Nissan Terrano

Nissan Terrano Preview

The Terrano is the Nissan’s version of the Renault Duster. The Franco-Japanese alliance share more than just the facility in India and this is yet another product from Chennai with simple badge engineering. The Nissan Terrano has now been unveiled and here are all the details of variants, features, spec and other details, along with few photographs.

The Terrano shares more than a few components with its French sibling. It will be based on the same platform as the Duster, it will offer same engine / transmission options, will have very similar dimensions and cabin space, same wheel size and very similar interior trims.

Nissan has concentrated mainly on the looks of the new compact SUV to distinguish it from the Renault’s product. The Terrano looks like one Nissan’s own SUV range with split grille and rugged looks. The compact SUV is more edgy with a sharp front features. The side profile also has bold lines but unlike Duster’s these don’t curve and are angular. The flared wheel-arches make the Terrano look aggressive and distinguishing it from most of Nissan’s models in India. The top-end version of the Terrano gets ten-spoke petal shaped alloy wheels, they feel premium but somehow look a little out-of-place on the muscular car. Nissan has also retained the silver ORVMs and door handles from the Duster on the new car.

The interiors of the Terrano also look familiar, but there are a few subtle yet important changes when compared with the Duster. Nissan has worked a bit on the interior quality and the cabin now feels premium. The music system is also different and this one is more ergonomic and user friendly, however the ORVM adjustment switch is still not easy to use positioned under the handbrake lever. The rest of the equipment list pretty much the same including one-step driver height adjust and orange back-light for the instrument cluster.

The Nissan Terrano will be available in both petrol and diesel guise. The diesel version will be powered by the same 1.5-litre dCi engine that powers the Duster and will available in two different grades – the 85bhp base variant and 110bhp for the top spec version. Similarly, the petrol model will get the 1.6-litre four-cylinder unit churning out 102bhp and 145Nm of torque.

Nissan will offer only one variant (the XL) of the Terrano petrol – it will have ABS-EBD-Brake Assist, driver side airbag, music system and front fog lamps. On the other hand the diesel Terrano will be available in six variants – the base XE variant will have driver side airbag and power windows. The diesel XL variants have exactly the same features as that of the petrol counterpart, and are available in both 85PS and 110PS tune. The XL Plus gets dual-airbags and alloy-wheels. The top-end XV variants are available only with 110PS output and six-speed manual transmission. The additional features include rear-AC vents, rear parking sensors and leather wraps for steering and gear-knob. The premium version gets leather seats and wood finish inserts on the doors.

Utility Vehicles have seen lot of success in India, but India is a very price sensitive market and lot depends upon the tag price. Generally Nissan products are positioned below the French models, so badge engineering has been easier for models like the Micra – Pulse and the Sunny – Scala. However, there is a term in the Nissan-Renault contract that states that the new vehicle has to be positioned above the donor car. This means that the Terrano will be position above the Duster, which in itself carries a fairly steep price tag.

The petrol Terrano XL is expected to be priced around Rs 9.75 lakh, while the diesel base version should cost close to Rs 9.50 lakh. The top-end diesel version with premium pack will set you back by Rs 12.75 to Rs 13 lakh. The few thing that differentiate the Terrano from the Duster include looks and more ergonomic interiors, but both of them rank high on buyer’s priority list.