We can finally confirm that Nissan is building a new SUV, and it's called the Terra. The Japanese carmaker made the announcement earlier this morning. The Terra is set to make its global debut in China (which will also be the first market to get it) later this year, and will be the first vehicle from Nissan's frame and light commercial vehicle (LCV) division. Division vice president Ashwani Gupta describes the Terra as a rugged, practical and 'authentic' SUV designed to get anywhere. "Nissan's frame and LCV business is seeing steady growth, and with our ambitious midterm plan and growing product lineup, we're confident that this growth will continue. It is an exciting time for Nissan. We have the Nissan Terra arriving soon, the award-winning Nissan Navara is now in 133 markets worldwide, and more drivers are purchasing our LCVs around the world," Gupta added. Official photos reveal a front endowed with large fenders and a muscular fascia, typical midsize SUV proportions, and an overall aesthetic similar to that of the Nissan Navara. The same goes for the interior. Actually, if we're being honest this thing looks a lot like Nissan's popular pickup truck offering--not a bad thing. The company also released a short teaser video on YouTube (see below) showing off the Terra taking on some dirt, mountain twisties, and snow. Nice. Frankly, the Terra has been an open secret since last year. Photographs of the vehicle have been circulating online for quite some time already, including alleged photos of a Terra unit being tested right here in the Philippines. Considering our market's strong passion for the midsize SUV segment, we wouldn't be surprised at all if Nissan Philippines brought it over to compete with the likes of the Toyota Fortuner, Mitsubishi Montero Sport, Isuzu MU-X and Ford Everest. So, is a new contender joining the battle? We hope so. ARTICLE BY TOP GEAR PHILIPPINESThe refreshed Nissan Navara is finally out of the bag. The Japanese workhorse was revealed late last month alongside the GT-R Nismo and a bunch of other new additions to the carmaker's lineup, but because of an embargo we've only been permitted to publish after a specified date. Frankly, there's not exactly much to go by if we're basing things on photos alone. There's a bit more chrome up front, as well as a new grille. But other than that, there's nothing really striking in terms of aesthetic changes. There appears to be nothing new on the inside as well. What we do have are how much the new 'Sport Edition' variants are going to cost. Their prices are as follows: *Navara 2.5L 4x2 EL Calibre Sport Edition (6MT) – P1,229,000 *Navara 2.5L 4x4 VL Sport Edition (6MT) – P1,615,000 *Navara 2.5L 4x2 EL Calibre Sport Edition (7AT) – P1,300,000 * Navara 2.5L 4x4 VL Sport Edition (7AT) – P1,686,000 You guys ought to wait a little while before making any judgments, at least until we get a proper test drive. What do you think of the refreshed pickup? Can you spot any differences? ARTICLE BY TOP GEAR PHILIPPINES*Note: The image above was taken in Japan. The current Nissan X-Trail has been in the country for around three years. A facelift surfaced overseas back in June, and it didn't take Nissan Philippines(NPI) long to bring it to local dealerships. Ladies and gents, the new X-Trail has arrived. The biggest changes to this compact crossover are to its on-board tech. This is the first vehicle in the Philippines that's equipped with the largest range of Nissan's Intelligent Mobility features. This includes a 360-degree monitor for easier navigation, sensors that detect movement around the vehicle, blind spot warning, forward collision warning with intelligent emergency braking, rear cross traffic alert, and the 4x4-I System which automatically adjusts power distribution based on road conditions. Design-wise, the new X-Trail boasts a redesigned front fascia with integrated foglamps and LED daytime running lights, new 19in wheels, a fin-type antenna, and a newly integrated sunroof. Inside, there are new finishes on the door and instrument panel, plus new designs for the shift knob, center console, and steering wheel. “The Nissan X-Trail offers enough room for families and groups who love to go on road trips, says NPI president and managing director Ramesh Narasimhan. “With Nissan Intelligent Mobility, our customers can enjoy each adventure as they drive safe and sound. We want them to treat the new X-Trail as a partner that looks out for them so they can have a fun and hassle-free time on the road.” The Nissan X-Trail is available in both 4x4 (P1,728,000) and 4x2 (P1,399,000) variants. Available colors include Premium Corona Orange, Marine Blue, Pearl White, Gun Metallic, and Diamond Black. It's available in all Nissan dealerships starting this month. ARTICLE BY TOP GEAR PHILIPPINESNissan has refreshed its 370Z sports car for 2018. Yeah, it’s another blink-and-you’ll-miss-it type affair. Most changes are aesthetic, such as blacked-out door handles and a new rear bumper. There are also tinted headlights and rear lights, previously only available on Nismo models. Perhaps the 19in alloys and metallic red paint will be easier to spot. Inside, ‘GT versions’ of the new car gets Nissan’s premium infotainment system as standard. This means a seven-inch touchscreen featuring satnav and a reversing camera. Under the hood, its 3.7-liter V6 still produces just over 320hp, allied to your choice of a six-speed manual or seven-speed auto. Just like before. However, the single mechanical change comes in the form of a new high-performance clutch developed in conjunction with EXEDY. We’re told the new clutch reduces driver pedal effort and provides “even greater levels of gear change precision and comfort”, especially when coupled with Nissan’s rev-match system dubbed ‘Syncro Rev Control’. The 370Z Nismo remains the same. Prices for this 2018 ‘standard’ Zed are cheaper than a four-cylinder, EcoBoost-engined Ford Mustang in other markets. Which one would you pick? ARTICLE BY TOP GEAR PHILIPPINESThis, ladies and gents, is the new Nissan X-Trail. Sure, it’s not a new GT-R variant. It’s a lot more sensible than that. But Nissan’s stats say it was the world’s best-selling SUV in 2016, with over 750,000 sold. Nearly four million have sold in its lifetime. So it’s rather popular, at least.
