Nissan Almera reviews

I updated from the 'old' Almera to the N16 about 8 years ago and never looked back...I have the 1.5 Flare, which comes with a lot a factory extras as standard that makes the car stand out a little more and look smarter .... I only added 'Lexus' lights ...I bought her with 24,000 on the clock and she has now passed 97,000 and still looks and drives like new ... It has been a long time since a car has impressed me this much ... Like others, yes, locking and ignition started playing up ( a common problem) and a quick trip to my local key shop (and Jay who is a wizard at this) cost me £87 and a new 'after market' loom behind the steering column and hey presto no more issues The room inside is brill and for the size of car, the boot is quite good too.... She has a full service history with no problems and I've yet to find another car with such a slick gearbox ... I've driven the newer Nissans and bloody hell those gearboxes are awful ...It makes my appreciate my car even more. I'm impressed with the whole handling package that sees many more abled cars to become specs in the rear view mirror when cornering.... The suspension upgrade Nissan did together with ABS and EPS sees this car go round tight bends with out effort in full confidence at speeds shall we say that can put a big smile on your face. This is no sports car and many modern small hatches easily see this off. but it has more than it looks like it might have. She is a dream on the motorway and easily cruises quietly at 70/80mph and in 5th gear will pull well. Seeing 100mph (private roads of course) she still feels she has a little more to go. By todays standards,my Almera doesn't really look dated (but the flare edition does look smart) and is a pleasure to drive. The downside I've have found is the MPG.... My car is driven sensibly most of the time and many times i have tried to achieve the MPG the brochures state...... Cruising steadily at 60mph on the motorway, I can't even achieve anywhere near the figures quoted. ... Mine isn't the only Almera I know that suffers from bad MPG ... Driven really gently on my own I can get 32mpg in town and 38mpg motorway. Cruising like a real pussy at 55MPH with the computer reset, I can get just over 40MPG ...basically, the fuel economy isn't great so I enjoy driving the car. At 70MPH without worrying about fuel figures I average around 33MPH ...It will do for me but by todays standards and other similar aged cars, this is not that good. The road tax at £185 isn't too impressive either ...so why do I keep her? .. The answer is that my Nissan is just so reliable that it is unbelievable and so smooth to drive and comfy all in one. Add to that the effortless gear changes, the sensible and enjoyable layout, the superb handling and confidence this car gives and does everything from ferry the kids to towing trailers and a lot more with complaining in total comfort, I've yet to find another car in this class to match all this. My option is to go bigger (Mondeo 2.0) to get the same feel. I changed my tyres to FALCON tyres and what a difference especially in the wet. The road noise is barely noticeably louder. but the grip is fantastic and suit the cars handling better too. All in all I know I will be changing my car at some point, but I will be really sorry to see this go.

I had a 2005 Nissan Almera N16 with a 1.6l 72kw. Made in Sunderland, the car was a bit of a let down. The performance is quite bearable in urban conditions and you can even overtake on the motorway but when there's even a little bit of snow/ice on the roads - forget about it. It was bambi on ice at best even in a parking lot at low speed looking for a space. Either the car was swerwing or it had little to no grip even with studs. Let alone driving through a valley climb. Just didn't do the trick. The ride's not awful on perfect conditions though. The spare parts come cheap. The headlights though? Unless you had bought the car as new and were lucky enough to be eligible for the factory recall you were quite soon stuck with corroded and foggy headlights that were a hazard and there was to be no driving during dark even with full beams. Seriously. Bought two new aftermarket headlights which with top of the range halogen bulbs were brilliant cause they weren't made by Nissan but by TYC. The car has reasonable space inside for the passengers and the only downside was that when you let the rear seats down, the width of the boot-to-saloon was considerably narrower but that's that. The inside looked cheap and the stereo went dodgy quick with the cd stuck and the fm alternator going mad. The buttons on the stereo were hard to press as well which is worrying if you needed to silence the damn thing. Luckily for current owners there appears to be Chinese alternative plastic consoles so that you can fit in a decent stereo.

I bought the car on a budget and chose it primarily because it was a hatchback with a good sized boot for carrying my dogs. I have had it for 5 years, been very happy with it and will be loath to part with it, when I'm forced to. It is serviced regularly and has only had 2 minor issues with fault lights on the dashboard, neither or which were difficult or expensive to rectify. I've had to replace tyres but nothing else. Size wise, it's perfect for me as I'm short in stature but have no problem with sitting comfortably, reaching pedals, gear changes and seat belt reach. The down side: It is rusting under the rear window wiper and around the wheel rims and the central locking system chose when it wanted to control the doors - it locked everything but wouldn't always open them. So I had the back doors taken off the loop and operate them manually. The interior light has never worked and I can't fathom out how to change the bulb. And sometimes the accelerator pedal sticks when sitting at lights, so you have to give it a good thump with your foot to loosen it up. Mine is a "good little runner" and I always thought I would replace it with another Almera but I understand from my garage the newer Almera models aren't as good as mine.

Generally very happy with the car although it would be nice to have one that was more economical to run and cheaper to tax. Extremely spacious and useful for taking a large amount of kit eg taking son to University - fitted bicycle (still fully assembled) and luggage in the car with all three rear seats taken out. Very comfortable to sit in and drive, comfortably seats 5 in total plus luggage in the boot - altogether generally very satisfied. One criticism is that the dip/full beam 'blue' light is situated behind the steering wheel on the dashboard and is not easily visible by the driver as the steering wheel is in the way of its view. As a driver you need to look above or below the steering wheel to see it so not always easy to tell if the lights are dipped or on full beam. Useful reversing camera in rear bumper and screen inside car. Petrol warning light when getting low on fuel, not always very reliable.

