The wait might have been long, but it's finally here. After launching the refreshed Navara and Terra, Nissan Philippines Inc. (NPI) has officially launched the 2022 Almera. It's set to take on the likes of Toyota Vios, Honda City, and Suzuki Ciaz with its more stylish appearance, high-tech features, and turbocharged powertrain.

Featuring the brand's new Emotional Geometry Design Language, the all-new sedan gets a sporty redesign with sleek LED headlights (halogens on the base model), sharp LED daytime running lights (DRLs), and wraparound LED taillights.

Opt for the new range-topping VL Turbo N-Sport, and the sedan gets a subtle body kit, blacked-out body accents, special 16-inch N-Sport wheels, a dark chrome V-Motion front grille, and silver-painted side mirror caps.

Like the exterior, Nissan also gave the Almera's cabin a design makeover. It now comes with a flat-bottom steering wheel, a gauge cluster with a 7-inch multi-info display, single-zone automatic climate control, tilt/telescopic steering, and red contrast stitching on the seats and trim.

Front and center is an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment screen. Available on the VE and VL N-Sport models, it comes with Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, USB, and Aux. Audio is then routed through a six-speaker audio system. The base EL only comes with a 2-DIN head unit that supports USB, Aux, and Bluetooth, along with a four-speaker sound system. Other features present in the 2022 Almera include fabric or leather upholstery, 3 USB charging ports, and black/white dashboard trim.

A new 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine now powers the Almera. It replaces the 1.5-liter (and 1.2-liter) naturally-aspirated engines from before and makes 100 PS with 152 Nm of torque when paired to a CVT. The five-speed manual version, meanwhile, gets 160 Nm. To help save on fuel, the CVT variants come with an idling stop system.

For the first time, the Almera is available with Nissan Intelligent Mobility. On the range-topping VL Turbo N-Sport, the Almera comes with the complete safety suite of features. These include the 360-degree around-view monitor (AVM) with moving object detection (MOD), forward collision warning (FCW), intelligent emergency braking (IEB), blind-spot warning (BSW), rear-cross traffic alert (RCTA), and hill-start assist (HSA). For the mid-range VE, the Almera only gets AVM with MOD, FCW, IEB, and HSA, while the base-model EL only comes with HSA.

All variants of the Almera are equipped with the following safety features: anti-lock brakes (ABS) with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), brake assist (BA), vehicle dynamic control (VDC), and dual front airbags. The top-spec VL Turbo N-Sport gets additional side and curtain airbags.

Available colors for the 2022 Nissan Almera include Brilliant Silver, Cayenne Red, Galaxy Black, Gun Metallic, Pearl White (+PHP 15,000 extra), and Premium Corona Orange.

"The all-new Almera is the smart and stylish sedan that first-time owners, growing families, and young professionals can trust. As part of Nissan's transformation plan in the Philippines, we are offering a unique and exciting challenger in the competitive passenger car segment," said Atsushi Najima, president and managing director at NPI.

As an added bonus, Nissan says the VE and VL variants of the Almera are covered by a vehicle warranty of 5-years/150,000km, whichever comes first.

Pricing of the 2022 Nissan Almera is as follows:

1.0 EL Turbo M/T – PHP 728,000

1.0 VE Turbo M/T – PHP 938,000

1.0 VE Turbo CVT – PHP 998,000

1.0 VL Turbo N-Sport CVT – PHP 1,098,000