Nissan Almera

Nissan Almera

Manufacturer	Nissan
Production	1995–2006 (Almera Classic, 2006-present) (Almera (Thailand) , 2011-)
Predecessor	Nissan Sunny
Class	Small family car
Layout	FF layout
Related	Nissan Pulsar Nissan Sentra Nissan Bluebird Sylphy Nissan Almera Tino Nissan Versa.

The Nissan Almera is a medium sized family car (small sized family car in Thailand) built by Nissan from 1995 to 2006 (From October 2011 in Thailand). The Almera name was essentially the European export-market name for the Nissan Pulsar / Nissan Sentra / Nissan Bluebird Sylphy

N15 (1995–2000)

N15, NX Almera

Production	Q4 1995–Q1 2000
Assembly	Oppama, Japan
Body style	3-door hatchback 4-door saloon 5-door hatchback
Engine	1.4 L GA14DE I4 1.6 L GA16DE I4 2.0 L CD20 diesel I4 2.0 L SR20DE I4
Wheelbase	2,535 mm (99.8 in)
Length	4,120 mm (162.2 in)
Width	1,690 mm (66.5 in)
Height	1,395 mm (54.9 in)
Curb weight	1,035 kg (2,282 lb)

The first Nissan Almera rolled off the production line in late 1995, as a replacement for the Nissan Sunny, a nameplate which had been in use for nearly 30 years. It was almost identical to the N15 Nissan Pulsar sold in Japan, except with different trim options and petrol engine range.

Power came from 1.4 GA14DE and 1.6 GA16DE petrol and 2.0 CD20 diesel engines initially in 1995, but a year into production a 2.0 SR20DE engined GTi was added to the range. The 1.4, 1.6 and 2.0D engines were available in a three and five door hatch or a four door saloon whereas the GTi was only available in three door hatch.

Almost all Almeras sold in the UK were hatchbacks with three or five doors in contrast to regions such as Ireland, where the saloon version is substantially more commonplace. The level of specification was good, with all models getting power steering, driver airbag, electric mirrors and stereo as standard. Throughout the life of the Almera, many 'special editions' models were available but most of them didn't feature anything above other models. That aside, the Almera as with many Japanese cars had first rate build quality and reliability.

Phase 1 (1995-1998)

Flagship models for each engine capacity are as follows:

• 1.4 Si GA14DE
• 1.6 SRi GA16DE
• 2.0 GTi SR20DE 140ps/131 Lbf (1996 onwards, sold in bodykit and non-bodykit form)

The above all included 'high-spec' bumpers with foglights (Optional on the Si model), alloy wheels from 1996 onwards (Different size and design between Si/SRi 14" and GTi 15"), and rear roof lip spoilers (GTi models sported an integrated brakelight, also spoilers were optional on the Si).

The 2.0 litre GTi had an optional 'aggressive-looking' factory bodykit, with BMW M3-style sideskirts, and front/rear splitters. Non-bodykit models came with a simpler plastic front splitter. The GTi featured uprated suspension, front and rear strut braces and a quicker steering rack,

Phase 2 (1998-2000)

For the phase 2, the front bumpers were re-designed, front splitters were added on the Si/SRi, and the GTi had all-round bodykit as standard (Although it was optional to not have the bodykit), and now all of the lip spoilers had integrated brakelights. The original telescopic radio aerial was moved from the drivers A-pillar to the rear of the roof and was changed to a "bee-sting" type. On the GTi, the phase 2 headlights and front indicators featured a black surround.

The Bodykit itself was changed to a more subtle, straight design on the GTi, with the addition of vents on the rear splitter. Due to the high 'casualty rate' of Phase 1 splitters, due to the thin and brittle plastic used, Phase 2 bodykits were much sturdier. As such, it is not uncommon to find Phase 1 GTi's with Phase 2 bumpers or no splitter at all.

N16 (2000–2006)

N16

Production	Q1 2000-Q4 2006
Assembly	Rosslyn, South Africa[1] Sunderland, United Kingdom[2]
Body style	3-door hatchback 4-door saloon 5-door hatchback
Platform	Nissan MS platform
Engine	1.5 L QG15DE I4 1.5 L K9K diesel I4 1.8 L QG18DE I4 2.2 L YD22DDTi diesel I4
Wheelbase	2,535 mm (99.8 in)
Length	4,184 mm (164.7 in)
Width	1,706 mm (67.2 in)
Height	1,448 mm (57.0 in)
Curb weight	1,285 kg (2,833 lb)

Launched in January 2000, the second generation Nissan Almera differed from its predecessor with smooth, curved lines and being French. Some still thought it bland in comparison with its rivals although the Almera was selling strongly worldwide.

The N16 Almera was based on Nissan's global MS-Platform, which was Nissan's first new platform to be developed after the partnership with Renault. The MS Platform was also the base for the new Primera and Almera Tino.

The Almera Hatchback is basically the same as Pulsar Hatchback sold in Australia and New Zealand. The Almera 4-door Sedan is based on the Bluebird Sylphy, but has different front end.

Critics

The N16 Almera offered great improvements over the previous generation Almera in terms of handling, tyre grip and drive dynamics. The N16 Almera felt much more sure-footed on the road and was exceptionally nimble for a plain family car.

While the previous generation Almera was considered spacious for its class, the N16 Almera was lacking in rear passenger legroom due to a slightly shorter than category average 2.53 metres (99.6 in) wheelbase although the Almera can still can be considered quite spacious and has the advantage of a bigger boot over the previous Almera.

Early version of 1.5 engine were fitted with mechanical throttle, later was replaced by drive-by-wire electronic throttle.