Car was bought 2003 with 30k on the clock. I have done a further 100k. The car has been no trouble at all. Always reliable, always starts first time etc. The car still has virtually all of its original equipment ( alternator, wiper motors, radio etc). Its obviously not sporty but then I did not want sporty. Its pretty good in ice and snow ( big tires high ground clearance. The rear seats all come out and you can reconfigure them. The are only 2 real problem with the car. First is rear visibility. The rear window is quite high and you cant see what you are reversing up to. Wing mirrors dont help as car is normally wider than the car behind. Second is the steering lock which is very poor. The car has the turning circle of the QE2. Getting in and out of spaces can be difficult. Overall, I have been pleased with the car and its still going strong.

This car, which I exchanged for my previous Nissan Micra, was poorly reviewed in the press. But turns out to be reliable and a good buy. It was on special offer as part exchange for the Micra. However the body work is not strong. I was hit by another car - not my fault- and surprised to find how easily my car was damaged by a modest impact. Likewise the paint work is very fragile. The ratios of the gears require some getting used to. The change from first to second is uneasy in slow moving traffic and the fifth gear is really only appropriate on motorways. Otherwise I am happy with this car.

I bought my Almera in 2011 with 35K on the clock for £1600. The gearbox bearing failed at 36K, but so far the reconditioned unit has done a further 115K with no problems. All the usual items wear, pads and disks, exhausts, tires, wipers, bulbs but other then these consumables it just keeps going. £2.4k for a practicel car that has lasted 5 years and jus passed its MoT with 2 advisories and stands me £38 per month in deprecation if I scrapped it tomorrow! It's my third Nissan and reputation for reliability whilst being a reasonable drive seems well deserved.

I have owned this car for 7 years and it was a replacement for the 1.5 petrol Nissan almera the difference is night and day the power from the diesel has never let me down apart from replacement disc and pads and tyres oh and front springs nothing major has went wrong the dealers are good and very knowledgeable and as long as its kept serviced no problems my only regret is going to be when I have to replace it I can see major problems but Nissan have just released the pulsar so will be looking at that in a couple of years in no hurry to get rid of my almera

I've had my poky little Nissan for about 3yrs and I'm unemployed meaning that is affordable to run. It really is reliable. It was off the road for 5 months had use of another car and when i started to use my car again it just went with no problems. But there's rust on the back arches but the engine runs like a new car so quite. But i do service it other than wear and tear this car is good. I've been to England and Scotland in it and it up and down no problem. Great little motor. It's a 1999 model as well. Great

All passengers have said that they feel comfortable whether they sit in the rear or the front passenger seat. Noise levels are reasonable and conversations can be held without difficulty. Repair costs have been higher than I expected - I should have made or had made a better inspection before I bought secondhand from a dealer who no longer operates at the location. The driving position suits me and I feel comfortable on long journeys.

I have owned my car for all but the first 12 months of its life and have had no issues whatsoever. The car has not been modified in any way. Despite replacement brakes, exhaust, wipers and oil, it has been troublefree over the 90,000+ miles I have driven it. I have the original clutch and would seriously consider buying a similar car, if I could. This is the best car I have had over my 40 years of driving.

The Almera is a great little car that ticks all of the boxes. Its big enough that five travellers aren't too crowded. With the back seats down it can carry plenty of cargo and it can be really nippy if required. The only drawbacks of note are plenty of problems with the immobaliser, its a tad light in the front leading to lack of grip and without anti-lock brakes it can struggle to stop sometimes at speed.

I've had 2, would have another if they still made them. Comfortable, affordable and definitely a cut above a contemporary Focus or Astra. Adequate interior space in the front - a bit short of legroom in the back when carrying 4 adults, good sounding Clarion factory fit stereo, respectable economy - I get around 40mpg on my commute from my 1.5 16v. Inspired take-away hook has prevented many a spill.

I have had my 10-year old Almera from new and have been very happy with it (since the melted headlight were replaced and I managed to get Nissan to admit fault and pay) apart from one thing. It is a 3 door car with very big doors, but it is difficult to get in and out of the back seats, unless you are young slim and agile. My only reason for changing my car soon is so I can drive my parents around.

Bought the car as research would suggest that Japanese cars were reliable. On the whole very happy with the car as over the 6 years not had many problems. The main worry has been general running costs, I.E. Petrol, Road tax etc. Would like to change the car to something cheaper to run but do not have the funds at present.

During the 3 years of ownership, the only major & expensive repairs have been to the front suspension struts. Being an automatic the brakes need regular cleaning to prevent expensive replacements. The engine size & power is more than sufficient for the body size & weight, even with lots of luggage in the boot.

Had this car since 18 months old, done 90 000 miles since then, only had normal wear and tear item's such as tyres, exhaust and battery. Car is a bit dull but would recommend to anyone who wants reliable economical car. Only trouble is It think that this is the end of the road for Nissan now Renault own them!

The car is a good basic performer. It achieves an urban fuel consumption of approximately 37 mpgand over 40 mpg when cruising. In the four years I've had the car very little has gone wrong. However I would be concerned at the price of spares if buying genuine Nissan parts.

its old its battered it keeps going. will replace it when it finally breaks down. better than a new new car as i won't get stressed if the council refuse truck scrapes it again. it is a thing to be used and not worry about. keep it serviced and it will run for years

I have owned this car for 10 years and have found it to be reliable and cost effective. I had to have a new exhaust fitted recently and found that the defective system was the original part. Serviced every year on an average 7000 miles pa and not failed an MOT.