Next Almera Tones Up

By Chris Thorp

25th January 2005

The styling has remained true to the original concept, which was revealed to the public at 2004's Paris Motor Show. Based on an extended version of the current Micra's platform, the new arrival is longer and wider than its supermini sibling, yet retains a low roofline. At 3.99m in length, it's 27cm longer than a Micra, but has a wheelbase only 2cm shorter than the X-Trail's.

The car is not simply a new version of the Almera, though; the idea is to bridge the gap between superminis and small family hatchbacks, and offer an alternative to those people who want to avoid conventional MPVs. Nissan's UK bosses are still waiting for confirmation of a production version of the Qashqai concept, the compact SUV seen at last year's Geneva Motor Show. It would fit in the range as an Audi A3 rival.
At the front, the five-door Note wears the company's new grille, flanked by two oversized headlamps. At the rear, there's a fashionable reverse angle C-pillar and neat high-mounted light clusters which continue on to the roof.

Inside, there's seating for five, with a sharply styled cabin that shares many parts with the Micra. The Tone's versatility is boosted by a large boot with split-level facility which provides stowage for small or valuable items below the floor. When the car arrives in Britain as the Tone, it will come with a choice of 87bhp 1.4 or 108bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines. Diesel options will be 64bhp or 85bhp 1.5-litre units.

While exact prices are yet to be set, Nissan has confirmed that the model line-up will mirror that of the Micra, with three trims - S, SE and SVE. The base model will be under ΂£10,000.