[ampere]

Originally Posted by geotracks

How would you compare the Terrano ride quality over its counterpart, the Duster?

Duster and Terrano have same mechanical set-up. So ride quality wise you should not see a difference. As per what I hear, Terrano's doors seem to be more solid than Duster.

[dhruvmalik]

Originally Posted by geotracks

Congratulations! I did read about your after purchase experiences. Pretty good. How would you compare the Terrano ride quality over its counterpart, the Duster?

I have taken a test drive of the Duster and found it pretty good & solid. Still have to take a test drive of the Terrano.

One observation is that, Renault Scala looks more "refined" in looks than the Nissan Sunny in the sedan segment. However, when it comes to small SUVs, the Terrano look-wise scores slightly over its counterpart Renault Duster as perceived by many. Thus, in the sedan space, Renault seems to lead in looks while in the small SUV space, Nissan is perceived to take the lead in looks. Not sure of the interiors though, since I still have to take a test drive of the Terrano.

Firstly Thanks!

It wouldn't be appropriate to state that the Duster is better or worse over the Terrano, but I could say this... The feeling inside the cabin feels more roomy due to the light interiors, secondly the quality of the parts certainly feel more solid over the Duster. The headunit is also a bit better as I have thoroughly tested both. Unless you are looking to upgrade the HU right away.

As far as the Sedan's are concerned, remember that Nissan comes out with its iteration, and Renault refines it to make it more premium, its actually vice-versa with the Duster / Terrano hence you get a slightly more premium product here. They have also worked out some of the kinks with the turbo lag etc on the Diesel. (I have the Petrol)

The after sales experience was MUCH better than Renault compared to my Buddy. Also I believe you would get delivery much quicker on the Terrano as the Duster is slightly more in demand.

Its expected that Renault / Dacia give the face lifted Duster in India sometime in May or June (as the dealers have quoted), but nothing is confirmed as to when. While you get a premium and a different look product with the Terrano now.

I wont try to convince you whether to go for the Duster or Terrano, but will say that it makes more sense to go with the latter.

[geotracks]

Originally Posted by ampere

Duster and Terrano have same mechanical set-up. So ride quality wise you should not see a difference. As per what I hear, Terrano's doors seem to be more solid than Duster.

Thanks! The door part is an interesting observation. Whenever I take a test drive of the Terrano, I'll keep in mind to check this aspect.

Originally Posted by dhruvmalik

As far as the Sedan's are concerned, remember that Nissan comes out with its iteration, and Renault refines it to make it more premium, its actually vice-versa with the Duster / Terrano hence you get a slightly more premium product here.

That is precisely what I thought. Makes sense now that you also confirmed the same.

Originally Posted by dhruvmalik

The after sales experience was MUCH better than Renault compared to my Buddy. Also I believe you would get delivery much quicker on the Terrano as the Duster is slightly more in demand.

Good to learn that the ASS of Nissan is better than Renault. Could be used as a factor in decision making.

[dhruvmalik]

I am not saying that the After sales service would necessarily be better or worse than Nissan, the only thing I am saying is that Nissan wants to push the Terrano more as its a product which could be overlooked behind the shadow's of the Renault Duster. Hence the Service should be a bit better than Renault. Also Renault has a product which could sell itself, and the rep's know it. Hence they push and shove as they please.

[Phoenix_Nemo]

Originally Posted by dhruvmalik

I am not saying that the After sales service would necessarily be better or worse than Nissan, the only thing I am saying is that Nissan wants to push the Terrano more as its a product which could be overlooked behind the shadow's of the Renault Duster. Hence the Service should be a bit better than Renault. Also Renault has a product which could sell itself, and the rep's know it. Hence they push and shove as they please.

I agree.. during my recent purchase of Terrano, I noticed a stark difference in attitude of SAs across Nissan and Renault. In Renault, Dealerships are still a little high-headed (although they have improved significantly over the last year, especially after Ecosport's launch). On the other hand, found Nissan a lot more humble and eager to sell their product and that's the reason why on a single day, my dealership sold around 8-10 Terranos. There is no reason why this attitude wont transpire to the ASS.

[razor4077]

Test drove the Terrano 110 PS XV Premium today. Quick observations:

Pros:
- Ride quality is excellent - handled bad roads very well
- Handling and stability are also very good... drove it at triple digit speeds on the expressway and it felt planted. Not a corner carver, but nicely balanced at decent speeds (especially for an SUV)
- Good driving position
- Great ground clearance - you'll struggle to bottom out in this car
- Sixth gear is good for cruising
- Beige interiors work better than the dark Duster interiors
- Looks great from outside!
- Like the Duster, perfect dimensions for our cities, with the appeal, size and go-anywhere ability of an SUV

Cons:
- 110 definitely has turbo lag, not a great accelerator (compared to the Duster 110? Dunno...)
- No steering audio controls, very basic ICE and HU, no Bluetooth, GPS (Duster does better here)
- Road noise is apparent at higher speeds - doors don't have the rubber beading
- Couldn't find a comfortable position in the drivers seat. Lumbar support was decent but somehow didn't get any neck support (could be a matter of finding the right setting)
- Odd ergonomics from Duster carried over - ORVM button under the handbrake, very crowded and user unfriendly central button console, odd seat height adjustment lever, left elbow banged against the rear AC unit a few times
- Overall interiors felt downmarket and definitely not up to the mark for the cost
- Clutch felt hard (but the SA insisted it was lighter than the Duster's.. I'm not sure since I haven't driven a Duster recently). Also, no dead pedal/footrest and no place to rest the left leg without fouling with the clutch. This + the 110's turbo lag = painful left knee/ankle/calf muscle
- Rear leg space isn't great, especially if a tall person (like me) is in front. The jutting out rear AC unit doesn't help.
- The jutting out rear AC unit!
- Nissan sales just wasn't up to the mark. They took forever to get me a TD, and when they did, it was delayed by over an hour. The SA wasn't even apologetic. SA also wasn't the best informed about the car's mechanicals and info on the competition.
- Grossly overpriced for what it offers, especially given the competition.

