Nissan Terrano 3

Badge engineering’s results for an automaker can be positive as easily as very negative, but what it always makes sure is to provide a very interesting entertainment source for whoever looks for examples of it. Whether with deeper changes or nothing besides swapping badges, the car world is filled with them. Renault and Nissan are standing out because they still use this strategy sometimes, even though already working with common projects. Nissan’s latest release combines all that with a name which has a complete history itself.

Terrano has been a “wild card” among this automaker’s SUVs. This name was first used to rebadge Pathfinder in some markets, but it was dropped in favor of the other one after the second generation. Some years later there was a Terrano II, but they had only the same platform; since this one was dedicated to Europe, there were totally different size and styling. This one had only one generation for around thirteen years, and after 2006 Nissan was no longer working with that name. Such situation would change only after it became Renault’s partner, because they started joint operations focused on making their global operations more efficient.

Badge engineering turns interesting because it can be applied much cheaper and faster than developing a shared project, although it’s easy to end creating poorly-accepted cars. These automakers maintain a pact of whichever takes a model of the other one to create its own version will make slight improvements to it, in order to sell it a little more expensive than the original vehicle. Dacia Logan’s family became particularly interesting to both for its successful recipe of achieving low costs by using a modern project.

Therefore, after Nissan releasing the old Logan as Aprio in Mexico and Renault taking March and Versa to India as Pulse and Scala, the latter country now receives the small crossover which debuted as Dacia Duster and then was taken outside Europe under Renault. But this case deserves bigger attention for how big were the efforts on differentiating the new car. There are several changes which almost every facelift avoids due to high costs, such as using new headlights to suit better the more aggressive bumper and Nissan’s trapezoidal grille. The rear looks much better with the whole new fifth door, whose lights make Duster’s look like they were the adapted ones.

As if it wasn’t enough, even the sides had considerable changes: the windows were visually connected with black-painted pillars to make the car look longer, there’s a redesigned roof rack and the door panels are entirely new – Duster took the first Sandero’s front doors to cut costs, but these demanded to carry on its weird semicircular creases too, which simply don’t go with a SUV-inspired crossover’s intention of looking tough. Terrano’s doors look simpler, but would actually suit even the original vehicle much better. A new set of wheels completes the successful operation, which really makes Nissan’s car deserve such a traditional name.

Terrano’s interior becomes interesting because it reproduces the exact feeling brought by its exterior: instead of trying to look like a whole new vehicle, it works as a classier version of the original one. There’s an attractive two-tone scheme, with better materials, wooden accents and even an exclusive design, which includes additional air vents for the rear seats and the new central console, with its own infotainment system. The only reason why Duster’s success isn’t even higher is being a low-cost car, even when sold under Renault’s badge. It had a simple project, whose design and equipment list are unable to impress.

And this is the exact ability a small crossover needs to prosper in this young market, in almost every country. This is why Renault decided to complement its lineup with Captur, in order to make much better competition to Ford EcoSport, Opel Mokka and Peugeot 2008. However, after seeing Terrano evolving Duster’s concept so well and remembering the latter is about to receive its half-life facelift, it’s easy to conclude that Renault received a great opportunity to improve the reputation of its “tougher” crossover. Simply by releasing the new car outside India as the new Duster, and therefore applying this impressive marketing strategy once again.