Nissan's Toyota Fortuner Rival For South East Asia Unveiled

The all-new Nissan Terra SUV has made its public debut in the Philippines for the South East Asian markets. The all-new SUV is the latest ladder-on-frame SUV to be available and was first unveiled in February this year for the Chinese market. The all-new model takes on the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour, Isuzu MU-X, and the likes in the segment and much like its rivals, the Nissan Terra is built on a pick-up truck - Nissan Navara - and is seen as a spiritual successor to the Pathfinder in the automaker's stable. Apart from South Asia, the Terra is a potential offering for Australia, while the model makes sense for the Indian market as well.

(The Nissan Terra shares its underpinnings with the Navara pick-up)

Unlike the Chinese version though, the Nissan Terra revealed for the Philippines is a seven-seater and draws power from a diesel engine. The automaker has revealed a 2.5-litre, four-cylinder, diesel under the hood that produces 188 bhp and 450 Nm of peak torque. The oil burner is same as the Navara pick-up and comes paired with either a 6-speed manual and 7-speed torque-converter automatic transmission. The 4x4 system on the SUV comes with a locking differential and Hill Start Assist and Descent Control, while the massive ground clearance of 225 mm ensures the driver can tackle rough terrains with ease.

Compared to the China-spec version, the all-new Nissan Terra is 15 mm wider and 3 mm longer for South East Asia, measuring 4885 mm in length, 1865 mm in width and 1835 mm in height.

(The features are shared with the Navara including the touchscreen system with Apple CarPlay)

The cabin on the new Nissan Terra is familiar to that of the Nissan Navara, and is loaded with all the modern-day essentials including a touchscreen system for the centre console, dual pod instrument clusters with a MID unit, and a black and grey themed interior. The SUV will be offered in five trims in the Philippines with the higher-spec trims getting leather seats, 8-way power adjustable driver's seat, multi-function steering wheel, cruise control, Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth connectivity and more.

Key safety equipment on the Nissan Terra will include six airbags, Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Warning, Intelligent Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection, and Smart Rear View Mirror.

(Deliveries for the new Nissan Terra will commence in Philippines from August this year)

Bookings for the Nissan Terra in Philippines open from today while deliveries will commence from August this year in the country. It's not clear if the right-hand drive (RHD) version of the Nissan Terra will be produced. But we do think the automaker should take the leap, considering the majority of the South Asian Market is RHD. Should that happen, the model can be considered for India as well, where it will have a huge potential as Nissan's flagship SUV offering. With the X-Trail unlikely to make its way to the country anytime soon, the Terra fits with the Indian sensibility of rugged SUVs far better, and just might be able to put up a good fight against the Fortuner and Endeavour.