Nissan Almera 1.8 16v Hatchback

My dad bought his 97P dark metallic green GTI back in 1998 for £10995 not long after they were launched, with around 9000 miles on the clock. It was only last summer when my parents went on holiday that I finally got to use it for 2 weeks. Appearance – I think the original Almera shape stake some getting used to at first and from the rear it looks strangely oval. The GTI extras make the car far more aggressive and aesthetically pleasing than the standard models. It has 15 inch 5 spoke alloy wheels, side skirts, a deep front spoiler which houses front foglights and a rear roof level ... more

The Almera. A strange car to look at but lovely to drive. That is a typical statement to associate with it. Strange in many ways too. Strange in the fact that, due to its unusual shape and characteristics, it fails to fall into one of the pre-conceived stereotype car brackets that represent the buying public. I mean, how do you persuade people to buy a unconventional family hatchback when for the same kind of money, they could purchase a compact people carrier that seem to be all the rage at the moment? Well, their philosophy is simple and it seems to work. You make your family hatch more ... more

I would like to state, here, right at the beginning that I haven’t the know how to write a technical review so am just writing my own opinion of a car I have driven for just over a year and covered more than 10,000 miles in, some of those in Europe as well as here in England. I have heard the Almera called old mans car, well for me this car was just made for women, it is smooth, spacious, full of little gadgets that make our driving experience more fun and it just has the feel of a woman’s car to me. A little history of my driving here, just to show that I have plenty to base my opinions on. I ... more

As always, Nissan have appealed to the safety-conscious driver, but this engine size means that you feel a bit less staid. It's great knowing you can put your foot down and pull past traffic even though you're driving a car that is often thought of as a "woman's car". There's plenty of space in the front for drivers (and passengers) with longer legs, although it can bit a little cramped in the back. However, the boot area is usefully large. This means that it probably appeals most to people with small children (with all the accompanying paraphernalia) or those that don't carry passengers too ... more

A colleague purchased this car on my company's behalf and having driven it for a period of a year (at the same time as also driving a Range Rover as my main vehicle and other cars as well), this is by far the worst car I've ever driven. The seats are uncomfortable for long journeys; there is such limited room for passengers in the rear that there might as well be just two seats in the front; the handling is appalling; the build quality is the pits; etc etc. Worst of all is the fact the car is so delicate. In car parks it got bashed beyond belief and where other cars would stand firm, the ... more