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Nissan Terrano

It might not be extinct yet, but compared to rivals in the ultra-competitive off-roader class, the Nissan Terrano is verging on prehistoric. Launched in 1993, the mid-sized mud-plugger won't be replaced until 2004. So, to give it a final fling, Nissan has fitted the Patrol's 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine and tweaked the styling and cabin. Again.

March 2002

It might not be extinct yet, but compared to rivals in the ultra-competitive off-roader class, the Nissan Terrano is verging on prehistoric. Launched in 1993, the mid-sized mud-plugger won't be replaced until 2004. So, to give it a final fling, Nissan has fitted the Patrol's 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine and tweaked the styling and cabin. Again.
Developing 152bhp at 3,600rpm and a robust 304Nm at 1,600rpm, the intercooled unit pushes the Terrano from 0-62mph in 13.5 seconds and on to 105mph. Yet this powerplant is still more economical and tax-effective than the 2.7-litre, which toils on unchanged.

The biggest clue to the car's enhanced performance is the single air vent on the bonnet. The nose also gets a bluff Patrol-style grille and new headlights. Both the three and five-door benefit from a revised interior, too, with new seats, a CD player, twin front airbags and ABS with EBD.

With its ladder frame chassis, torquey diesel and low-ratio transfer box, the Terrano easily clambers over tough obstacles. Its tarmac behaviour is less impressive, though. The engine pulls lustily but sounds coarse, and motorway work is hindered by short gearing. Grip levels are high, but there's excessive body roll through corners, and the long-winded steering feels dull and inert.

The cabin is also disappointing, with hard, shiny plastics, minimal passenger space and none of the firm's new-wave styling. In fact, the five-door's seven-seat layout is the interior's only saving grace.

Nissan anticipates 2,000 Terrano sales this year, 45 per cent of which will be the 3.0-litre version. But with prices from

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FIRST OPINION

    A more powerful engine and some mild styling tweaks are simply not enough to hide the Terrano's age. Although it will be replaced in 2004, the Nissan off-roader has to contend with formidable rivals such as the Jeep Cherokee and Land Rover's Freelander and Discovery
 

AT A GLANCE

    Facelifted Nissan Terrano out now in three or five-door guise, priced from
 
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