Normally when thinking of SUVs you’ll think about the Fortuner and Montero, but the Nissan Terra is gaining recognition lately against the top players in the category. We had a week of experience with this vehicle particularly the Nissan Terra VL / Sport model, while it was a big vehicle indeed we liked the fact that its a maneuverable one cause it assist you with its safety features.
Note: This will be a simple review as we didn’t have the right experience to give a proper impression and time to use all the features of the Nissan Terra.
How’s the driving experience
Life still goes on that’s why we directly went to the local market of Marikina right after the delivery of the Nissan Terra unit. So how does the Nissan Terra feel to drive? As one vehicle that looks radically similar thanks to its familiar body style to the Nissan Patrol, it can be scary or intimidating indeed at start.
Despite being a big vehicle, the all around camera sensor with audio tone warning was nice to navigate in parallel parking. Even with narrow spaces left against parked motorcycles, and carts, we didn’t got into problems navigating through tight spaces and even time to time surprises of people walking around the vehicle. Steering is light and responsive, definitely with the proper range you expect for an SUV.
We just noticed that the camera feed is in 480p resolution which is kinda unorthodox to see in a world of HD displays are normal now. But as a tech blogger we understand the reasoning for this choice of Nissan, its to ensure the best latency to avoid delays between the camera feed and real time feed so you are safe and prevents possible accidents.
On driving the Nissan Terra VL Sport the 2.5-liter 4-Cylinder DOHC Turbo feels solid in its torque and acceleration. Along with the 7-speed automatic we felt gradual increase of speed with its overall driving style.
We can describe that the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gear are poised for stability rather than intention of speedy acceleration as we feel a bit of delay in response of the accelerator. As a result you might feel a bit of heavier feeling in speeds of 0-30kph being a bit high in RPM. You’ll notice this more in uphill scenarios where the RPM of the vehicle is around 3500 already before switching gears, having that a bit of roaring moment as a normal scenario for this vehicle.
But once you eventually pushed through after 30kph, you’ll be able to feel a sudden surge of power as you’ll feel an more responsive engine that can have more confidence in maneuvering like overtaking especially in expressways. But to set your expectations, I didn’t have the urge here to full stomp on the pedal just to compensate for the lack of acceleration.
Despite the weird low gear responsiveness we noticed and appreciate that the overall vehicle is not jittery especially in neck to neck traffic. We think Nissan prioritized stability and comfort in the Terra making it a vehicle that is nice to coast along either traffic jams, uphill or even light traffic.
Spacious that doesn’t confine you
We like how cozy and spacious the Terra is inside, to make it short it doesn’t make you feel claustrophobic as the headroom is ample even for my dad that’s a 5″10 person. His head still have ample space for peripheral vision to prosper and make you feel comfortable.
Unlike with other SUVs like here with my dad checking out the Mitsubishi Montero, his head is almost touching the roof. This can mean for a person regardless if the seat is soft and comfortable, to feel anxious cause of the limited space .
Let’s get this out of the way, the Terra isn’t exactly the most space rich vehicle for its passengers. At the third row, the seating comfort is quite similar to an Innova but at least you have cup holders and charger ports. But we think there is a logic in this approach of Nissan.
The third row will be either dedicated for mostly cargo, from time to time there will be a scenario of passengers will be at the third row. Meaning the Nissan Terra is more of a 5-seater SUV which an option for a third row in short distance travel. We won’t reco the third row for long distance travel as comfort wise its not competitive compered to others. But again, in long distance travels you will have more cargo, so you’ll most likely allocate it for your bags and trip equipments.
On a 1960’s home garage that originally fits an owner type jeep, the Nissan Terra still fits but caution on the sides cause the door space is limited. Nevertheless we appreciate the sensors for letting us park with ease in this tight space.
Entertainment and Audio
The head unit is Apple and Android Auto compatible for easy connection, particularly the display is decent and bright enough to combat bright environments. Though the speakers on VL / Sport is a bit disappointing with the lack of soundstage and muffled high tones.
To clarify our vehicle isn’t the one with BOSE sound system so the experience is pretty average. Despite tuning the equalizer its not enough to fix the lacking performance of the speakers, especially for audio fanatics like me. So if you will get the lower end variants like the EL and VE variants, we suggest to add a DPS and tweeters for better audio experience.
Legendary Cooling
Nissan’s legendary aircon is here indeed, especially in this outrageous heat we are experiencing and our vehicle has no tint…it was able to combat the 40 degree sun without any problems.
We suggest to open the rear cooling aircon for a while to lower the temperature faster of the car when parked outdoors.
So what’s our take?
The Nissan Terra is indeed a vehicle that will surprise you in a different proposition. It doesn’t need to shout to be noticed unlike other SUVs like the Mitsubishi Montero and Toyota Fortuner known for their snappy speed. What the Terra resonates to me more is its accommodating space and resilient features towards comfort and safety.
It drives strong, gets you from point A to point B with reliability and complacency. Importantly we think in the anticipated hectic traffic of Metro Manila then we think this is a very reasonable strength of the Terra.
If you are a person who are composed of youngsters and seniors riding the vehicle, this will be ideal as even toddlers can sleep in this vehicle easily cause of its comfortable and spacious interior, smooth driving experience and chilly aircon. This is the exact persona of my brother who recently purchased a Nissan Terra VE model, coming from a sedan his need is growing indeed to fulfill more needs for life. Indeed the Terra is a viable choice as a reliable vehicle for the family and business, the Nissan Terra indeed checks everything especially comfort and safety.
What we love about the Nissan Terra
- Steady and comfortable driving style
- Spacious cabin especially at the 2nd row
- Strong safety features to navigate in tight spaces
- Strong Aircon indeed
What can improve about the Nissan Terra
- Improve software for 1st to 3rd gear ratio in gear shifting
- So-so audio quality
- No remote auto-start function which is kinda expected at this price range. (Best to combat hot cars exposed in the sun)
SRP of the Nissan Terra
- 2.5 EL MT 4×2 – PHP 1,729,000
- 2.5 VE AT 4×2 – PHP 1,969,000
- 2.5 VL AT 4×2 – PHP 2,119,000
- 2.5 VL AT 4×4 – PHP 2,409,000
- 2.5 Sport AT 4×2 – PHP 2,179,000
- 2.5 Sport AT 4×4 – PHP 2,469,000
*as of writing of May 5, 2024
