[Nilesh5417]

Nice pics in the report and the pic vs. pic comparo is an awesome touch!

OT : Now my post with the overdrive pic makes it look like i didnt read Parry's report when it was actually moved from the other thread!

[sbala]

Is there an option to customize this vehicle - Duster Front, Terrano Back ?

Like what TCL used to do in electronics segment (TV etc..)

[arjab]

Looks nice. Reminds me of the Skoda Rapid - VW Vento visual differentiation cues w.r.t. the amount of stylistic changes incorporated.

I like the small improvements Nissan has made over the Duster, such as a lidded box on the dashtop and the smart rectangular a/c vents.

The rear bumper looks much better as Nissan has very nicely covered the Duster's protruding tow hook - which is an eyesore on the Duster (used to remind me of first gen pre-V2 generation Indica's!)

Would have been even better had they corrected some of the ergo glitches, like the wing mirror adjustment knob location and a better shaped driver's seat height adjuster.

Nissan could have actually upped the ante and justified its premium positioning over its Romanian cousin, by having a 4x4 option as well. That variant could have been kitted out with Auto Climate Control and a top end audio system (a la Outlander). The boot has more than enough space to take a sub-woofer. Maybe they are saving that for the facelift version !!

Overall a commendable effort indeed. Now its up to their dealers to ensure this "blockbuster" hits the screen before Diwali and runs to packed houses.

[nik_kapur]

The interiors are of the same quality as one can make out from the images. The difference is in the styling that is certainly improved.
I believe they have missed a trick by not bringing in an auto option. The ecosport automatics deliveries are delayed by 11 months and many prospective buyers would have switched.

[samyakmodi]

I feel nissan has missed another opportunity to revive itself as a brand.

the car though looks a bit different than the Duster - hasn't really addressed any of the customer deterrent points!

1. The interior quality though looks better than Duster - but still doesn't seem good enough. How difficult is it to get the dashboard look appealing? take some lessons from hyundai and ford!
2. they could have done something about the 5th passenger deterrent!! it ain't rocket science now is it?? i agree it would have effected the cost - but if they consider it a long term investment it would have been very well incorporated in the price bump they are thinking of for the terrano.
3. if you think you are going to charge a premium for just a new headlamp and tail-lamp and a 3 spoke steering wheels - think again nissan!! you should have done something about the basic ergonomics in the car's interiors!! you SHOULD have given a better driver seat height adjustment lever. you should have given the rear seat window controls at a better location. you should have considered giving us a better locking mechanism on the inside and not the old Maruti 800 style one. heck even the newer marutis have ditched that!!
4. you could have given automatic control for the ac for sure!! I am pretty sure it wouldn't have hurt much on your wallet - but these little omissions would definitely hurt your wallet by lesser sales.
5. how can you make the engine bay look so bad?!?!?! you could have used the same cover as renault's and badged it as nissan - couldn't you?
6. honestly speaking IMO the front looks a bit out of proportion now - maybe you could have considered giving projection headlamps.

I am in a way sure that someday someone would write a case study on nissan - How Nissan managed to bomb a perfectly good opportunity to have a firm foothold in India!!

[jkdas]

The engine bay looks better. Air intake and other plumbing parts etc look different too.
Is there a change in engine specs/gear ratio etc?

[m_upreti]

Originally Posted by arjab

Now its up to their dealers to ensure this "blockbuster" hits the screen before Diwali and runs to packed houses.

What I find is a gross scarcity of dealers. Nissan has to gather its act fast and appoint dealers.

[fine69]

The only good thing I personally see is a better rear as against the ugly looking rear profile of the duster.

With Nissan/Renault launching similar (if not same) cars I really want to know who has an upper edge w.r.t. sales/profits, would anyone have this data?

[Warwithwheels]

Well the Terrano looks much better than the Duster!

But the "BLOCKBUSTER" event was a total disaster! I was just wondering if the whole event was organised to promote the newly launched car or the Director Saab aka Kabir Khan. C'mon Nissan, you can't just hire a bunch of such amateur folks to unveil a product that could turn the tables for you!

The Top brass of the Company were also ill equipped to take the questions by the media.

And what's wrong with the Car's carpeting? Was it inundated in the stock yard? Was the car driven into the event straight from the stockyard without even giving it a wash?

Let the pics do the talking:

Take a look at the foot well of the front passenger side



The wheels look dirty


A thin layer of dust adorning the BLOCKBUSTER



Why can't Nissan care about these minute aspects that's gonna win negative publicity for the car?