Popularity means its facelift has been kept fairly mild. There’s a new grille (called the ‘V-motion grille’), LED lights available on the front and back, and some snazzy new 17in and 18in alloys. So far, so predictable. Bigger news lies beneath the skin, for this is an X-Trail that will be able to drive itself. Optional from 2018 will be ‘ProPilot’, Nissan’s first stage of autonomous driving tech. “ProPilot will control the steering, acceleration and braking in a single lane on highways during heavy traffic congestion and high-speed cruising,” we’re told. Handy for when the kids filling the five seats behind you are wreaking havoc and need a stern word, perhaps. There are all sorts of other safety and parking helpers available, while the trunk has been reshaped and now comes with nine different layouts and as much as 1,996L of luggage space. Buy 2,000L of orange juice and now you’ll only need to leave four liters behind. Nissan is offering a big Bose stereo--the most serious system it’s ever offered in Europe, we’re told. For all its claims of being a bestseller, though, we reckon the X-Trail is a bit underrated. It’s a good one, and now it can drive itself. We hope this feature makes its way to our market. Want one? If former Nissan Philippines president Toti Zara were here (he’s now assigned to Nissan’s Indonesian operations), I imagine he would say, “let the van wars begin!” Thus is his confidence in the Japanese brand’s current lineup.
This is the vibe I felt at the simple and classy launch of Nissan’s latest product: the Nissan Urvan Premium. The new van is a bigger and slightly classier version of Nissan’s popular people hauler. I said ‘slightly’ intentionally, because by omitting unnecessary frills and focusing on what passengers want the most, namely space and comfort, Nissan PH was able to offer the Urvan Premium at an attainable price. For P1,650,000 you get 15 seats covered in smooth suede-like fabric material. The headliner fabric also comes in a suede-finished material that’s colored gray. I sat inside and I can confidently say that it’s easy to enter, thanks to a wide entrance by the lone right sliding door, and easy to move around in. Like in the similarly sized Toyota Hiace Super Grandia LXV, petite women will have no problem standing inside. There’s also generous space underneath the seats for storing overnight bags and other travel gear. For those who will pack this Urvan full of people, rest well knowing that there are 14 A/C vents to cool your passengers. No more fighting for the vents while stuck in summer traffic. Another neat trick I saw was the Door Closure Assist feature. Just nudging the sliding door until it makes minimal contact with the door frame will automatically close it shut. This eliminates the need to slam it. Under the front seats is a 2.5-liter turbodiesel, the same lump in the Navara, that generates 356Nm. A manual transmission transfers that torque to the wheels, but Nissan Philippines says an automatic is coming. Obviously, the Urvan Premium will compete with the other oversized Japanese transport in the market, the Hiace Super Grandia LXV. The latter has 10 seats, is about the same size, and has four captain’s chairs (hence the lower seat number). But the LXV has a harsh ride and it costs P800,000+ more. What the Nissan will likely compete with is the regular Super Grandia, which costs P460,000 more and is very comfortable. And its ‘smaller’ size makes it easier for Mang Jimmy to maneuver. To find out which is better, we’ll have to see how it feels and rides when we borrow the Premium Urvan for a test drive. This new model will certainly help Nissan’s growing bottom line. It sold 5,277 units during the first quarter of 2017, its highest sales performance since the year 2000. According to Nissan Philippines president and managing director Ramesh Narasimhan: “The past year has truly been phenomenal for the brand. We have been able to continue this performance by beating our own sales record in March, by selling 2,094 units. The NV350 Urvan sold a total of 1,651 units, accounting for 31% of our sales for the first quarter.” Let’s face it: These days true luxury is space and air-conditioning; the ability to be cool while stretching your legs while being transported. And the Nissan Urvan Premium seems especially suited for that task. It was the bet that paid off. After a year on the market, the Juke crossover has been a success for Nissan Philippines. We admit even we were skeptical about its chances, not because we didn’t admire the model, but we were afraid the conservative taste of Filipinos might not be ready for a design this radical. Good thing our fears were mostly unfounded.
To celebrate the Juke’s triumph, Nissan Philippines is coming out with a limited-edition variant called the Juke N-Style. These are basically new color schemes: Cosmic Blue with white accents and Obsidian Black with yellow accents. They will be enhanced by accessories like headlamp finishers and a roof spoiler. “We are excited to kick-off 2017 with a bang as we launch the new Nissan Juke N-Style,” said Ramesh Narasimhan, Nissan Philippines president and managing director. “The Nissan Juke is one of Nissan’s bestselling vehicles, being embraced by the local market since its launch early last year. And to celebrate, we are introducing the new N-Style variant of the Nissan Juke. With the introduction of this vehicle, we at Nissan continue on our push to be bolder and more exciting than ever before.” The Juke N-Style will be formally launched tomorrow, January 12, and based on the photos provided to us, we’re excited to see the it in the metal. That yellow stitching in the cabin is gorgeous. If you’re smitten like us and you have P1,080,000 (unlike us), visit your Nissan dealer quickly because only 500 units will be on sale. |
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