In the forums, many of the Nissan owners are expressing their concerns about premature failures of the timing chain. A stretched timing chain can lead to the engine stalling without a warning, this can be dangerous especially at busy roads. Because it is a rather expensive part, many of them are demanding a product recall. Replacing a stretched timing chain can cost up to £1700 (parts & labour). However, official data seems to be lacking at this point. Nissan owner's manual does not state specific interval for timing chain replacement, so it can be assumed to be a "fix-on-fail" part with no predefined life expectancy. Furthermore, there may be several different factors leading to the timing chain fatigue, notably lubrication and tensioning issues.

More information regarding this known defect can be obtained from Nissan customer services: (UK)01923 899999.

Versions

The second generation Almera was available in three different body styles, a three or five door hatch and a four door saloon with 1.5 and 1.8 Nissan QG engine series petrol engines as well as a 2.2 direct injection turbodiesel (110 bhp) (YD22DDT) or common-rail turbodiesel (136 bhp) (YD22DDTi).

Almeras can be also equipped with 1.5 common-rail turbodiesel (dCi) from the Renault Megane II - Nissan had recently ventured with Renault and the Almera's diesel engine was one of the first instances of Nissan and Renaults sharing mechanicals.

N16 Facelift (2003-2006)

The new facelifted Almera N16 from 2003

In 2003 the Almera was facelifted with updated styling, retuned suspension, new engines and an updated interior.

First, the Almera's Macpherson strut front suspension and multi-link rear suspension (Nissan's name for its double lateral link twist beam suspension) had been retuned. This resulted in a quieter ride and a reduction in the amount of rear bump-through experienced when heavily laden, improving high-speed stability, driving dynamics and making the car more controllable after an emergency maneuver. The new suspension tuning also proved to produce almost no body roll on tight turns. Overall, Nissan said, the Almera had slightly firmer damper settings and marginally stiffer spring ratings; though there had been no loss of ride comfort or increase in noise levels in normal motoring. The suspension revisions had been executed in such a way as to only come into play at the upper edge of the dynamic envelope.

The facelift also included new chrome, projector-style headlights that were set in a titanium-coloured surround with separate lights for main and low beams set behind an enlarged translucent cover. The front bumper now had an integrated engine air intake that ran almost the full width of the car while a honeycomb mesh grille added visual benefits to the frontal image. Some models also got small circular fog lights.

The interior of the facelifted Almera had also been redesigned with better quality materials and a large color or monochrome center screen which controlled all of the car's functions (climate control, CD player and trip computer) was fitted to most models apart from S and Pulse. Higher trim levels also included Nissan's Bird-eye GPS system. ESP (Electronic Stability Program) was fitted to SE, SVE and the range topping SXE (Which also got a switch to turn the ESP on or off).

Additionally there was a change to the Diesel model line up. Nissan introduced new version of Common Rail 2.2 Diesel with 6-speed gearbox. This made the Almera 2.2 dCi (136ps), the fastest Nissan in the UK prior to the arrival of the 350Z.

The facelifted Almera was built in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, UK, and exported to parts of the Asia-Pacific where they were sold as the Nissan Pulsar. In 2006 the second generation Almera reached its sixth year of production but was still selling strongly worldwide. It was also sold in Mexico in three versions; a 5-door manual 5-speed, a 5-door automatic 3-speed "Comfort" model and a 3-door "Sport" version equipped with side curtain air bags, fog lamps and a 5-speed manual transmission.

The Almera finished production on 29 November 2006, but it was not instantly replaced. The Tiida was introduced in several countries as a replacement model throughout 2007 and 2008; although it has yet to be officially imported to the United Kingdom (where the Note crossover is the only successor model on offer), it has been available there through the Arnold Clark dealership network since March 2009 with models sourced from the Republic of Ireland.^[3]

N17 Almera Classic (2006-present)

Almera Classic

In 2002, Renault Samsung Motors in South Korea started producing the Renault Samsung SM3. The car was based on a N16 Pulsar. In 2005 face-lifted then from April 2006, it started selling as the Almera Classic in Ukraine and Russia, in Central America as a N17 Almera, and in the Middle East as a B10/N17 Sunny. In Colombia, Mexico and Egypt, it is sold as Renault Scala

B17 Almera (Thailand) (2011-)

In October 7th 2011 , Nissan in Thailand launched a new model as the economical saloon car in eco-car project for Thailand , which was named Nissan Almera though has no relation to old Almera. It has the same platform as 2012MY Nissan Versa and has a 1.2L petrol engine as same as Nissan Micra , which is sold in Thailand as Nissan March. New Almera has a 5-speed manual transmission or a CVT transmission.

See also

• Nissan Pulsar
• Nissan Sentra
• Nissan Sunny
• Nissan Almera Tino
• Nissan
• Nissanita
• Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd

References

1. ^ "Nissan. Nissan in South Africa". Car-cat.com. http://car-cat.com/firm-1387.html. Retrieved 2010-07-16. 
2. ^ "Nissan. Nissan In Great Britain". Car-cat.com. http://car-cat.com/firm-567.html. Retrieved 2010-07-25. 
3. ^ "Unusual visitor's a Tiida little number". The Daily Record. 2009-04-03. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/consumer/motoring/motoring-news/2009/04/03/unusual-visitor-s-a-tiida-little-number-86908-21249586/. Retrieved 2010-07-16. 

External links

• Nissan UK
• Nissan Almera Owners Club
• NeoVVL Owners Club A resource dedicated to the NeoVVL engine owners.

Few links to the timing chain defect:

• HowToMendIt
• HonestJohn
• Fixed4Free
• ilexa
• boards.ie