2020 Honda City VS 2020 Nissan Almera Turbo: Prices Are Out, It's Decision Time!

2020 Nissan Almera Turbo vs 2020 Honda City: Can't decide which one to buy? 

Let us help you out! 

Now that the prices are finally out for the 2020 Nissan Almera Turbo (from RM80K) and the All-New Honda City (from RM74K), it's decision time for those who have been mulling over these two cars for the last few months or so.

They are pretty closely matched and will no doubt present a headache when it comes to choosing time, so if you're still undecided, perhaps these three points can sway you in the right direction.

Are you prepared to wait?

Even though one car has a turbocharged engine and the other has a naturally aspirated one, the performance figures for both cars are not really far off on the surface. But if you look closer, there are some details which can give a telltale sign that they will both be completely different when the green light comes on.

The Honda City, with its 1.5-litre N/A engine pushes out 121PS/145Nm while the Nissan Almera Turbo with its 1.0-litre turbocharged engine provides 100PS/152Nm. 

While there isn't much in it between the two when it comes to performance, the fact that the Almera's 152Nm of torque kicking in between 2,000-4,000rpm means that it will be faster off the blocks. This will be very helpful for city driving where you need torque down low. 

On the highway, on the other hand, the Honda City will probably be better as its torque kicks in higher up the rev range at 4,300rpm. This will give the Honda City better usable power at higher cruising speeds.

Better be safe than sorry

To get the full lock stock and two smoking barrels of safety features,  you would need to purchase the Honda City RS which will come with Honda Sensing. 

The Almera Turbo, on the other hand, comes with a slew of safety features as standard, including Intelligent Forward Emergency Braking and Intelligent Forward Collision Warning, Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) and traction control, ABS, EBD, brake assist, two rear Isofix points as well as hill start assist. 

To say that the Honda City is less safe is far fetched, but the standard safety features on the Almera Turbo is impressive.

You might as well wait for the Honda City RS

If you're planning to buy the highest spec Nissan Almera Turbo (VLT), you might as well just wait for the Honda City RS (slated to arrive in Jan 2021) because there is reliable insider information that the Honda City RS will be priced under RM100k. 

The Almera Turbo VLT is priced at RM91,310, and if the Honda City RS is under RM100k, the monthly payment between the two would not be that much different.

If the difference is not that much, then the Honda City RS with its Honda Sensing safety features and 1.5-litre Atkinson-cycle DOHC i-VTEC engine plus two-hybrid motors which have an output of 108PS and 253Nm will be the safer and faster car.

Ultimately, the decision goes down to what you can afford and whatever your budget is. Both manufacturers have provided a variety of variants to suit your needs. In our opinion, if you want to spend big, wait for the Honda City RS, if you're going to be frugal with your money, the Almera Turbo is not a bad shout.