Nissan Terrano Long Term Review – Second Report

Nissan Terrano Long Term Review

Car Tested: Nissan Terrano 85 PS
Kms Done: 11,871 kms
Test Started at: 24,102 kms
Test Concluded at: 35,973 kms
Mileage: 16 km/l, 17.80 km/l (best), 13.68 km/l (worst)
Fuel Consumed: 723 litres
Fuel Cost: Rs. 36,368/-
Rs. per km: Rs. 3.06/-

The vogue is to arrive in style and the Terrano does that with excellent practicality

When I first saw the Renault Duster in flesh, I felt something is missing and incomplete in this compact SUV. People say that the styling of the Duster grows on you over time but in my case, it started deteriorating. In 2013 Nissan launched the Terrano and I saw it first at the media drive event. One glance at the Terrano made it look like a Duster coming out of the gym, pumped up with bold and sharp styling cues. I was quite satisfied with the Terrano after the media drive and my first impressions were positive in all regards that includes the looks, interior, performance and drivability. But that was then and this is now. We have driven the car for more than 11,000 kms on the rough and smooth including rigorous highway runs and poky city driving conditions. Time to share our long term affair!

The Terrano is Nissan’s bestseller in India, selling more than the Micra and Sunny combined (forget Evalia, it sells in single digits). However, the Renault Duster’s monthly sales are almost twofold relatively and this is where you realise the substantial price difference between both the cousins belonging to the same pedigree. Still, despite the fact that the Terrano costs around Rs. 1.50 lakhs premium over the Duster and misses out on a few features that the latter has, Nissan manages to sell good numbers of the Terrano. This indicates that the style quotient of a car plays a major role in our country after pricing.

After driving the Terrano for thousands of kilometers, my perception towards the car has changed compared to the first drive experience when it was launched. I gathered some negative as well as some interesting positive points in our long term stint. Let’s discuss the negatives first. When we drove the compact SUV at the media drive, the interior quality felt superior and there were no complaints about the fit and finish of the spanking new car. Now, after 35,000 kms on the odometer, our test car squeaks while going over a speed breaker or big axle twisting undulations. The dashboard doesn’t rattle on rough surfaces but only squeaking sound comes in the cabin over undulations. Then there is some noise from the air conditioning fan. If we set the lowest fan speed then a repetitive tweet sound would come but soon after increasing the fan speed, it vanishes.

There are very few places to store bottles, front door pockets aren’t wide and deep enough while there are no door pockets at all at the rear. Few things that you miss while driving is the lack of dead pedal, arm rest and steering mounted controls. Rear view mirror adjustment controls, as you know, are placed weirdly under the handbrake but you get used to it. There is no auto up/down function for the power windows. Doors don’t have speed sensing auto lock when you drive away. The window switches for the rear passengers are wrongly placed on the door armrest and passengers accidentally roll down the windows, which is quite annoying and made me keep the window lock on at all times. The MID on our test car had a mind of its own, the digital screen used to fade away in cold conditions and then become visible as soon as it saw sunlight. The factory fitted horn sounds meek, which doesn’t do justice to the strong personality of the Terrano.

That said, there are many nifty features in the Terrano that adds to the convenience. After unlocking the car if you don’t open the door, they automatically lock after a few seconds. The multimedia system has a small display but controls are user friendly and using Bluetooth for your Smartphone is easy. It streams music, phone calls and stores address book, you can control the calls and music without taking out the phone from your pocket. The OEM speakers are average though, if you are a Honey Singh fan, you need to upgrade the speakers. The cabin is very well lit in the dark as you get individual reading lights for all the passengers, illuminated glove box and illuminated boot space as well. The glovebox is huge with an open storage space above it and a small storage box on top of the dashboard, which is quite handy to store coins, cash and receipts for those highway tolls. The bonnet gets hydraulic struts, which makes it super easy to operate. All the seats are comfortable and supportive, head room is good at the rear but legroom is satisfactory, tad bit more space would have been perfect. The boot space of the Terrano is such that it can help you in home shifting. The 475 litres of cargo space can extend to 1064 litres after flipping down the rear seats.

