Nissan’s Fortuner rival set for update, finally coming to South Africa?

"The chances are very good that there might be a Navara-based SUV available to our market".

Teaser video screengrab of the updated Nissan Terra

Nissan’s answer to the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest, Isuzu MU-X and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, the Terra, will be following in the wheel tracks of the model it is based on, the Navara, in receiving its first mid-life facelift next week.

On sale in a number of Asian markets since 2018, the indirect replacement for the body-on-frame R51 generation Pathfinder that ended production five years ago, has made its first showing in a teaser clip posted by Nissan’s Middle East YouTube page, which mainly shows the same restyled headlights as the updated Navara and Patrol-esque taillights.

Set to be revealed on 25 November, Thailand’s Headlight Magazine reports that the Terra’s new additions, apart from the lights, will include a redesigned front bumper and grille, new alloy wheels, a restyled rear bumper and on the inside, a new dashboard more than likely with the Navara’s upgraded touchscreen infotainment system.

The Thai publication has gone a step further by stating that the Terra will offer a revised range of safety and driver assistance systems, namely Blind Spot Warning, Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control, a 360 degree camera system, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Forward Collision Warning with Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning and Auto High Beam Assist.

Seating for five or seven will still be provided with the Thai-spec model set to continue with the twin-turbocharged 2.3-litre turbodiesel engine rated at 140kW/450Nm. A seven-speed automatic will once again be the sole transmission option available with buyers having the option of two-or-four-wheel-drive. In other markets, the Terra will also have the option of a six-speed manual gearbox, the 140 kW 2.5-litre YD25DDTI engine from the D40 generation Navara and the mentioned Pathfinder, as well as a normally aspirated 134 kW 2.5-litre petrol.

Ruled-out for South Africa until now, the local arm of the Japanese automaker has hinted that the Terra, on the back of local Navara production, could become available as a fully made-in-South Africa model once retooling and upgrades at its Rosslyn Plant outside Pretoria finishes.

“You will see many activities at our plant over the next 18 to 21 months. Once we have established [Navara production], the chances are very good that there might be a Navara-based SUV available to our market, however, we first have to finish our plant and get our Navaras built before building other products,” Nissan South Africa Media Relations Manager Veralda Schmidt told The Citizen on the side-lines of the Datsun Go CVT launch last year.