Nissan unveils new Terrano SUV

Mumbai, August 20, 2013: Nissan has formally unveiled the much-awaited Nissan Terrano, a little over two months after it released sketches of the compact SUV. Essentially a re-badged Renault Duster, it will be the fourth locally-produced Nissan model after the Micra hatchback, Sunny saloon and the Evalia MPV.

To differentiate the Terrano from the Duster, in terms of looks, Nissan designers and engineers worked for two years in the company’s UK and Japan design centres. The Terrano is the third model to receive the cross-badging treatment in the Renault-Nissan Alliance, but the first which Nissan has borrowed from Renault to sell under its own brand. The changes are not just cosmetic.

The Japanese carmaker has invested in making some significant styling and sheet metal changes that go beyond soft parts like the bumpers, lights and grille. The Terrano is the first of the models shared between the Alliance partners where the Nissan version could command a premium pricing over the Renault model. The Terrano is expected to be priced between Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000 more than the Duster. “There is a space in the premium end of the compact SUV segment with affluent buyers that is yet to be tapped,” Kenichiro Yomura, president of Nissan India operations told Autocar Professional. Yomura is bullish about the prospects of the Terrano as the segment it will fall in is expected to grow 30 percent between 2013 and 2016, and has posted a similar growth in the recent months.

Nissan is not ready to share the final pricing of the Terrano but says that the SUV will sport an entry level ex-showroom price tag of less than Rs. 10 lakh. Bookings for the vehicle will start from September 1 and sales will commence in October.

Terrano, inside and out

The Terrano’s bonnet gets revised character lines that form a slight ‘V’, which flows into the new nose with its distinctive Nissan family grille, inspired by the larger Pathfinder SUV. The all-new headlamps look quite striking, and the re-sculpted single-colour front bumper also looks a lot sharper with more detailing around the fog lamps.

In profile, the Terrano will be mistaken for a Duster, but a closer look does reveal more rounded door panels with a new crease running along their length and blacked out B- and C-pillars. The rear also looks familiar, though the stylish split tail-lamps will differentiate the Nissan Terrano from its Renault sibling.

The Terrano’s cabin has also been tweaked with more beige plastics (the base variant will be all black), a new steering wheel, squared-off central air-con vents similar to those on the new Micra, and a lid for the dash top storage. There is also a new entertainment unit with a CD player, Aux-in and USB inputs, and Bluetooth mobile connectivity. Unfortunately, ergonomic snafus from the Duster are carried over, like the awkwardly-placed wing mirror adjusters under the handbrake lever. With no structural changes to the cabin, passenger space is identical to the Duster’s with reasonable room for three passengers to be comfortable in the rear and a very generous boot space.

Like the other badge-engineered products from the Renault-Nissan Alliance, the Nissan Terrano will share its powertrains with the Duster. So expect the 1.5-litre DCi diesel engine to be available in two states of tune – 84bhp and 109bhp – as well as a 1.6-litre petrol engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. The more powerful diesel mated to a six-speed gearbox has a bit of turbo-lag but pulls strongly once revs pick up. The 84bhp version of the Renault engine, like we have seen in the lower powered diesel Duster, is more tractable and offers a more linear power delivery.