The Nissan Almera has been known to have good fuel consumption (FC), coming with a downsized turbo engine instead of the B-segment sedan class norm of a 1.5-litre natural aspirated engine. But how good is the FC exactly? That was what the Nissan Lightfoot Quest 2024 by Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) set out to find out.
Held over the weekend, the contest saw 30 teams – 21 owners driving their own Almera and nine from the media including our Hafriz Shah driving cars from ETCM’s fleet – covering a distance of 203 km. The route was from the Nissan 3S Flagship Store in PJ to Uniti Republic Cafe in Ipoh, with a pitstop at BHP Bandar Seri Botani in Ipoh where the fuel economy of each vehicle was tabulated and verified.
To ensure a level playing field and fuel efficiency levels that can be replicated in real-world conditions, every participating Almera was required to be in their original condition (unmodified) and manufactured between the year of 2020 and 2024. Also, vehicles had to retain their original seats, door cards and spare wheel in the boot while drivers were also required to be accompanied by an adult passenger.
Aside from adhering to the stipulated route, the challenge had to be completed within 2 hours 45 minutes, and the fuel lids of the cars were secured with tamper-proof stickers.
Results? The top figure of 28.61 km/l was recorded by Muhammad Nifail Bin Basri of KL, which car consumed merely seven litres of petrol for the trip. The second and third finishers recorded FC of 27.31 km/l and 27.14 km/l respectively. In the media category, Gan Yong Li and Muhammad Sharil Bin Tarmize took the top spot on the podium with a score of 28.2 km/l. Amazing stuff, tabik!
So, how did Hafriz do? Our man consumed (not literally!) 7.592 litres of fuel for a score of 25.92 km/l. That’s just RM15.56 worth of RON 95 from KL to Ipoh! He said that he drove between 90 to 110 km/h on the PLUS. While that’s not very slow for a fuel economy challenge, Hafriz reported that the strict time limit (there was some traffic getting out of PJ too) means that hypermiling wasn’t an option – indeed, a few cars were given penalties for arriving late.
That’s a realistic speed that this writer frequently does on the highway, so Hafriz’s results aren’t achieved by extraordinary circumstances. By the way, they were not allowed to turn off the aircon – the AC for all cars were set at 19 degrees with the fan level at three, secured by tamper-proof stickers. My own AC default setting is less cold than this, so I’m now typing with amazement.
“We are proud to be holding the Nissan Lightfoot Quest once again, this time to showcase the exceptional fuel efficiency of the Nissan Almera 1.0L Turbo. Not only is the Almera stylish and fun to drive, its technologically-advanced turbocharged powertrain allows it to be responsive yet frugal in everyday use,” said Khoo Cheng Pah, CEO of ETCM.
“With petrol prices expected to be adjusted upwards in the near future, the Almera is an even more compelling option in the B-sedan segment,” he added.
Hafriz spoke to the winner to learn more about his right foot skill and experience with the Almera. Turns out that Muhd Nifail – who signed up for the Lightfoot Quest after watching our TikTok video – is a true pro, as he’s a Grab driver who drives the Nissan 300 km daily.
The FC king has racked up over 100,000 km in two years and probably knows better than most how to eke out the best possible FC from the turbo-CVT combo. He told us that his N18 Almera is extremely jimat minyak in its duties (just keep the rpm below 2,000) and servicing costs are also low. A happy owner who’s now even happier after bagging RM3,000 for half a day’s work.
Theoretically, Muhd Nifail can drive 1,000 km on a single full tank with his winning FC. By the way, the Almera’s official fuel consumption rating is 18.4 km/l, but published FC is mixed and not a predominantly highway drive as what Lightfoot Quest contestants did. Either way, very impressive. A refresher on the Almera here.
IMO, Malaysians generally tend to have a somewhat tidak apa attitude when it comes to FC, thanks to our low price of subsidised fuel. Bad habits include going round the block multiple times just to find a parking spot directly in front of the shops, leaving the engine and AC on when tapau food (both of these are also polluting), big focus on power or mods that add weight (and in many cases, affect aero), and the list goes on. With blanket diesel subsidy already gone, petrol is next, so reality is just around the corner – will FC jump up in carbuyers’ priority list?
GALLERY: Nissan Lightfoot Quest 2024, PJ to Ipoh
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