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NISSAN Almera / Pulsar 3 Doors Models/Series Timeline, Specifications & Photos

Generations: 3
First production year: 1995
Engines: Gasoline, Diesel
Body style: Hatchback
NISSAN Almera / Pulsar 3 Doors photo gallery

The second generation of the Nissan Almera was restyled in 2003. The three-door version was received new engines, a new interior, and an updated exterior look.

The Almera was a compact vehicle built as a 3- or 5-door hatchback, or a 4-door sedan. The 3-door version was considered the sportiest, due to its look. But underneath the skin there was the same hatchback, but with fewer doors.

The rounded look of the Almera was enhanced with the introduction of the new headlights, which were bigger and featured a clear-lens over the headlamps. And they were bigger. As a result, the grille was updated, and, to complete the changes, the taillights were redesigned.

Inside, there were more modifications to the car. The center stack featured a retractable lid on top, which covered the navigation system if the car was fitted with one. The instrument cluster layout was re-designed, with the fuel gauge and the coolant temperature on the right. The center place was taken by the speedometer and the tachometer went on the left, where the fuel-gauge was installed on the pre-facelift version.

For the engine compartment, the facelifted Almera received new diesel units from its new alliance partner, the French car-maker Renault. For the gasoline units, the Almera kept its Nissan engines of 1.5- and 1.8-liter.

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NISSAN Almera / Pulsar 3 Doors photo gallery

The second generation of the Almera was no longer designed in Japan, resulting in a classy European hatchback built on a platform developed by Nissan and its new ally, Renault.

Renault built the first modern hatchback in the world. It was the Renault 16 in 1965, and it constantly improved and changed them. Nissan, on the other hand, was not that good at that. Thanks to the French help, it created a car designed around the driver and focused on a family. The Almera/Pulsar was more of a teenager car or for a young couple in the three-door version.

Its rounded design was a reminiscence of the bio-design era but enriched with a few sharp angles on the front grille that belonged to the new-edge-design trend. Its corner-mounted turn signals with clear glass and yellow bulbs made the car looks sportier. Unlike its five-door sibling, the three-door version featured longer doors and sloped-down fixed rear windows. Even the roof was slightly sloped, with a small kick above the C-pillars and a lip above the rear windscreen to aerodynamically enhance the car.

Inside, the curved lines dominated the dashboard. Only the navigation screen (offered as an option) and the center vents featured squared lines. In the instrument panel, the speedometer took the center stage flanked by the tachometer on the left and the fuel and coolant-temperature gauges on the right. The bucket-seats were designed more for comfort and provided little bolstering. In the back, Nissan installed a split-folding bench, fit for two adults, but the legroom was limited.

Under the hood, Nissan installed a choice of own or Renault-sourced turbo-diesel and gasoline engines. It paired them with a five-speed manual and an option for a four-speed automatic for the 1.8-liter version.

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NISSAN Almera / Pulsar 3 Doors photo gallery

In its attempt to compete against the European hatchbacks, Nissan also produced a three-door version for its compact-sized Almera, which was known in other markets as Pulsar.

The Japanese automaker was not in its best financial status when it designed the first generation of the Almera, and it tried to find some solutions to lower the production costs for this vehicle. While some solutions proved to be smart, others showed a lack of imagination, at least from the design point of view.

At the front, the Almera showed a similar front fascia as the Primera P10 generation with horizontal headlights and a small grille between them that sported the Nissan logo on its upper side. The bumper featured an additional center grille crossed by a slat extended from side to side over the fake side air intakes. On the three-door version, the Almera featured the same C-pillar carried over from its five-door sibling and unusually wide rear side windows. In the back, the carmaker installed wide taillights split between the rear quarter panels and the tailgate.

Inside, the bland design continued with a simple, curved dashboard and a low-profiled instrument cluster that hosted two larger dials for the speedometer and tachometer, plus the gauges for the fuel level and the coolant temperature. On the center stack, Nissan placed the audio system above the climate control unit. In the back, the split-folding seatback allowed the owner to increase the trunk size. Thanks to the longer doors and the tumble front seats, the access to the rear seats was decent. Even better than other three-door hatchbacks from the same era.

Under the hood, Nissan offered the Almera a choice of four engines and paired them with a standard five-speed manual transmission. Top of the range version, the GTI, featured a naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter inline-four.

full description and technical specifications