nissan terrano — more than mere re-badging

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NEW VEH ICLE NISSAN TERRANO

NISSAN TERRANO — MORE THAN MERE RE-BADGING

Badge-engineering isn’t a new concept in India, especially within the Renault-Nissan alliance. Nissan’s Micra

and Sunny models co-exist with Renault’s Pulse and Scala. Nissan has now gone on record to say the Terrano

will be the last cross-badged product in India, at least in the near term. Meanwhile, the success of the Renault

Duster, and what it did to the Indian SUV market, is unparalleled. Can Nissan reinvigorate the SUV market with

the Terrano? We find out.

60-63_Nissan Terrano_ATR_Nov'13.indd 60 26-10-2013 18:19:06

61autotechreview November 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 11

INTRODUCTION

The latest addition to the badge-engi-

neered product range within the Renault-

Nissan alliance is the Nissan Terrano,

which has been positioned by the com-

pany as a premium compact SUV. On the

inside, the Terrano is actually a rebadged

version of the Renault Duster, which in

turn is a rebadged version of the Dacia

Duster, which even further is a vehicle

based on the Renault-Nissan’s B0 plat-

form. Confusing it may sound but it

works for some companies and if initial

numbers are anything to go by, Nissan

has a winner on hands. About 6,000 pre-

launch bookings bode well for the future

of any vehicle in India.

These numbers do not come as a sur-

prise to us given the kind of growth being

experienced in the compact SUV segment.

Nissan seems to have arrived right in the

middle of a carnival. We were invited by

the company to drive the Terrano in

Udaipur, where we put the vehicle

through an extensive test in order to find

out if it’s really different and premium as

the company claims.

DESIGN

Unlike most badge-engineered vehicles,

Nissan made the effort of redesigning a

large number of body panels. Being the

most extensively reworked area of the Ter-

rano, the exterior sports a distinct visual

identity compared to its French-branded

sibling. Reminiscent of Nissan’s Path-

finder styling, the Terrano comes across

as one of the sharpest-looking vehicles to

have spawned from the B0 platform.

The front-end is largely dominated by

Nissan’s V-motion design, which starting

from the grille moves across the bonnet.

Sharp headlamp design in tandem with a

chrome-finished grille help exude an air

of premium look. Sideways, the rede-

signed door panels with a shoulder line

and wheel arches, add mildly to the rug-

ged looks. The side profile, however,

doesn’t look that attractive or distinct as

the front does, and somehow doesn’t sync

completely with the front either. The rear

tail lamps too have been redesigned and

while their sole design may not be too

special, their integration and positioning

helps in offering a dynamic appeal to the

section. The roof rails, skid plates and the

new 16-inch machined-alloy wheels too

go along well with Nissan’s design theme

for the Terrano.

The detailed approach of Nissan

towards design, despite being a shared

platform, seems to have paid dividends. A

lot of work has actually gone into making

the exterior appealing, and different from

the Renault Duster.

POWERTRAIN

The Terrano range in India will feature

similar powertrain options to the ones

found in the Duster. These consist of a 1.6

l petrol engine developing about 104 hp

and a 1.5 l diesel engine in two states of

tune, offering 84 hp and 108 hp. During

the drive event, we weren’t able to sam-

ple the petrol variant. Also, quite certainly

this variant would be the slowest mover

off the showroom, given the popularity of

diesel SUVs.

The 1.5 l K9K diesel engine from the

alliance is the same as found in the

Renault Duster, and Nissan chose not to

make any notable changes, given the

good acceptance of the unit. The key rea-

son, leading to different power outputs is

the difference in turbo geometry. While

the lesser powerful unit sports a fixed

geometry turbocharger, the more power-

ful one features a variable geometry unit.

Other changes include stronger internals

to handle the additional boost and

power.

On the road, the 84 hp variant is

more suited to city-driving. This is

because the engine develops its 200 Nm

of torque at 1,900 rpm, and hence

requires lesser shifting. The other ver-

sion develops a much higher 248 Nm of

torque, but kicks in at a higher 2,250

rpm. Due to the torque surging in later,

the 108 hp variant displays a noticeable

lag but once in the optimum band,

power delivery is quite hurried, making

overtaking an easy task. Past 4,000 rpm

though, the power tapers off and the

motor too loses some of its smoothness.

A common issue with both the engine

versions is the slightly heavy clutch,

which might be bothersome during long

durations in stop-go traffic. The transmis-

Headlamp and tail lamp design sharpen the exterior look of the Terrano significantly

Combination of redesigned panels and new alloy wheeles lend the Terrano with a good rear view


62 www.autotechreview.com

NEW VEH ICLE NISSAN TERRANO

sion too is different in both variants as

the lesser powerful version is equipped

with a five-speed manual unit, while

the other unit gets a six-speed manual

gearbox. Both units offer acceptable

smoothness and throw dis-

tances, with the six-speed unit

being significantly better. The

108 hp engine really shines on

the highway, making it easier to

cruise at higher speeds in compari-

son with the 84 hp variant.

