The Honda City and the Nissan Almera recently got updated for the 2024 model year, with refreshed exteriors giving them a more modern appearance.

In addition, all variants of the City now get the Honda SENSING active-safety suite, along with Honda CONNECT. Meanwhile, the top-spec Almera now has NissanConnect Services.

These have elevated the amount of technology in these sedans, bringing them closer to one another regarding what they offer buyers.

That said, we will compare both vehicles to see which one will come out on top with better facelift upgrades. 

Which got the better facelift?

The changes to the Honda City are more subtle than its Nissan counterpart.

The Honda sedan now has a revised grill, a new set of bumpers, and new foglight bezels. However, it still retains its sleek and sporty shape with the addition of a new set of wheels. 

The Nissan Almera, on the other hand, has received a more radical update with a completely new front fascia design over its predecessor. However, the changes give the vehicle a new look thanks to more horizontal design elements.

The winner for this category is the Nissan Almera, as its facelift changes are more evident to the naked eye and to those unfamiliar with cars. 

Winner: Nissan Almera

Familiar interiors

As these are facelifted models, the changes inside the vehicles are more subtle compared to the exterior. 

The Honda City retains the same dashboard layout, but has more prominent interior accents. 

The RS model gets a red accent on the dashboard, along with a new 4.2-inch TFT meter with red ambient lighting. Other variants of the City get green ambient lighting for their displays. 

As for its technology, the Honda City gets a new, high-resolution, 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for the RS, V and S models. 

The Nissan Almera, on the other hand, retains the same cabin layout as its predecessor but receives a more colorful interior with blue accents. Like before, the Almera retains its 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 

The changes done to the Almera and the City may be minor, but they are substantial enough. The Nissan sedan gets a more colorful interior, while the Honda sedan gets minor tweaks to its gauge cluster.

That said, the vehicle with the more evident changes wins and that is the Nissan Almera, thanks to its blue accents strew across the cabin. 

Of course, if you want something more familiar or premium, you can’t go wrong with the updated Honda City. 

Winner: Nissan Almera

NA vs. turbo power

Under the hood, the Honda City has a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder gasoline engine.

It produces 121 PS and 145 Nm of torque. The recent update to the sedan axed the old 5-speed manual transmission, leaving just the continuously variable transmission (CVT) to send power to the front wheels for all models.

The Nissan Almera, on the other hand, has a 1.0-liter turbocharged 3-cylinder gasoline engine. It produces 100 PS and 152 Nm of torque for the CVT and 100 PS and 160 Nm for its 5-speed manual transmission variant.

The numbers don’t lie, as the Honda City has the more powerful engine in terms of horsepower. However, we can’t deny that the Nissan Almera has more torque.

As the City has the naturally aspirated motor, it wins this category as it is easier to maintain.

Winner: Honda City

More safety features

If we were to compare the pre-facelift Honda City and the Nissan Almera, the Nissan would win as it comes with the brand’s Intelligent Mobility suite of safety features. 

However, as part of its most recent update, Honda Cars Philippines has given the City Honda SENSING and Honda Connect. These offer features comparable to the Almera, such as adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist. 

Along with the facelift, the Almera also got access to NissanConnect Services, which lets users control certain aspects of the vehicle from their mobile phones.

That being said, this category is a tie as both sedans have similar features. 

Winner: Tie

Competitive pricing

When buying a new car, one of the key deciding factors is the pricing. 

Below are the suggested retail prices of both the Nissan Almera and the Honda City:

Honda City

• E – ₱973,000
• S – ₱998,000
• V – ₱1,073,000
• RS – ₱1,128,000

Nissan Almera

• EL MT – ₱839,000
• VE CVT – ₱1,059,000
• VL CVT with Nissan Connect Services – ₱1,149,000

As you can see, the Almera has the more affordable entry-level model, with the City already nearing the ₱1 million mark for its E variant. However, the Almera in its VL trim is more expensive than the RS model of the City.

These sedans answer to different niches, with the Honda City offering something more premium and sporty. In contrast, the Almera offers something more spritely thanks to its turbocharged motor. 

We will give the overall win for this comparison to the Honda City as it offers you more value and standard features, despite its higher entry-level price point. 

Which of these refreshed subcompact sedans would you choose?

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