Nissan Terrano 85 PS Long Term Review – Third Report

Nissan Terrano 85 PS Long Term Review

The Terrano has been our workhorse since long and the best part about it is the engine and driving dynamics combo

The Terrano, as we all know, is a doppelgänger of the Renault Duster and recently we had both the cars in our long term fleet. We had the facelifted AMT version of the Duster and the first iteration of the Terrano which has been around our garage in multiple avatars including 110 PS and the 85 PS. After clocking in a lot of miles in mixed driving conditions including harsh Mumbai monsoons, we are able to judge the quality and reliability of this compact SUV. Let’s find out in this report how does it fare after such heavy usage.

The first Terrano that we got was a year after the launch which had done around 20,000 kms on ODO. The car felt pretty fresh inside out for the 12,000 kms we drove and it had no drawbacks apart from occasional squeaks and flickering MID screen. One year later we got the 110 PS version in our Mumbai garage and this time around we figured some new niggles such as a wobbly driver’s seat and more squeaky sounds. Now we got another 85 PS Terrano early this year and the test car’s additional niggles included dysfunctional parking sensors, permanent squeaks from the suspension and faded brakes. We even experienced water creeping inside during the monsoons because of the improper door rubber beading.

The aforementioned sequence of issues highlight the fact that the Terrano doesn’t age well with time and one needs to give attention to the car’s maintenance for its longevity. Having said that, the Duster that we had in our garage doesn’t show such signs of ageing. The interior quality surprisingly feels relatively better and more long lasting. Even the list of features is longer in the Renault and Nissan has cut corners in offering new features with the latest update of the Terrano, which comes with minor cosmetic and equipment upgrades.

However, both the cars share the same tried and tested platform which is dynamically quite strong and here is where the Terrano shines. The ride and handling balance is perfect for a compact SUV. There is minimal body roll and the suspension can absorb huge craters without affecting the passengers much. The ride becomes flat at high speeds and doesn’t feel stiff at all while driving on a bad patch of road at low speeds. The handling is fantastic, offering communicative steering feedback. You can really push the Terrano hard around bends and the car maintains its line with full control. The wide section OEM tyres are also quite grippy adding to the confidence of pushing the car to the limits.

The 1.5-litre diesel engine in the 85 PS tune is another gem. The feel of the engine thanks to the butter smooth NVH is quite satisfying. Also, personally I feel the 85 PS tune is better than the 110 PS version because of a better lag-free low end performance and tractable torque curve for city usage. The engine responds quite well to the throttle inputs and the in-gear acceleration further helps in better drivability in bumper to bumper traffic cities like Delhi and Mumbai.

The 85 PS tune engine is a versatile performer & offers best of both worlds

The 85 PS Terrano isn’t that bad a performer when it comes to highway duties. The oil burner doesn’t feel underpowered at all and it can maintain triple digit speeds with ease and never does it feel stressed at high speeds. Also, the 5-speed manual transmission offers relatively better throws along with a lighter clutch. The 6-speed gearbox has some resistance in the 110 PS version and even the clutch feels quite heavy which makes it cumbersome to drive in the city.

Driving with a light foot in the city can get you close to 16 km/l of fuel efficiency while out on the highway you can stretch the numbers to 18 km/l. So the overall impressions are quite satisfying in the driving department of the Terrano. If you are not that inclined towards features, ergonomics and interior quality and you want your daily driver to be rugged and mechanically strong, then the Terrano makes quite a lot of sense. But it’s time for the Japanese automaker to get it right in all the aspects with a significant update.

What’s Cool

* Looks better than the Duster with more polished exteriors
* Fantastic suspension offering great comfort and fatigue-free drive
* Potent engine for easy city drivability

What’s Not So Cool

* The quality doesn’t feel long lasting
* Misses out on essential features you need in this segment

Further Reading –

Nissan Terrano Review

Nissan Terrano 85 PS Long Term Review

Nissan Terrano 110 PS Long Term Review