[PPS]

I believe it still has the ORVM adjustment knob under the handbrake, does it? 'Blockbuster feature' that!

Originally Posted by parrys

(Please note this was just an unveiling event; pricing & specifications haven't been shared yet)

This is the latest trend among manufacturers! I was under the impression this was an official launch but turned out to be an anti-climax!

[parrys]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

Why can't Nissan care about these minute aspects that's gonna win negative publicity for the car?

Well, it had more to do with the way the car was unveiled rather than Nissan not bringing in a clean car.

The rocks (mountain) seen behind blasted to make way for the Terrano to come out, hence the dust.

Then, people moving in and out of the car made the carpets dirty.

[eq24]

I am amazed, not by the Terrano but by Nissan. How can a company be so adamant to be on a path to self destruction is beyond me.

The Duster was launched last year at a very competitive price, it created a buzz in the market and set sales charts on fire. A new segment was born and Renault for once was seeing people in its showrooms. Renault in the course of time made many price corrections, Greed or other motives irrespective, prices were increased by almost a lakh. So the market responded as well and past few months sales were dipping.

Lesson - The Duster is a good product but is way Overvalued.

Enter Nissan, a company with abysmally low sales numbers. No anchor product and an even unhappier dealer network. Now in a bid to make a fast buck, they first killed the Micra by releasing the Micra Active. Same shape, same design but is much cheaper than the Real Micra. So not only the existing customers lose out but in general the market is confused even more. Net Result - No real increase in any numbers.

Again in desperation they approach their parent and take their best selling product do some denting and painting and lo and behold the Terrano is born. First they mock their otherwise excellent heritage in making SUV's by claiming a French hatchback platform to be a part of their lineage which has produced some excellent products like the Path finder and X-trail. Companies think that people will not remember but imagine if the Terrano fails, their entire SUV range which they might plan to bring some day will bear the stigma of the Terrano.
Now the Terrano is a better looker than the Duster, I will give them that but then at the price they want to ask that is around 70,000 more than the Duster. The Duster top end ex showroom Delhi is 12,18,000 add 70 to that and you get 12,88,000 plus taxes so OTR Delhi is around 15,00,000

Who will buy the Terrano at 15, it is now competing with a very popular car the XUV500, not to mention the Octavia, Jetta, Elantra, Corolla, Cruze which are leagues ahead of the Duster in almost everything save maybe the ground clearance or a little bit better ride.

Even hardened Duster supporters on our forum have admitted that the Duster was only good at the launch price and they would not consider it at today's price.

Not to mention the sorry state our economy is, the rupee continues to fall and interest rates continue to rise.

I hope sense prevails in Nissan otherwise Carlos Ghosn can certainly write a book on "How to kill a brand".

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by eq24

I hope sense prevails in Nissan otherwise Carlos Ghosn can certainly write a book on "How to kill a brand".

+100. The car looks good and promising. But then what is the whole point? You are launching a pricier variant of a vehicle that is already over priced to begin with. What sense does that make? At 15L there are so many better and bigger options available. Also you get dangerously close to 2 well established and different segment products namely the XUV500 and the Innova. Fail to understand the company right now!

[ganesc]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

A thin layer of dust adorning the BLOCKBUSTER

Why can't Nissan care about these minute aspects that's gonna win negative publicity for the car?

May be they want to show its a derivative of duster named dusty!

Overall, the car at least looks premium and good both external and internal. Far better than its quirky French Bro'. Design is clean, sharp unlike the clumsy feel of Duster. How I wish this was launched with better pricing.

To me, the wheel caps shown in Autocar is better looking than the alloys itself. One of the best looking wheel caps out there.

The thread says dont know if there will be a petrol Terrano but Autocar first look video (in HD!) was with a petrol variant.

[eq24]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

+100. The car looks good and promising. But then what is the whole point? You are launching a pricier variant of a vehicle that is already over priced to begin with. What sense does that make? At 15L there are so many better and bigger options available. Also you get dangerously close to 2 well established and different segment products namely the XUV500 and the Innova. Fail to understand the company right now!

I completely forgot the Innova in my post, the mother of all people movers and the real Japanese Juggernaut.

Another thing worth mentioning is in the Q and A in the end, the top brass of the company could not answer many easy questions but the one question which would have shown the confidence those guys had in this product.

The question was what are the sales targets you expect to achieve with the Terrano.

The Answer was we do not know or it is too early to say. I was shocked that these guys are not even assertive about their own product so how can the car buying public be.