2013 Nissan Terrano unveiled in India, launch in October

Terrano, the Duster equivalent for Nissan has officially been unveiled today. Born out of the Renault-Nissan alliance, the Terrano bucks the trend of badge engineered cars from the joint venture. While at first glance, it is difficult for a commoner to basically decide whether he/she has seen a Duster or a Terrano, there is more to it than what meets the eye. The grille is all-new and is reminiscent of the SUVs from Nissan's fold like the Pathfinder and X-Trail.  Nissan says that nearly every body panel on the Terrano is new, save for the roof and rear quarter panel.

The bonnet is completely redesigned and features two lines that flow into the grille

When viewed keeping the Duster in mind, the Terrano looks a bit more mature and sophisticated. Flanking the grille are headlamps which are slim and angular but blend well into the grille. Nissan has also redesigned the bonnet. New bumpers make for a smarter housing for the fog lamps while the air dam ends in the bash guard in a similar fashion to the Duster.

The rear quarter-panel has been retained from the Duster, and is the most visible common trait

The Terrano's sharper visage reduces the overtly muscled impression you get from its Renault counterpart. From the side, it is very difficult to say whether you just saw a Duster or Terrano, except maybe for the blacked out B and C pillars and the funky alloy wheels that the latter rides on. The rear, just like the front gets a thorough make over with detailed angular lamps that fill in the metal blanks much better than the ones on the Duster.

The centre console gets a refresh but the overall look is similar to the Duster

The interiors have also seen quite a few changes. While  the overall look is similar to the Duster, the dashboard receives a refresh. Replacing the central circular air vents are  rectangular ones on the side while there's a new closeable stowage unit directly above them. A subtle wood trim now appears on the inner door handles and the upholstery is also a slightly lighter shade of beige. What we would have liked but is missing on the Terrano are those smart audio controls mounted behind the steering wheel from the Duster. Overall, it looks like the Terrano brings little more to the table other than a significant styling rejig.

Rear knee-room is identical to the Duster

While things look drastically different, the Duster and Terrano are in fact quite similar under the skin. The mechanicals remain untouched which is actually a rather good thing since the Duster is such a well-engineered product. Two engines are on offer – the 1.6-litre petrol that makes 104PS and 145 Nm of torque while the 1.5-litre K9K diesel is offered with two output options – 85PS/200Nm or 110PS/248Nm.

This Nissan also bucks the trend by being more expensive than the Renault it is based on. However the significantly tweaked visuals and further kit should be incentive enough to spend what we believe will be Rs 50,000 to 70,000 more than the equivalent Duster. Nissan will be accepting pre-sale bookings from September 1. Expect the car to go on sale in October.

Here is our road test of the Nissan Terrano diesel