Nissan Almera lives up to what you see

Sometimes it’s easy to put your finger on just what attracts you to a car in the first place. For me it was certainly the stylish lines of the Nissan Almera, with its curvy roof and spoiler.

And it didn’t disappoint in performance, either. This small family car is both gutsy and well-behaved and comes with plenty of bottle. And I wasn’t the only motor writer to have a soft spot for the car since it was short-listed in the Semperit Car of the Year 2001.

Just to be different, let’s start with the classy rear end, a vast improvement of the previous model and in line for Rear of the Year perhaps? The back is dominated by a large back window with overhead spoiler which continues down the sides of the window giving a very nice effect - not heavy looking, but interesting. Large side windows continue the curve effect in their shape.

Up front, the strong new grille and large headlights make the Almera stand out strongly from its peers.

But does the inside match up? Well, yes it does. It’s certainly quite spacious with two-tone gray plastic, and plenty of metallic detailing which gives a lift to the dashboard areas. Seats are extremely comfy and come in a stylishly patterned material with darker charcoal trim. There’s also plenty of leg room in the back. The pattern material is continued on side doors.

I particularly liked little touches, such as the long arm rests which run the length of the two front doors with good sized compartments underneath. Actually the car comes with lots and lots of cubbies, including a decently-sized front passenger glove compartment and a large slot on the top of the centre dash for your mobile phone or cash.

Another nice touch are the little buttons on the steering wheel that allow you change radio stations and the volume without taking your eyes off the road. I got to enjoy switching around channels in this fashion and believe it is a definite plus when it comes to safe driving.

For techno faddies, there’s a 12-volt plug behind the front seats which could be used for computer work or for the kids to while away a journey with their game machines. Definitely a plus. However there are no flaps to hold things behind the two front seats, only smaller cubbies to the sides.

I also liked the instruments which looked great and were easy to see and read. This was emphasised by the white numbers on the dark background, complete with metallic surround which gives a great lift to the plastic. This effect is repeated on the radio controls and on the centre console as well as the two-cup drinkholder slot, which incidentally, didn’t come with a separator. Overall, it’s a very impressive, clean-cut look.

So, does the Almera handle as good as it looks? Well, yes, it does. And I gave it plenty of varied road work just to make sure, ranging from motorways to the bumpy bog roads of County Kildare as well as a lot of urban use. Truth to tell, I became quite fond of the Almera and it was with a certain reluctance that I handed back the keys. Another time, maybe?

I drove a number of versions, including the 1.5- and 1.8-litre cars as well as the 2.2-litre diesel van. Standard equipment on all includes twin airbags, remote central locking, and ISOFIC child seat fixing system.