2000 Nissan Almera S 1.5 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

I look forward to the day when we change it for something better

Faults:

The glove box catches keep breaking off, causing the lid to fall onto the passengers legs when opened.

The plastic trims around the front window switches are loose.

The seats stain very easily.

General Comments:

The performance feels very poor; the engine needs to be worked very hard to make barely adequate progress.

The steering has no feeling whatsoever and is too light.

The turning circle is dreadful, parking at the supermarket (or any car park) involves lots of three pointers.

The build quality is not as good as our previous Micra which we bought from new. For example, the glove box keeps breaking off which may be due to the fact that this has to be completely removed to change the air conditioning pollen filter, according to our local garage.

Although the driving position is comfortable, you get the feeling that the dash and side panels are too high, even with the seat fully raised.

For a car that does not feel particularly fast, the fuel economy is disappointing. Admittedly, we use the car for the school run, but do not thrash it and yet we struggle to get more than 30 to 32 m.p.g.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 1st August, 2003

4th Oct 2004, 09:38

I took an Almera for a test drive, opened the glovebox and it fell on to the floor, must be a design fault.

7th Mar 2005, 07:50

If the two lugs on the rear of the glovebox are not in the correct position, the glove box will drop out. Open the lid, check by turning them that they are engaging the surrounding frame.

Not defending a weak design, just something to check if you were suffering the same problem. If these tabs are broken they are available from Nissan for very little.

The design generally is bomb proof, interiors wear relatively well by comparison although 3 door seat belt recoil mechanisms are generally weak within 30,000 miles because of the extension arm.

14th Jun 2005, 15:28

I notice that one recurring comment is about the almera's turning circle. I have never had a problem, but then again I have driven coaches on roads that are narrow for cars, taken 28 foot long by 8 foot wide access buses into council estate culdi sacs. Maybe the problem exists with the driver.

2000 Nissan Almera SPORTDECK 1.8 petrol from Finland

Summary:

Unjustly overlooked due to motoring press prejudice

Faults:

In two and a half years nothing apart from headlight bulb failure. Headlights must be on in daytime too in Finland so this is no big surprise. Cheap and easy to replace 4 Euro each.

General Comments:

Read the motoring press eg CAR WHATCAR TOP GEAR and all you'll find is sarcastic remarks about Nissan being boringly reliable.. Is THAT a crime?Not when you have to own and run a car from your own pocket it isn't!

The Almera is my wife's car and we are both extremely pleased with it, it has never given any trouble whatsoever. The 1.8 engine is powerful and makes an excellent long distance car. Average fuel economy is very good on long runs too,7.0litres/100kms or less.

The heating and Air con system are first rate and the headlights (important in long Arctic winters) are astounding. Controls and gearbox nice to use.

Quality of assembly of the cabin is excellent, no rattles or squeaks after 2.5 years. Can FORD manage that? The cars produced in the UK seem to be of very high quality (I own a 2002 Primera and am very pleased with that too, see my review) it uses no oil at all and no leaks anywhere despite having to be in -25 c.

Sunvisor is pathetic though, it is stamp sized and is frankly useless at doing its job. Tyre noise is high too, but this is due to Bridgestones, a switch to Continental should alter that.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th November, 2002

18th Nov 2002, 10:21

I completely agree with the comment about the factory-fitted Bridgestone tyres. They wear extremely fast (although they may be quiet). At 70000km I need 2 front tyres while my previous car, a Peugeot 405 (a dreadful car, incidentally) was still on its original front tyres at 120000km despite having towed a caravan for about 9000km.