Nov 12, 2013 02:06 PM
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Personally, I hated the Renault Duster when it was launched back in 2012. I found it quite ugly and had an odd rear design for an SUV. Basically it was the Dacia duster with a Renault badge. So when I heard my friend was getting a Nissan Terrano last month I wasn't that thrilled since I had heard it was the duster with a new name and Nissan badge. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Nissan Terrano looked way cooler than the old duster.
It has been 3 weeks and has 1700 showing on the ODO( 300km by me) so I think its time to give a review of the Terrano to help new SUV buyers. Booking was done on Sept 21st at pinnacle Nissan in Thrissur, Kerala for the top diesel model xv 110 in red. There was around a 20 day waiting period and the SUV was delivered on 14th Oct.
Okay now to the interesting stuff.
Looks: -
The Terrano has a more sharp front end which looks very sleek and very high end. The duster on the other hand has a very round look because of the more rounded headlights and grill. The Nissan's front hood also has straight lines as compared to the curvy lines of the duster.The front bumper is also much better looking on the Terrano. From the side, the Terrano and duster look exactly the same. Only difference is the chrome handles on our Terrano. Don't know if it is present on the lower models. And also the pillars are blackened out and look good. Now from the rear, the duster had a small tail-lamp and the portion on the boot was left shaped like a light but blank which I found to be very dull and awkward. Thankfully the Terrano has a full tail lamp. Also the Terrano's rear bumper has bigger reflectors. So its pretty safe to say on the exterior looks alone, the Terrano has the upper hand.
Interior: -
The dashboard comes in black and beige combination. The ac vents in the middle of the dash are rectangular in shape and have chrome borders and the outer ones are circular.There is also a small storage space with a lid above the middle ac vents. The meter console also looks good. The seating is also very comfortable and spacious.
Performance: -
He has got the xv 110ps diesel version. It is powerful and I loved driving it on the highway. We cruised at above 100km speeds for long stretches on the nh-47 with ease. Only problem I found was initially it is slow in getting of the mark. It feels sluggish up to the 2000-2300 rpm. After that its pretty much smooth sailing. My friend found it a bit difficult to drive it in bumper to bumper traffic because of it. Had to shift into 1st gear every time we slowed down.The showroom guys said it was due to the turbo lag in the engine and is common in diesel engines.
Mileage: -
We are getting a mileage of around 13km/ltr in the city and 16 on the highway up to the first service and getting a mileage of 15km in city after 1st service. Yet to take it out on the highway after 1st service but looks like it will give around 18 or 19 which is not far off the 20kmpl claimed by Nissan.
Handling: -
This SUV handles like a charm. I found it very maneuverable on the highway and on ghat roads also there is very little body roll. Unfortunately there is no 4wd option available so serious off-roading is out of the question.
Now let me go on to the negative points I found: -
1) The power window button unit on the door is placed near our knees and keeps jabbing into us and starts becoming painful after some time.Could have placed it higher up
2) Cup holder on rear fold able armrest is not screwed down and can be easily removed by hand. Wont be fun if your kid removes it and throws it out.
3) No mirror on passenger side sun-visor.
4) No alloys on the spare wheel.
5) No dual horn. only a weak single horn.
6) The reverse parking sensor only has an alarm. No Display is provided.
7) The air conditioning unit for the rear cabin is placed on a tower between the two front seats. It does not look nice. Also my friend's dad, who is very tall and has long arms found the rear ac tower a nuisance because it kept hitting his elbow whenever he was shifting gears. Heard he is looking for a way to either get it shortened or completely removed if that is not viable. And because of this tower there is no driver armrest in the center. Not comfortable over long drives.
8) The rear view mirror controls are placed under the handbrake! The guys who were designing it must have been drunk. Why would anyone place it there? its tedious to adjust once you have released the handbrake.
9) No redline on rpm indicator. The signal indicators on the display are hard to see in very bright conditions.
10) I personally found the steering wheel to be a bit thin. could have been thicker for better grip.
11) Rear windows dont open completely
Positives: -
1) Six speed gearbox for effortless highway cruising (only on 110ps versions).
2) Average speed, fuel efficiency, distance to empty and fuel liters consumed is shown on the display. Petrol pump guys cant trick us now. I think that is a first on any SUV in India.
3) Very good and comfortable front and rear seats. Rear legroom is a bit low.
4) Illuminated glove box and boot.
5) A very big boot which will be useful on camping trips.
6) Very low engine noise for a diesel.
7) Bonnet has a hydraulic strut. All you have to do is unlock the bonnet and the strut will automatically lift it up.
So all in all a very good package from Nissan. Only problem I found was its 1 lakh price difference between the duster and Terrano. this is because of this partnership deal between Renault and Nissan that forces the company copying the model of the other to sell it at a higher price.That is why there is a price difference between Nissan Micra and and Renault pulse and also Scala and Sunny which are basically the same cars.
So go for the Nissan if you want style and a premium looking SUV. If price is of higher concern to you stick with the duster. There are enough options from Nissan to satisfy the needs of people of all needs. Good luck and drive safe.
