Road Test and Review: Nissan Terrano By now, most of us are familiar with the word badge engineering , thanks to the Renault-Niss...
Showing posts with label Micra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Micra. Show all posts
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for
The 12th edition of the Auto Expo is all set to begin on 7th February. With as many as 70 new cars expected to break cover during the even...
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Showing posts with label Micra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Micra. Show all posts
Monday, 4 August 2014
Road Test and Review: Nissan Terrano
Road Test and Review: Nissan Terrano
By now, most of us are familiar with the word badge engineering, thanks to the Renault-Nissan Alliance. The alliance has already brought us two great rebadged cars – Scala and Pulse. The third car born out of the partnership, the Nissan Terrano, is a rebadged Duster and this review will endeavor to find out how far the Terrano has departed from the Duster.
Safety
Nissan has thrown in some stand-out styling cues into the Terrano that clearly differentiate it from the Duster. From the front, the Terrano can easily be identified by the signature Nissan grille that is reminiscent of the Pathfinder. It's certainly the most effective element of the Terrano’s look, because it translates well into a big SUV shape. The bold lines on the V-shaped bonnet that blends seamlessly into the grille make it unmistakably a Nissan. The angular headlamps and bumper are new as well.
In profile, changes are more subtle, with curvier door panels and blacked out B and C pillars being the only difference. Alloy wheels are new as well. Save for the new tail lamps, the rear looks similar to the Duster. Looks may be subjective, but Terrano certainly scores over Duster in exterior design.
The Terrano’s interiors look similar to Duster’s and I was surprised to see the ‘French ergonomics’ carried forward into a Japanese car. Quirky controls, such as the ORVM switch under the handbrake, remain unchanged. Steering wheel has a smarter design but lacks grip. The centre console looks tad better than the Duster, owing to rectangular AC vents, storage space with a lid and piano-black finish for the audio system. Top variants come with rear AC vents but as we saw on the Duster, it is more of an inconvenience because it eats into rear legroom and the flaps cannot be adjusted. Overall, the interiors have improved, but not by a ton.
Performance
The Nissan Terrano is available with three engines – 85PS and 110PS diesels and 104PS petrol. While 110PS diesel comes with 6-speed manual, the other two get 5-speed manual. Automatic transmission is not even in the pipeline.
Since the engines, transmissions and other mechanicals remain unchanged, the Terrano drives similar to Duster. Overall performance of the petrol and 85PS diesel motors is smooth and more than adequate, especially in light of the impressive fuel economy figures. However, both the engines feel a bit strained when revved hard. The 110 PS diesel delivering 248 Nm of torque @ 2250 rpm is certainly a fun-to-drive car and remains my favourite.
Both diesel engines suffer from the inevitable turbo lag and response to the accelerator pedal is less than immediate. You need to keep the needle above the 1,200rpm mark and keep moving else the lag is felt easily.
Ride and Handling
Although Nissan is tight-lipped about any possible changes under the skin, I strongly felt a huge improvement in Terrano’s noise insulation. The cabin is significantly quieter than the Duster and offers a smoother ride. However, the diesel engines are clattery at idle and loud above 3000rpm.
Terrano handles easily and fluently and the steering feels suitably light around town, yet weighting up enough as the speed builds. Yet, the steering is very sensitive, just like the Duster, to potholes and undulations on the road and that translates into some frustrating steering feedback.
Safety
When Nissan introduced Micra in India, safety was taken to new heights as the company offered airbags across all variants. Continuing the commendable trend, Terrano comes with driver airbags even on the base variant - a great advantage over Duster. Mid and top variants have ABS with EBD on offer, too.
Nissan claims a mileage of 13.2 kmpl for the Terrano petrol, while the 110 PS diesel returns 19.01 kmpl and the 85PS delivers 20.45 kmpl.
