wolf in a sheep’s clothing

On first look, Nissan Terrano unmistakably appears like a smaller sibling of Pathfinder (R52) 2014. The company has flawlessly embedded all the distinctiveness of its family design on fascia of a Duster. Be it the bold three slot heritage grille with hamburger logo tucked in middle or the sleek and sharply designed headlamps. The enhancements are not just limited to headlamps or the bumpers but Nissan has also made noticeable efforts to revise the styling of sheet metal wherever required. Such as the two vertical lines on the hood that adjoins from chrome grille and splits towards each fender. Move aside and that’s when you realize that it'sDuster in a Terrano’s clothing.Side design is mostly left untouched, because of which the tinge of Duster becomes rather evident on this Nissan. Most clear change is in ORVM housing that’s reduced in Terrano unlike in the Duster which stretches till the fender. Furthermore, side indicators surprisingly still do not sit on the outside rear view mirrors and continue to find their way on fenders but have different shape. The overall design language visibly indicates that the company intends to maintain a balance of premium appeal along with a SUV’ish aggression on Terrano. Probably for this reason, B and C Pillars have been blackened but the same color from plastic claddings has been taken off. The new diamond cut machined alloy wheels are strikingly awesome too. They’re equipped with Apollo rubber while the low-end end variants have full-sized wheel covers with MRF Wanderers. The dimension, however, is same across the range which is 215 / 65 R16 (Ditto to Duster, again).The rear design is a good example of clever utilization of Renault’s donated body shell. To make the car’s look different than Duster, tail lamps had to be overhauled without creating changes in the outline of metal sheet. Nissan has successfully accomplished the same and how! The peanut form of Duster’s tail lamps is retained but company has added an extended patch of tail lamp assembly on the boot door. As a result, not only causing the car to appear as much intimidating as its front but is also significantly differentiated from its counterpart. The registration plate area has also gone under the knife, apart from tail lamps. It’s now trapezoidal and the car’s name is not embossed on the chrome stripe but rather located as a separate badge on bottom left of the boot door. The exposed tow hook has been covered and the size of rear parking sensors has gone on a diet (though not in body color) making this SUV a more sophisticated one. In short, Terrano is a clear answer to those who argued that a Duster couldn’t look stylish.