Nissan ALMERA TINO 1.8 S
Nissans Almera Tino
Mini-MPV makes Plenty Of Family Sense In Entry-Level 1.8 S Guise. Jonathan Crouch Checks It Out
If you want a mini-MPV, then youre not short of choice these days. Renaults Scenic started the craze for shrunken people carriers and in recent times, their lead has been followed by manufacturers as diverse as
Vauxhall,
Daewoo and
Kia. Arguably the most family-friendly of these arrivals however, is the car on test here Nissans Amera Tino, which were looking at in its most affordable 1.8-litre S guise.
Priced at £12,995, its priced to compete with the entry level
Citroen Xsara Picasso, but you do get a 115bhp 1.8-litre petrol engine rather than Citroens 1.6-litre unit thats been given a mild overhaul of late to improve torque and fuel consumption. The 2.
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2-litre direct injection diesel is no longer available with the entry-level S version, this engine having given way to a pair of 2.2-litre dCi common-rail diesels that are only availavble in plusher SE and SVE guises. Either way, you can expect to find features like ABS with Brake Assist, twin front and side airbags and a CD-based stereo. The interior has been thoroughly updated in line with the Almera hatch.
Like its smaller sibling, the Tino adopts a version of the Primeras N-FORM dashboard, with many of the minor controls being marshalled by a 16 big buttons and an LCD screen. The entry-level S version gets a 6-inch screen and side airbags and active front headrests have also been fitted.
Seat back tables and a rear storage drawer under the front passenger seat add more versatility. Versatility is almost taken as a given in the
mini-MPV market and the Tino at first tried to build its UK reputation on driving dynamics.
Other rivals claim to offer this too but you only need to drive an ordinary Almera hatchback (which shares virtually all of its mechanicals with the Tino) to realise that theres a difference with this car. The whys and wherefors dont really matter (low centre of gravity, very stiff body, highly regarded QT multi-link beam axle suspension). Whats important is the driving experience, a definite selling point but not a crucial one.
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Nissan has concentrated on getting better use of the space available, rather than just filling it with seats"
People simply dont buy mini-MPVs to throw them around beautiful back roads. Versatility is the key and this Nissan had better be up to the task in hand. At first glance, you might wonder. After all, there are only five seats in a market where other rivals offer six or even seven.
Like
Citroen, Nissan believe that most buyers dont want or need that many chairs (but have covered their bets by secretly developing a seven-seat version just in case). Instead, theyve concentrated on getting better use out of the space available, rather than filling it with pews: its an approach that actually makes a lot of sense. At first glance inside, the approach seems familiar. As with other rivals, there are three individual rear seats, each with its own triple-point seatbelt (though only the outer two have Isofix child seat mounts). These seats are infinitely flexible, with no fewer than 24 different positioning configurations.
They can of course be removed and/or folded forward, which in the case of the middle seat means you instantly create a picnic/activity table, with two cupholders and a ribbed section to hold pencils and crayons. Alternatively, you can slide them backwards and forwards on runners that allow 90mm of travel with the centre seat in place and 200mm without. With kids in the back, you can push them right forwards to create a huge luggage area: with adults however, you might wish to slide them right back for extra legroom and that mini-Limo feel. With only two rear passengers, that feeling could be further enhanced by taking the middle seat out completely and moving the two outer chairs inwards by six inches. Since most customers will be carrying kids in the back, Nissan has conducted exhaustive research to make the rear compartment as child-friendly as possible. As a result, the original design was altered to create deep rear side windows and back seats mounted 25mm higher than those in the front.
This means your offspring will get an excellent view as will you of them. Surveys have showed that most parents place their youngest child in the back on the opposite side from the driver in order to see them better. So in the Tino, the front seat backrests have been shaved and the front chairs themselves set far apart to give a big, wide space for a clear view into the rear. As in the
Renault Scenic, there are two hidden compartments under the floor in the rear footwells but in the Nissan, theyre more useful, with lift-out baskets incorporated into the design.
Both front seats have airline-style flip-out trays on the back and theres a map pocket underneath each one. Other nice touches include a powerpoint for rear passengers and secure hidden storage under the rear seats. Luggage space should be sufficient for most families and shopping bags can be either secured or separated by endless permutations of loading nets, based around no fewer than ten hooks, several of which can be used to make a kind of hammock that will keep dirty shoes off the carpet. Though the concertinaed rear parcel shelf cant be raised or lowered to different levels a la Scenic, it can be folded from either the front or the back, so that rear passengers can reach behind them to get things from the boot.
The relatively small number of Tinos that Nissan is producing from its Spanish factory will limit this Almeras impact here but nevetheless, this is a car that deserves to do well. Flexible families should try one.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Nissan Almera Tino 1.8 S
PRICE: £12,995 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 5
CO2 EMISSIONS: 183g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 12.7s / Max Speed 108mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 27.4mpg/ (extra-urban) 44.8mpg/ (combined) 36.2mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, ABS WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE: length/width/heightmm 4264/1758/1608mm
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