Conclusion
In short, the Nissan Terrano comes with all virtues of the Duster, plus a little more. Prices range fromRs. 9.59 lakh for the base variant to Rs. 12.44 lakh for the top trim. That makes the Terrano up to Rs. 70000 (approximate) more expensive than the Duster across variants. No doubt, the Terrano looks more mature and modern, but is it worth paying the extra just for better appearance and enhanced safety? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Saturday, 1 February 2014
Auto Expo 2014: 10 launches to watch out for
The 12th edition of the Auto Expo is all set to begin on 7th February. With as many as 70 new cars expected to break cover during the event, the 2014 Auto Expo will be the biggest India has ever witnessed. As we are gearing up for the comprehensive coverage, here’s a look at the 10 hottest launches to watch out for.
- Maruti Suzuki is all set to launch the Celerio hatchback at the 2014 Auto Expo. Expected to be the most popular launch of the year, the Celeriogets a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder K-Series petrol engine that develops of 67bhp and 90Nm of peak torque.
Celerio will introduce Auto Gear Shift, which will have the flexibility of both manual mode and auto drive mode in the same car, with a simple shift of gear lever. Maruti claims a mileage figure of 23.1kmpl
Hyundai Grand i10 was one of the most popular launches of 2013. Hot on the heels of this grand success, Hyundai will unveil a sedan version of the Grand
Expected to be launched in February 2014, the Grand sedan will be priced aggressively to take on Honda Amaze and Maruti Dzire
Nissan has re-launched the Datsun brand after 32 years. Datsun will launch its first car early this year called the Datsun GO. The Datsun GO will be priced under Rs. 4 lakhs in India and will be powered by a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder engine, paired to a 5-speed manual gearbox
The same engine does duty on the Nissan Micra Active, producing 68 PS and 104 Nm. However in the Datsun GO, the company might detune the engine in the interest of boosting fuel economy
Honda will re-launch the revised Jazz in 2014. Although the first generation Jazz had a much-loved design, poor pricing resulted in bad sales
The 2014 Jazz will certainly be aggressively priced and will also have the advantage of a diesel powertrain and a futuristic design
VW's Taigun is likely to be the first car on the Up platform (codename: PQ12) to come to India. The Taigun concept, based on a stretched version of the VW Up's NSF (New Small Family) platform, made its debut at the Sao Paolo International Motor Show in October last year and previews VW's future SUV face
With its bold, clean styling, the Taigun is sure to appeal to the Indian psyche. It looks a lot less radical than the Ford EcoSport and its less controversial lines are designed to appeal to everyone and offend no one. As for the interiors, VW designed it to resemble the simplicity of the latest smartphones. Its clean, minimalist look aims at being visually clear and simple to use
Mobilio, the third car to be built on the Brio platform, marks Honda’s entry into the MPV segment in India. The Mobilio will be available with the 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol and 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel options
Both engines will be mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The production version of the Mobilio is expected to be unveiled at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo
Audi is all set to unveil its A3 sedan at the Auto Expo. It is Audi’s first compact sedan in the luxury segment to come into the Indian market
Along with the A3, Audi will also showcase special editions of Q3, Q5, the sportier SQ5, Q7 and its recently launched sports car Audi RS 7 Sportback
The BMW 3 Series GT will be one of the most important launches by the Bavarian carmaker at the Delhi Auto Expo
The GT model is 200mm longer, 50mm taller and 17mm wider than the regular 3 Series model. The GT 3 Series comes with a 2-liter diesel engine producing 184bhp, while the petrol variant gets 2.0-liter motor developing 245bhp of power output
Mercedes-Benz India will unveil the dynamically styled Concept GLA and CLA45 AMG at the 12th edition of the Auto Expo. Focusing on the company’s ‘Year of Excellence’ strategy, Mercedes-Benz will also launch its first SUV Guard
The AMG 2.0-liter turbo engine, with a maximum output of 265 kW (360 hp) and up to 450 Newton meters of torque, is the most powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engine in series production in the world
Hyundai will launch the new Santa Fe in India at the Auto Expo. The full-sized SUV is expected to undercut Toyota Fortuner in terms of pricing when it is launched. To achieve this Hyundai will assemble the Santa Fe at its Chennai plant
The new Santa Fe will have a more appealing presence, derived from Hyundai’s fluidic design philosophy
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