Another area, which showcased

Nissan’s focus on offering a premium

product, were the impressively low

NVH levels. Nissan seems to have put

in a good effort in this area, owing to

which the cabin stays largely insu-

lated from the audible effects of the

engine and nature’s forces at work. This

would be greatly appreciated by consum-

ers, when being justified the additional

cost over the Duster at showrooms.

INTERIOR

Interior is another area, where Nissan

has made an attempt to convince the

buyer of its premium badging. Despite

some prominent bits such as the meter

console and the steering wheel being the

same as in the Duster, the Terrano’s

cabin does look different. The top vari-

ant of the 108 hp version comes with

beige leather upholstery, while the rest

offer beige fabric upholstery. The base

XE version features black upholstery and

that too looks quite impressive.

The piano black centre console, along

with the chrome surrounded air vents,

adds an elegant touch to the cabin. The

material used on the door handle along

with its texture left us wanting for more

in the 84 hp variant, but was significantly

better in the 108 hp one. The more pow-

erful variant also gives consumers the

comfort of a rear AC vent, which is more

than just a blower as seen on the Sunny.

Overall fit and finish levels are better than

some of the larger SUVs in the same price

bracket. Ingress and egress is a breeze at

the front but not that great at the rear.

The seats at the front are supportive and

offer good lateral and side support. At the

rear, legroom is acceptable by segment

standards and the seats are good for

usage over long durations. The

boot, with its ability to expand

from 475 l to 1065 l, offers gener-

ous space and flexibility.

The placement of a few compo-

nents in the compartment, nonethe-

less, demands a relook. The power

window button console, for instance, is

oddly placed way forward than normal.

The rear buttons in contrast have been

placed way backwards. As a result, the

front occupants will have to stretch their

arms while the rear occupants will end up

hitting the button accidentally with their

elbows. The ORVM button is again oddly

placed somewhat beneath the handbrake

lever and again doesn’t offer a seamless

operation. There are some more small

bits, which lower the overall ergonomic

efficiency further. Consumers would adapt

to these over time, but the company

would do well by correcting these

inconveniences.

DYNAMICS

The Terrano drives almost like a car and

Subtle changes to the centre console and other few bits succeed in imaprting a plush feel to the cabin by segment standards

Reference image of the 1.5 l K9K diesel engine


63autotechreview November 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 11

that is primarily down to its monocoque

construction. The front suspension is an

independent McPherson strut and the rear

is a torsion beam axle, both, with coil

springs and anti-roll bars. Ride quality

despite being on the firmer side isn’t

unsettling, and the suspension stays pli-

ant over most surfaces.

We drove the Terrano at a fairly brisk

pace through some narrow and twisting

roads in the Aravali range of hills and

were thoroughly impressed. Body-roll,

although evident, is easily manageable

and nose-dive during hard braking too is

well within acceptable limits. The steering

is pretty direct, allowing one to turn confi-

dently. Despite a high polar moment of

inertia (partly due to the FWD layout),

the Terrano is well composed over bends

and doesn’t wallow over minor undula-

tions at high speeds on the highways. The

electro-hydraulic steering offers good feed-

back and weighs up decently as speeds

build up. The stock MRF Wanderer tyres

too offer good levels of grip and during a

high-speed sharp turn, ensured the vehi-

cle doesn’t leave its line.

The overall dynamics of the Terrano

are quite impressive and consumers will

appreciate the right mix of balanced

dynamics with an adequately comforta-

ble ride.

OUTLOOK

It would be too early to declare the Ter-

rano a long-term winner since its initial

numbers could’ve been buoyed by multi-

ple factors apart from the product itself. A

key one among those is the long-waiting

period of the Ford EcoSport, and since the

Duster has been around for a while, a

new product is usually seen with greater

initial excitement.

That said, the Terrano is a good

attempt by Nissan to offer a rebadged

vehicle with better offerings for the extra

money. It is visible that Nissan has taken

time to understand the requirements of

the consumers and made changes accord-

ingly. The idea behind launching

rebadged vehicles is that development

costs are significantly reduced. What

effect the effort of redesigning the panels

and other elements has had on the cost-

effectiveness is unknown to us. What is

known though is that Nissan’s strategy

has paid off, at least initially, looking at

the pre-booking numbers.

The Terrano on its own comes across

as a product, which lives up to most of

the claims made by its manufacturer. Of

course, there are some bits such as the

ergonomics, which could’ve been better

but the existing good bits eclipse the

shortcomings. Priced in a range of ` 9.6

lakh and ` 12.46 lakh, ex-showroom,

Delhi, the Terrano offers good value for

money for those looking for a smart com-

pact SUV without giving up on the com-

forts and driving pleasure of a car.

TEXT & PHOTO: Arpit Mahendra, Deepangshu

Dev Sarmah

The overall design language for the Terrano reflects the inspiration from the larger Pathfinder SUV from the Nissan stable

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nissan terrano — more than mere re-badging

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