Today, lets take a look at a popular B segment car that has supposedly been tuned by the performance arm of its manufacturer, the Nissan Almera Tuned by NISMO. I looked up the internet to check whether such a car existed over in Japan, Hong Kong and also Singapore. I found out they called the Almera the Latio in Japan, the Sunny in Hong Kong and Almera in Singapore too.

I also found out over at the NISMO website that NISMO does not actually officially sell a bodykit current model NISMO Latio/ Almera sedan over there. Nor is there such a complete NISMO tuned Latio or NISMO Sunny or NISMO Almera for Singapore. If you are telling me that it is sold in other markets other than this well, if it isn't actually sold in Japan, how relevant is your argument compared to mine then?



There is a very simple explaination for this of course. Malaysians are enamoured by branding. Many of us would rather buy a sedan that is styled with a rear as large as a Kardashian making it have a proportionally unbalanced look to it, one that has tons of interior space (meaning family, babies and maids instead of a roll cage or Initial-D) and somehow would like to think that buying one means that they are on the wavelength as the sublime Nissan GT-R. So what better way of doing so than coming out with an Almera with officially sanctioned NISMO badging all over it? Oh, even if the Almera is powered by a 1.5liter engine with one of those rubber band CVTs instead of a bi-turbo 3.8liter V6 which eats Porsches for breakfast.


I am not saying this isn't an official product. It is. But since this all about marketing and that opening up the NISMO Japan as well as Nissan Japan's website there isn't a whiff of the current Almera/Latio NISMO sedan of it in there. Take a look above and below for the NISMO complete car line-up and the exterior parts catalouge for 2014 taken from NISMO Japan. The Tiida/Latio is for the previous hatchback model if you are wondering.



And so, in this case, NISMO may faintly mean (NIS)SAN (MO)TORSPORTS Almera. It may actually mean (NIS)SAN (M)ALAYSIA (O)NLY Almera. So again, I believe I have mentioned this before, buy these sort of cars without any 'tuning'. Buy the normal Nissan Almera, or the normal Toyota Vios instead of something called the VIOS TRD Sportivo (you get a bodykit too, but you can't really chase an GT86 on Sepang with one). These are bread and butter models.

Save the extra money and buy a proper Nissan like the Juke (Nissan Malaysia should officially bring this in as it is a properly good urban SUV), Teana, 370z, Skyline, GT-R when you can afford it. I suppose ignorance is bliss, but dammit, wake up!

Currently the best selling non-national car in the market simply because it is fresh and new (before the launch of the all-new Vios. Nissan has a NISMO package for the car and you can buy it together with the Almera or separately. In short you can upgrade any Almera that had been purchased prior to the launch of the Nissan Almera NISMO packages.



Nissan Almera NISMO Packages

NISMO Performance Package     (RM13,000)
NISMO Aero Package                 (RM8,000)

Individual Parts Pricing  
Aerokit (includes Front Bumper Spoiler, Rear Bumper Spoiler, Side Skirts, and Trunk Lid Spoiler)
Aerokit (includes Front Bumper Spoiler, Rear Bumper Spoiler, Side Skirts, and Trunk Lid Spoiler) RM3,600
 
NISMO 16-inch Alloy Wheels (Set of 4)            RM2,800 per set  
Continental Max Contact MC5 tyres (Set of 4)   RM1,600 per set
 
NISMO Sports Exhaust Muffler          RM2,000  
NISMO Performance Suspension System  RM3,000

* Aerokit is offered as a package
Personally, I'd buy an Almera without any of the parts mentioned above. Save your hard earned money and buy a basic Almera if you want to buy one. I shall mention the reasons below:

1. The Almera is ugly. It has a big butt. It is like a female version of Kim Kardashian. Very polarising as some like big butts. I don't. I know it has a lot of rear space and boot space. But it is because of all the space that it has a very rear biased design. Look at it properly. The bodykit does help a little but only a little.

2. The bodykit does not in any way make the ugly Almera into a Nissan GT-R. You must be insane if you thought it did.

3. People who buy RM80,000 cars are on a budget. Do not splurge on cars or parts like this. Save up so you can buy a real Nissan. By this I mean anything that isn't an Almera - although the current Slyphy sold here is the previous model and does not even have disc brakes. So don't buy that too.

4. Buy a Nissan Teana if you have saved up that extra RM13,000 - It adds a lot to the downpayment of a proper sized sedan. Uncle cars like the Teana can actually cruise at over 150km/h without breaking a sweat. You could cruise all day in one unlike any Almera equipped with a noisy NISMO exhaust and performance suspension set. Why? You're just adding noise (with maybe a horsepower or two) and a harsher ride to a car that is fundamentally a budget family sedan that even a Malaysian made Proton Suprima S could run rings round any time of the day. Adding Noise, Vibration and Harshness in a car that was designed to a budget means that if this is your daily drive it means adding pain and suffering to yourselves.

5. Of course, it is your money but you must remember that RM13,000 earns a hell of a lot of interest if put in unit trusts or a high yield savings account and it could actually be used to buy a nicer looking car after you're done with the basic, run of the mill Almera. And trust me, a lot of cars are nicer to look at compared to the Almera.