All-new Nissan Terra to take on Toyota Fortuner and Ford Everest

The all-new Nissan Terra will join the ute-based SUV party when it arrives later this year, facing off the dominating Toyota Fortuner and Ford Everest.

Based on the Navara ute, the Terra is the first vehicle from Nissan’s frame and Light Commercial Vehicle division to launch under the company’s midterm plan, Nissan M.O.V.E to 2022. The business unit, made up of frame SUVs, pickups, vans, light-duty trucks, is seen as critical to achieving the company’s midterm plan objectives.

One in every six Nissan vehicles sold globally is a frame-based vehicle or an LCV, and the company is focused on capturing this division’s full potential. The business unit’s objectives under the midterm plan include increasing sales by more than 40 per cent by 2022 and becoming a global leader in pickups and frame-based SUVs.

The new Nissan Terra will first launch in China this April, followed later by selected Asian markets. Currently, there is no immediate plans to launch the vehicle in Australia, although a business case has been opened to study the model’s viability Down Under.

Slightly smaller in size than the monocoque-chassis Pathfinder, the 7-seat Terra will also compete against the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, Holden Trailblazer and Isuzu MU-X in the increasingly tight mid-size frame-based SUV segment.

Technical details are scarce but we can expect the Terra to share the same drivetrain as the Navara, which is powered by a 2.3-litre twin-turbo diesel engine developing 140kW / 450Nm matched with a 7-speed automatic transmission.