Apologies for the back-to-back posts. Could not get back in time to edit the earlier posts. Apologies too, for the long post. This is not really a rant as I am not emotionally invested in either car.
I have been looking at how the Duster & Terrano have been priced. I am, to tell you frankly, quite perplexed as to how Nissan plans to sell the Terrano. Please do have a look and let me know what I have missed or where I have made a mistake.
Please have a look at this xls:
Nissan vs Duster price.xlsx
Curiously, the website talks about Terrano NISSAN TERRANO 85 PS XL D PLUS & NISSAN TERRANO 85 PS XL D THP but nothing there about the differences in between them in the downloaded brochure. The SA told me that, the mid-version is the XLD – has EBD, BA, EBS but not dual airbags or alloys. The ICE is standard throughout. The XLD- Plus has these. Apparently, there is no difference in trim levels between the 85 & 110. The 110, also has an exclusive XV trim level.
The Duster – The RxL is the first real version you can buy- has steering control, ICE, armrest kind of goodies. The RxE is the loss leader to get the foot falls into the showroom. RxL plus has dual airbags, ABS+EBD+Brake Assist & seat belt reminder. The Opt has alloys, touch MediaNav & Reverse parking sensors additionally.
Basically, the Nissan has no equivalent of the RxL – Plus version. You can take the base version or pay a bomb for some goodies!
Look the various kinds of comparisons (how do I upload tables into this dialog box?)
Broadly, the Duster has more reasonable spread of the variants with a more reasonable difference in price & goodies between variants. 3 lakhs separate the absolute base version to the top-of-the line version for the 85 bhp. (for the 110, about 1.4 Lakhs. I will not talk about 110 anymore as it has no interest in my current purchase decision)
Look at the Duster - the entry level is bare bones. The next level is significantly more expensive but can be purchased by anybody looking for a nice car, safety be damned. The Plus version addresses the new buyer of a nice car but safe car, in that it provides all a reasonable buyer can ask for. But if you want the whole shebang, then you need to shell out an additional 70k for which you get touch media-navigation system, Alloys & parking sensors. So, each model is clearly delineated and there is a rationale for why you would or would not spend the additional money.
For the Terrano, the spread is only 2 lakhs. But the 2nd variant takes up about 80% of that spread. Basically, you either buy the base version or you buy the top end because if you can afford the mid range, you sure as hell can stretch & get all the goodies.
The Terrano does not have the logical consistency of the Duster’s model line up. The entry level is priced too high compared to the Duster’s entry level. Why would you buy the Terrano when the equivalent Duster is
1.3 lakhs cheaper? Why would you pay a 12.5% premium for the Nissan badge? (Look at the 2nd sheet in the spreadsheet).
If you move up, you dont know what to compare the Terrano XLD with - it is much nicer than the 2nd level Duster but not nice enough as the Plus version. Again, it is tough to choose the Terrano. The mid range version of Terrano is costlier than BOTH the mid-range and the mid-range plus of the Duster. Again why would you buy the Terrano when the equivalent Duster is better equipped AND cheaper? Why they do not have a version priced at 12.75 Lakhs that is nice & covers basic safety is beyond me.
The difference at the top end is about 30k, which is reasonable, in my opinion.
In my mind, the boffins at Terrano should be trying to tell the following message with respect to the Duster – you want cheap, buy Duster; if you want loaded buy whichever looks good to you but if you want a sensible, VFM car, buy the Terrano. There seems to be enough grey area in the model line-ups to permit it. That, sure as hell, is NOT the message I am getting as a prospective buyer. The sales people give me some random nonsense about better suspension, thicker sheet metal etc.
I would bet the Terrano 85 PS sales is anchored by the top-end and is comparable to the Duster 85 PS top end in volume.
But, then, look at the 3rd sheet.
The base 110 & the loaded 85 Duster are BOTH cheaper than the loaded 85 Terrano. However, the 110PS is basically bookended by the Terranos with the middle ground being ceded to the Duster. This is essentially Innova, XUV, even Yeti territory. But Nissan can make a good fist of it, despite not having a ‘Luxury’ brand.
I don’t know why they even bother making the 85PS!
All this is based on the catalogue price; Duster is currently giving a 40k discount on top of this, essentially killing Terrano!
PS: BTW, there is bluetooth in the Terrano & works very similarly to the Duster. The doors do not Autolock.