Nissan Terrano Estate 1993 - 2006

Nissan’s Terrano is something of a leftfield choice, lacking the status and glamour of some of it’s rivals.  It also lacks in the off-road skills that many of it’s rivals can boast, but as many of these vehicles never see anything but tarmac does that really matter.  What the Terrano may lack in image it makes up for in reliability and sheer toughness.  Good for run of the mill driving and useful functionality the Terrano is like the family dog, treat them well and they’ll be a lifelong companion.

Inside the Terrano is a story of surprise.  Inside that huge car there’s a lack of space that’s quiet unexpected.  The front seats are fine, if a little softly sprung, but the rear seats suffer with a lack of shoulder room.  You can get three people on the rear bench but at least one will need to be a child for all of you to travel in comfort.   The seven seater option comes with two child sized seats in the back that are easily removed for increased load space.  Given the choice of three or five doors, we’d always opt for the five door as it’s more useful and practical.

The engine options are all punishing on the economy front while offering little back in terms of performance.  23 mpg is the figure quoted across the range, but expect teen figures in town, and therefore the same sort of cost as a teenage child.  The top performer is the 3.0 diesel option which sprints to 60 mph in 13.1 seconds en route to a top speed of 105 mph.  None of the rest of the bunch can get past the magical 100 mph mark and they range between 13.4 and 18 seconds to get to 60 mph.  Unfortunately the figures really do tell the story as none of the engines are especially refined.  The big diesel is a reasonable cruiser but loud getting to cruising speeds, but the rest have a too agricultural feel to offer a relaxed drive. 

The long travel suspension offers good insulation from bumps and sleeping policemen, but means that the ride is somewhat unruly when on the road and looking for nimble road manners.  The Terrano suffers with body roll so if you’re looking to duck in and out of corners is can quickly somewhat out of control.  This means that you have to tailor your driving to suit the requirements of the car, but it’s soon something that you feel comfortable with.

The Terrano is a reliable and big 4X4.  It’s good for towing and great for carrying large loads, but is quite unrefined, a factor that has become increasingly evident over time and the advances of other models.  If you’re looking for a cheap buy that offers good reliability and performance it should be right up your street, as long as you can get your head round the running costs.

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