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Smarter than ever: The Nissan Almera

With the addition of NissanConnect Services, the Almera is in its smartest version yet.

Earl Lee on Aug 30, 2023

When the Nissan Almera got a facelift, it wasn’t just to keep things fresh, but to elevate and expand upon the capabilities of the model for users and owners. NissanConnect Services has helped enhance the user experience of the Almera in a rather meaningful way, and you could also say that it’s changed the game for the subcompact sedan segment in the Philippines.

Why? Perhaps it’s the fact that most of these subcompact cars are often the first cars that people buy or because most cars of this class or because it’s a shared car among family members to use on a daily basis. Changing the game for a market that’s used to the basics is a big deal. Putting NissanConnect Services on the Almera is just the tip of the iceberg for Nissan Philippines as we can expect the feature to trickle down into the other models soon enough—Or should we say “trickle up?” Since this is one of Nissan’s more affordable models, it’s interesting to see the working-class hero get the latest features before any of the other models.

Related: 2024 Nissan Almera — First Drive Impressions

Argument: Perfect as a family car

There is one scenario where we see the Almera being a very good fit as a family vehicle. Now, we do admit that the model could be a little too small for big families, but as a shared vehicle among family members, it’s actually an interesting choice, namely with regard to that act: “sharing.”

Whether it’s the head of the family (patriarch or matriarch), the kids, or even a friend, there are features in place that NissanConnect Services offers that are fit for purpose when it comes to sharing the automobile. If you have a son or daughter, and you want to monitor his or her outings as a responsible parent, you can do that with the Almera. Location services may be an annoying pop-up on your phone after you first download an app, but when it comes to the safety of your family members, you’d want to know if they’re okay and you’d want to know the details of their drive, that is if you’re very concerned.

Kids, this may be your worst nightmare, parents, this could be the best tool of the trade so far. With data from the NissanConnect module, the car owner can find out the location, speed, and status of the car. All kidding aside, however, the most important bit of information that the NissanConnect Services feature can send out is the accident reporting and SOS signal. Because of that service, car owners can send out distress calls and the car will even report to the owner as well. Emergency services can be called to the location of the car to assist as well. Whether it’s to monitor or to help, it’s a great feature to have and something that we’re all for in the name of safety.

Anyone’s car

With its automatic transmission, it’s an easy drive. With the pep of the turbocharged three-cylinder, it’s more than enough to get up to speed. Capable and easy to drive out of the box, things are made easier with the addition of a backup camera, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and other driving assists like vehicle dynamic control. As a car for a growing family, there are even accommodations for ISOFIX tethers for child seats or other accessories that you may need when bringing new life into the world.

Owners will appreciate the generous amounts of space in the boot. With 490 liters of space, the Almera makes quick work of grocery runs and shopping trips with its wide opening and its cavernous floor area. Get more space by folding the rear seats for those extra large or extra heavy shopping days for your home.

On top of that, it’s not that boring of a car to drive. The typical family car tends to be on the more boring side of things with decent handling and acceleration, however, with more of a skew towards practicality. While acceleration is fair, the Almera was a surprisingly dynamic car to drive on a twisty provincial road.

The Almera might be a car that you’d like so much as an owner that sharing it might not be so easy. With the additional features that Nissan was able to bake in, however, you might be able to hand over the keys with a little more confidence.

Also, you can find out how the car was driven, and knowing how your pride and joy were driven and where it was driven at “too fast” of a speed, will also be added peace of mind. Plus, if someone would like to “borrow” your car, you will be notified if it goes out without you knowing or if it’s crossed some type of boundary.

However, perhaps the best security feature of the Almera is not with the alarm or the immobilizer system, it’s actually with regard to theft. Should the worst come to pass and your car gets stolen from underneath your nose, there is still hope for you to track it and find out where it is, perhaps even alert the authorities and give them an easy time finding the thief. What’s great about this system is that it is also hard-wired into the car. So even if the thieves were to, let’s say, read one of our articles about the new Almera, they’d have a hard time figuring out how to deactivate the feature since it’s so integrated into the car.