1998 Nissan Terrano II TI 2.7 TD

Summary:

Has been an extremely reliable 4x4

Faults:

Air flow meter failed at around 45000kms and vehicle was just out of warranty. This resulted in an extreme lack of power and took quite soon time to source the part from Japan. The dealer told me that this was a common problem with this vehicle and unfortunately Nissan has not chosen to recall the vehicles to have these defective units replaced. The cost of these units is $1500.00 from Nissan or $750.00 direct from Bosch in Germany. The air flow meter is around the size of a bic lighter and fits in a tube beside the air filter.

General Comments:

Other than this problem the car has been great. If you happen to own one, and you warranty hasn't run out, start knocking on your dealers door so you don't get caught out in the $$$ stakes like I did.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 21st May, 2002

1st Oct 2002, 02:18

Do you know the part number?

14th Aug 2005, 23:28

Hi I have just bort 1992 Nissan Terrano turbo diesel auto with 227,000 km on the clock can you help me find out more about the weaknes of said unit. what help you can give would be grate. should I put a turbo timer on it.

1998 Nissan Terrano II RX 2.7 turbo diesel

Summary:

A competent 4WD at a good price

Faults:

Battery was unsuitable for the tropics as the acid expanded in the heat and leaked when travelling on rough roads. The damage was repaired under warranty and I have replaced the original battery with a sealed unit.

Front bumper has repeatedly come loose as the side brackets fail after sustained drives on corrugated roads such as in the Kimberley. This is really only an annoyance.

General Comments:

The car offers a reasonable compromise between the needs of a getting in and out of shopping centre car parks and going bush. Offroad it has performed extremely well with excellent rear articulation and torque.

A pity it doesn't have 16 inch wheels to deliver comparable clearance to a Patrol or Land-cruiser, or that it is possible to buy a snorkel off-the-shelf.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th May, 2001

31st Jan 2007, 15:39

We bought a new 2.7 diesel Terrano II seven years ago and are still very happy with it. We lived in Darwin bought it to explore the Top End. The shortcomings are the front suspension and the smaller wheels, but despite this its off-road performance betters many much more expensive 4wds. It has good power to weight ratio, torque and rear articulation.

We have had some minor issues with the rough conditions in the Top End - the front bumper mounts failed in the same spot three times on the corrugated roads and were replaced three times under warranty. After the prospect of frustratingly waiting for replacement parts for a fourth time, we opted to have the mounts modified in Kununurra by a welder who identified the design fault and they then gave no further problems. This repair cost only $60! We also had to replace the battery with a sealed unit after the original leaked and paint damage was repaired under warranty.

We cracked the plastic front bumper after hitting a kangaroo and replaced it with an East Coast bull-bar with heavy duty brackets which looks great.

We installed a snorkel to get through the top end rivers. - The snorkel designed for the Ford Courier nicely fits the Terrano II panels with a bit of modification to the air cleaner housing. Both TJM in Darwin and Cairns have done this. We had ours fitted in Darwin about five years ago.

At 105,000kms I had the engine serviced at Berrimah Diesel and they installed an adaptor ring to allow the use of a standard fuel filter instead of the expensive Nissan units. At 110,000 kms it is now blowing some black smoke so I suspect the airflow meter is the issue, but it still has good power and drives well.

1997 Nissan Terrano II TI 2.8 turbo intercooled diesel

Summary:

Terrific Terrano but let down by poor marketing in Australia

Faults:

The Nissan Terrano II (TI Diesel) which I purchased in 1997 has had no mechanical or trim problems at all. It has only been to the dealer for its regular 5000kms interval servicing. It consistently returns fuel consumption figures of about 12 litres per 100 kms. and even as low as 10 on long extended highway trips as it comfortably cruises on 100+ kmph in its (overdrive) 5th. gear.

General Comments:

Excellent design, great value for money and economical to run. A most under-rated 4wd - it is easy to see why it is, as either the Nissan Terrano or Ford Maverick as it is sometimes badged in Europe, the top selling 4wd in most of Europe.

By the way whilst Mitsubishi make a great song and dance about the Paris/Dakar Rally and the might of the Pajero - the Nissan Terrano is the next best performed mass production 4wd (2 factory entries finished in the top 10 last year).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th August, 2000

1998 Nissan Terrano II Ti 2.4 petrol

Faults:

Vehicle purchased in Feb 98, as at July 1999, vehicle has completed 60,000ks. Apart from regular servicing, has required one set of tyres at 40,000. Nothing else.

General Comments:

Vehicle is a strong performer off road, matching larger vehicles such as Toyota Landcruiser and Nissan Patrol. Main off road features include its strong chassis, good articulation at the rear and strong LSD. Limitation of the vehicle off road is its front suspension set up. This however can be overcome by choosing better lines through rough stuff. The vehicle performs well in city environs, and takes my kids and their gear easily.

I am truly impressed (as are other people when they see the car perform) with the capabilities of the vehicle.

I only wish they sold more in Australia!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th July, 1999