Remember it, the Nissan Terrano II? Probably now that we have reminded him, but otherwise this sturdy Nissan looks like a product from a bygone era. Nevertheless, the car was finally in showrooms until 2006, thanks to a whole series of facelifts.
In the 1990s, the landscape of high-legged cars was completely different from today. It is crossovers and ‘soft’ SUVs that are the rule these days, not least thanks to Nissan’s own trendsetter Qashqai. Two decades ago, cars with a lot of ground clearance were often still real off-road executioners, cars that were often purchased in the Netherlands with a gray license plate for the really tough jobs. Japanese brands in particular were strong in this category. Toyota’s Land Cruiser immediately comes to mind, but you also saw Mitsubishi’s Pajero (Sport) regularly. Nissan contributed with the tough Patrol, of which we can still hear the enormous turbo blowing in our minds.
Mistral
If it all could be just that little bit smaller, Nissan offered an alternative from 1993. The Terrano II was the version of the Japanese Nissan Mistral built for and by Europeans, a narrower, lighter, but still quite tough all-terrain vehicle. The Terrano II is called that because there was also another Terrano elsewhere in the world, the car we briefly knew here as Pathfinder.
Ford
Nissan didn’t keep the Terrano II to itself, but shared it with Ford. That brand turned it into a Maverick – also for Europe. What applies to the Nissan often also applies to the Maverick, although Ford’s version did not make it to the turn of the century. The Terrano II’s career has been peppered with updates and facelifts, so a traditional edition of ‘Facelift Friday’ is out of the question and the poll is omitted this time. Instead, we’ll briefly take you through the different appearances of the Terrano II, which came as short two-door and longer four-door.
The first edition was typically a product of the early 90s, albeit not as rounded as fashion dictated at the time. The sleek and tidy carriage was drawn with straight lines, which, however, invariably ended in a rounded corner. Fairly small headlights, a modest grille and a ditto logo were assisted on the without side by a bumper with integrated turn indicators.
Fake lights
The taillights seem to be fashionably high on the butt, but that’s an illusion. Light clusters at this location are not allowed in Europe in this case, as the spare wheel would obscure the light clusters when the side-opening door is opened. That is why the actual light clusters are located in the bumper and the higher ones only serve for the rear fog lights.
Headlamp masks
The first facelift presented itself in 1996. In addition to the grille and headlights, the bonnet was also replaced, because it no longer ran between the headlight units. Instead, the grille was stretched upwards to make room for a larger logo. The headlights were apparently hidden behind a mask, although they were actually round ones with a new, spray-painted housing around them. The front bumper was rounded off and the wheel arches more emphatically accentuated.
Bright
After another three years, the Terrano was unmasked again. From this year on, the mask does not seem to include the headlights, but rather the non-functional ‘rear light units’. The hood, launched in 1996, was allowed to stay, but now connected to fashionable bright headlight units with a dark interior. The front screens had to believe in it now, because they made room for direction indicators placed next to the headlights.
The last notable update took place in 2002, although this facelift is undeniably less extensive than the previous ones. The grille was redesigned and the front bumper a new layout. The dark headlight units were replaced on certain trim levels with those with a chrome interior and with things like an all-body-colored body, different wheels and a more luxuriously decorated interior, the Terrano was prepared for the latter part of its career.