The 1.5-litre oil burner under the hood is one of the best diesel engines on offer in India. We have the 85 PS version that churns out 200 Nm of torque. The motor has excellent NVH levels giving you a super refined feel. Crank the engine and there are simply no vibrations in the cabin unlike most of the diesel engines out there. It does its job silently and without any turbolag, which makes it a comfortable commuter in the city. The engine pulls in a linear manner and redlines at 5000 RPM. Out on the highway you don’t feel the need of any extra dose of power, it’s just that the 110 PS version offers more punch. It cruises quite well doing 100 km/hr in fifth gear at a decent 2400 RPM. The clutch is light and the gearbox is slick that engages with a reassuring feedback. Fuel efficiency too is very satisfying as we got an overall mileage of 16 km/l with mixed driving, 13.68 km/l of worst mileage in the city, while 17.80 km/l being the best on the highway. With 50 litres of fuel tank capacity, the car has a strong range of more than 750 kms.

There are cars with good ride quality and then there is the Terrano with marvelous ride comfort

The Nissan Terrano is based on the Dacia B0 platform, which provides excellent dynamics to the car. The suspension setup and the 215/65/R16 rubber provide fantastic ride quality, which is quite addictive. Trust me, after the Terrano left our garage, I’m finding it difficult to deal with other cars’ ride quality. You seldom need to brake for those choppy speed breakers and rough patches, it just glides over the worst of tarmac. Handling is another speciality of the Terrano, taking bends like a boss with minimal body roll and it is quite fun with the communicative steering wheel. The steering judders though, if you go through bad roads while cornering. High speed stability helps in maintaining the speed very well on the highways, you can munch miles at great speeds without making the passengers uneasy. Braking performance is nice with good initial pedal bite but sometimes gets nervous while emergency braking at high speeds.

We went off the road as well and thanks to the 205 mm ground clearance and wide section tyres, light off-raoding is a walk in the park. Most of our highway driving included Uttar Pradesh roads and there are many diversions as most of the roads are under construction. Some of these diversions have nasty speed breakers and the roads are damaged due to overloaded trucks passing through all day. While all the hatchbacks and sedans were having a tough time saving their underbelly by steering left and right on the obstacles, the Terrano went straight without breaking sweat. It never gives you that teeth biting feeling while going over huge bumps. Even the turning radius of 5.2 metres makes it a breeze to maneuver in tight spots.

Nissan Terrano Cost Of Service

* Engine oil per service – Rs. 1030/-
* Oil Filter – Rs. 295/-
* Air Filter – Rs. 353/-
* Fuel Filter – Rs. 1741/-
* Wheel Alignment – Rs. 650/-
* Wheel Balancing – Rs. 400/-
* Brake Service – Rs. 780/-
* Paid labour chargers in periodic service – Rs. 1600/-

Since Nissan India ended their tie-up with Hover Automotive in February 2014, the service experience has improved drastically. Nissan is now fully responsible for their sales, marketing and distribution in India, which makes it a more reliable brand. The Japanese automaker has just completed 10 years of existence in India, claiming India as the key market for their growth. They currently have 129 dealerships across India and 58 more dealerships are planned in the near future. The Terrano comes with 24 months/50,000 km New Vehicle Warranty along with Nissan Roadside Assistance for 2 years/unlimited kms.

The Nissan Terrano is a brilliant SUV that offers style with great practicality. The sorted driving dynamics of the car further makes it special because you rarely get a well balanced synergy of comfort and handling at the same time. It can haul heavy paraphernalia, keep the family in good comfort and take your enthusiastic driving without any bother. There are some silly ergonomic flaws but you get a hang of it pretty soon and none of them are deal breakers. Yes, the Terrano comes at a premium over the Duster but many of us prefer to arrive in style. You must have seen people spending loads on aftermarket cosmetic jobs, the Terrano saves you from doing so. Nissan is rapidly increasing their presence in India and if you are worried about the maintenance of the Terrano, worry no more because it’s much cheaper to run than the Indian SUVs offered in similar price bracket.

The Nissan Terrano might not be a value for money proposition but it is a car that appeals both to the heart and head. The signature Nissan SUV grille up front makes the presence felt and the staunch attitude of the car doesn’t let fellow road users cross its path easily.

What’s Cool

* Styling is the main facet of the Terrano and it excels in this department
* Highly practical cargo space makes it a solid workhorse
* Drivability of the 85 PS engine is sublime, no turbolag, high on NVH and fuel efficient
* High ground clearance and short turning radius
* Extremely comfortable ride yet sharp handling

What’s Not So Cool

* Limited list of features
* Some ergonomic niggles

Further Reading –

Nissan Terrano Long Term Review – Initial Report
Nissan Terrano Test Drive Review
Nissan Terrano First Anniversary Drive
Renault Duster vs Nissan Terrano – Shootout
Ford EcoSport vs Nissan Terrano vs Renault Duster – Shootout

Picture Editing – Sri Manikanta Achanta