SUVs are the flavour of the season and that is going to continue for a lot more seasons to come. We all love our SUVs. They are big, burly and generally guzzle a lot of fuel. The demand for SUVs with economical diesel engines and automatic gearboxes is on a rise in the country. The Nissan Terrano that comes equipped with the 6-speed Advance Auto Drive AMT gearbox on the top-spec XV THP diesel variant is then, the perfect car for all of us.
The Nissan Terrano SUV is defined by its butch looks owing to the unique muscular shape and decked up front fascia. It features the signature Nissan trapezoidal grille with the two vertical chrome slats flanking the Nissan logo. The twin barrel rectangular headlamps gives the Terrano a classic SUV look with the long creased bonnet. The sculpted bumper gets a bash-plate and the round front fog lamps to add to the masculine looks. As you move on to the sides, the profile is defined by the signature flared wheel arches and the large 215/65 profile 16-inch machined alloy wheels. The blacked out B-pillar, the silver satin finish door handles, running board as well as roof rails and body coloured wing mirrors with turn indicators look premium. The tail design is stylish with the trapezoid tail lamps and the chunky bumper which also has the bash-plate underneath.
The Terrano AMT is offered with six colour options, the newest being the Sandstone brown along with Bronze grey, Sapphire black, Blade silver, Pearl white and Fire red. The interiors are dual-tone and dressed in beige and black. The dashboard gets the classic waterfall centre console design that includes the 2-DIN audio system and the manual air-conditioning controls. There is also a storage closet on the top of the dash for little things like toll receipts, your wallet or sunglasses. The dual-tone design makes the cabin feel even more spacious. The driver gets a height adjustable seat and lumbar support along with a tilt-adjustable steering column to find the perfect driving position. The rear seat gets a pull-out armrest and can be folded up as well to open up a large cargo bay to carry as much luggage as you want. Even if the seat is up, the storage space at 475 litres is one of the largest in its class. It gets chrome interior door handles along with leather seats and a leather wrapped steering wheel.
In terms of features, the Terrano audio system is equipped with Bluetooth connectivity for music as well as telephony along with USB and AUX inputs. The outside rear-view mirrors are electrically adjustable and foldable. In terms of safety, the Terrano gets dual front airbags for safety along with ABS, electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist. The AMT also gets ESP with hill-start assist. The Terrano gets central locking with remote and an engine immobilizer along with speed sensing door locks and impact sensing door unlocking functions. Rear defogger and rear parking sensors are also offered on the AMT.
Under the hood, it is the tried and tested 1.5-litre turbocharged four cylinder dCi engine that develops 109bhp of power (81kW @ 4000 rpm or 110 PS @ 4000 rpm) and 245Nm of torque. Power is sent to the front wheels through the 6-speed AMT transmission. The ride and handling of the Terrano is excellent with the independent McPherson Struts in the front with anti-roll bar and a torsion beam setup in the back. For braking, you have disc brakes up front and drum brakes in the rear. The electro-hydraulic power steering provides good feedback. The Advance Auto Drive gearbox is basically a mechanised version of the standard manual gearbox which helps retain the economy of a manual gearbox and the convenience of an automatic transmission. The Terrano AMT delivers an ARAI certified fuel economy of 19.61kmpl.
source”cnbc”