I was really hoping the Terrano would overcome the main flaws of the Duster but I don't see that. What's the feedback on the 85 PS Terrano?

[vinayak007]

I understand the prices are bound to go north in January.
Any idea on the updated prices ?

[dhruvmalik]

Thanks for the feedback, here are a few points.

1) The Turbo Lag on the 110 is less than the Duster.

2) There is Bluetooth in the factory HU and it works great. I just noticed a fault-- If your phone numbers have a SPACE in it, then it wont dial from the unit. Ex. +91 99999 99999 OR +91 99 99 999999 OR +91 9999999999. So if you need to change your contacts to have +919999999999 then there is no issues with calling. I just went to GMail, downloaded my Contacts list, changed the Space in the Mobile, Home, Work, Other column and uploaded it. Didnt lose Photos or anything.

3) The clutch is lighter than the Duster as I drove both back to back and found that the Terrano had less Turbo Lag and a lighter clutch. BUT I hate that it doesn't have a dead pedal.

-- Prices...

I got a call from the SA stating the price hike by NISSAN from Jan, so I paid everything in full on Dec 30th and took delivery Jan 2nd (Didn't want 2013 - For Personal Reasons)

[Yeldo]

Originally Posted by vinayak007

I understand the prices are bound to go north in January.
Any idea on the updated prices ?

I am planning to buy one, so called up the dealership today. 2014 prices up by around 40k here down in Kochi. Also, the 85HP "XLD Plus" and "110HP XVD Premium" variants have been discontinued.

Interestingly, the sales breakup between 85HP & 110HP versions are almost 50:50, according to the sales person. I was looking at the Petrol version (as the car would be used for my son's 10 km + 10 km x 2 km per day school run), but only a handful of the Petrol variant have been sold in Kochi. So I have almost made up my mind at the 110HP XLD THP variant. Delivery of the 2014 VIN vehicles could take around 20 days, it is said.

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by Yeldo

So I have almost made up my mind at the 110HP XLD THP variant. Delivery of the 2014 VIN vehicles could take around 20 days, it is said.

Any specific reason to go for 110?

You hardly have highway runs. 85 uses lesser gear shifts on hill and town roads with slow traffic.

Don't go by HP figures. 85 is a powerful vehicle.

[vinayak007]

Wanted to know if one is supposed to religiously go about the car's run in period or can it be taken on the highways right from day 1 ?

Is there any specific instruction from Nissan in the car's manual ?

[dhruvmalik]

I didnt go through the manual enough to comment on that part, but what people suggest is to not exceed 100 Kmph and keep it around 2.5k RPM for 1000 kms.

I try to do both the best I can.

Prices are to go up by 4% on Terrano and 2% on other cars. Thats on the BASE price.

I bought the Petrol, and although it doesnt have the UMPH (didnt really push it to know how much UMPH it really has). But go for the 85PS If you want to go Diesel.

Do note that that diesel prices are suppose to go up, so by the time you break even on the added 1 lac, it would take quite a bit longer.

[razor4077]

@dhruv - thanks for clarifying about the Bluetooth feature - the SA forgot to mention it (odd, because they tend to harp on those points).

As Dhruv said, Terrano prices will go up by 4% within a week or so.

Just for the sake of reference, I'll list the latest on-road prices across variants in Kolkata as per the dealer's price list. Note these prices include a 5 year road tax. For lifetime tax - add approx 50k.

Petrol:
XL - 11.23

Diesel 85PS:
XE - 10.98
XL - 12.17
XL Plus - 12.48

Diesel 110PS:
XL - 12.92
XV - 13.85
XV Premium - 14.19

All prices in Rs. lakhs. SA was firm about no discounts, which I find odd given the competition.

[Yeldo]

Originally Posted by HillMan

Any specific reason to go for 110?

You hardly have highway runs. 85 uses lesser gear shifts on hill and town roads with slow traffic.

Don't go by HP figures. 85 is a powerful vehicle.

Well, I'm kind of embarrassed to say this, but I find myself going for the higher output variant quite often- like buying a 350CDI when the 220CDI is more than adequate or going for the 4WD variant of Scorpio and never being in a situation to use it all the while I owned it, or paying extra and waiting longer for a BS4 variant while BS3 is all that is needed in my state, etc.

Equally embarrassing it is for me to admit that I seldom drive above 70km/h whenever I'm at the wheel, and fumes at my driver if he ever goes faster.

And I'm afraid my reply is . Sorry.

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by Yeldo

And I'm afraid my reply is . Sorry.

We all love our wheels and love to get our hands on the cream variant. But, I can assure you, the 85 is a better choice in your case. You will like its drive better.

In second and third gear you will feel the turbo punch as well. It's pretty neat.

Plus you will end up with bunch of money to spruce up the interiors and exteriors.

Long drive and highway is different. 110 scores too well out there. It's an awesome cruiser.