linda because of its amazingly spacious cabin which has as much legroom in the rear as a big Merc or BMW. The boot, too, is gianormous and it houses a full-size spare wheel, a rapidly dwindling luxury in these days of puncture kits and space-savers.

Features for Africa

While the Almera is bland inside and out, it is exceptionally well-equipped for its price with features such as remote central locking, 15-inch alloy wheels, electric door mirrors, manual air conditioning with dedicated rear vents and independent fan speed control, a radio/CD/MP3 audio system with aux input port, four speakers, steering wheel audio controls, a height-adjustable driver's seat, tilt adjustment for the steering wheel, remote central locking with speed-sensitive auto-locking doors and a comprehensive trip computer with two trip meters, instant and average fuel economy readouts, tank range and service information.

Whatever feature you want, the Almera probably has it... Great value for your money.

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Extensive safety features include ABS with EBD and BAS, airbags, three-point seat belts, ISOFIX child seat anchor points, a third brake light and an immobiliser.

Top this with a claimed fuel economy of 6.3-litres/100km for the manual version and 7.2-litres/100km for the automatic, plus low emissions, a three-year/60,000km service plan, a three-year/100,000 warranty and keenly competitive pricing and it becomes easy to understand why this new Almera has already racked up global sales of more than 500,000 units.

While nobody will whip out cellphones and cameras to snap it or burst into animated chatter when you park the Almera outside your favourite coffee shop, it does offer tremendous value for money - and this is why it is going to sell in numbers that are likely to exceed Nissan's aimed figure of 5,000 units in its first year.

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