1980 Nissan Urvan Reviews

Nissan has revealed a new light EV called the Pixo, built on the same platform as the new Renault Twingo.With a single grade confirmed but no pricing so far, the 2027 Nissan Pixo is “engineered specifically for European customers” according to the brand, and will be built at Renault's Novo Mesto manufacturing plant in Slovenia.Set to start European customer deliveries in early 2027, it’s unlikely the Pixo will head down under due to its low power output and relatively limited range.With a 27.5kWh LFP battery providing power to a 60kW front-mounted electric motor, the Pixo is capable of a 259km claimed range and is limited to 50kW on DC fast charging.It should take around half an hour to charge from 15 per cent to 80 per cent, according to Nissan.In terms of specification the Pixo almost mirrors the related Renault Twingo, which also has a 60kW motor and a range only a few kilometres longer.The Pixo also features 23 ‘easter eggs’ in the design and details, seemingly including a smiling face in the tail-lights.Nissan Global Design Lead Exterior Designer Masato Koyama said the Pixo’s diminutive design plays into its intention as a city car.“Pixo proves that great things can come in small packages. “Its compact dimensions make it a natural fit for Europe’s cities, but we’ve worked hard to maximise the space within them, creating a cabin that feels open, practical and surprisingly roomy. “I can’t wait to see how our customers embrace this bold and fun new EV – that is perfectly suited to urban environments.” At just 3796mm long and 1790mm wide, the Pixo is properly small, though its surprisingly spacious boot offers up 356L of space with the rear seats up, and 1221L with the seats folded.Its relatively short wheelbase (2492mm) and minimal overhangs allow the Pixo to achieve a 9.9m turning circle, suitable for its intended purpose as a Euro-centric city car.Clíodhna Lyons, Vice President of Product, Brand and Marketing Strategy for Nissan AMIEO said the Pixo is about “giving customers practical alternatives that help reduce the cost of every journey”."We believe the future of electric mobility isn't about building bigger vehicles with more technology, it's about building smarter vehicles that fit naturally into people's lives.”

Electric cars are more reliable than petrol and diesel ones, according to a new study of almost 50 million vehicle roadworthy checks.It’s a topic of heated discussion all over internet forums: are EVs more reliable and lower maintenance than their combustion equivalents.A commonly held belief is that because electric cars have far fewer parts compared to petrol and diesel ones, there’s less to go wrong. That makes sense on the surface, but there could be actual proof now thanks to a study in the United Kingdom by the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA).Vehicles in the UK that are more than three-years-old are required by law to pass a yearly roadworthy and safety check - also known as an MOT (Ministry of Transport) - to be registered.In NSW, vehicles older than five years need a roadworthy certificate - the equivalent of a British MOT.The MOT requires a thorough check of a vehicle’s brakes, tyres, wheels, steering, suspension, lights, windscreen wipers, body structure and emissions to ensure all are in safe working order.The BVRLA study found EVs are more durable over time, and as the age of combustion vehicles increases, so does the maintenance requirements.The study examined the 47.7 million vehicles that underwent a roadworthy and safety test for registration from 2024-2026. Specifically the study looked at test failure rates. This was also correlated with data from 863 million historical tests.The study found that in the first 32,000-97,000km there was very little difference in the failure rates of both EVs and combustion cars. The results revealed 12 per cent of EVs that attempted the test failed, compared to 11.7 per cent of combustion vehicles.After about 100,000km the results get interesting. EV failure rates plateaued at 16.5 per cent while the failure rate of combustion cars increased steadily.From 145,000km-193,000km the failure rate for EVs remained at 16.5 per cent but for combustion it was 22.1 per cent.Above 193,000km EV failure rate actually decreased to 16 per cent while combustion continued to rise to 23.5 per cent.  Combustion vehicles have about 20,000 moving parts in their drivetrain, and EVs have only about 20. And while combustion engines have been developed over a hundred years to be super reliable, efficient and robust, the sheer number of metal and rubber components under the incredible heat and strain of constant use have a limited lifespan. From pistons and crankshafts, transmissions and driveshafts, to the fuel and cooling systems, the brakes and exhaust, combustion cars work hard and wear out faster.Electric cars do have weaknesses - some highlighted by the findings of the study and some we know as motoring journalists.The study found tyres wear out 1.8 times faster on an EV than a combustion car. This could be down to a combination of a number of factors we know cause tyre wear such as the heavy weight of EVs and the colossal torque electric cars can send to their wheels.We also know that EVs tend to have more technical problems from software issues to battery fade.Another interesting takeaway from the study is older EVs are not disappearing from British roads, with 94.6 per cent of electric cars over 15 years old continuing to come back for their annual check 2.5 years later.That said, new EVs are arriving on the market with better electric architecture, which ensure not just better driving range but systems capable of handling faster charging.The 2026 Zeekr 7X for example has 800V architecture and a 100kWh battery, while the 2020 Nissan Leaf has 400V architecture and a 62kWh battery.  

Nissan has released images and tech details on the full production version of the 2027 X-Trail including its third-generation e‑Power range-extender hybrid powertrain.Breaking cover in the US initially, where the car is manufactured in Tennessee and marketed as the Rogue, the new mid-size SUV has been positioned as a core model for North America now offering e-Power hybrid tech for the first time.Like the current X-Trail, its hybrid system is built around a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder engine now developing 110kW/232Nm and operating as a generator to charge a 1.67kWh lithium-ion hybrid battery.Nissan said this latest iteration has been “specifically tuned for quietness and efficiency” and boasts 42 per cent thermal efficiency (the percentage of energy from fuel the engine converts into mechanical power).The brand’s internal testing has returned a combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) fuel economy figure of 6.2L/100km for the all-wheel drive Rogue, which is in line with the 6.1L/100km WLTP number recorded by the current X-Trail e-Power e-4orce AWD model on sale locally since early 2023.Due in US showrooms before the end of the year, the 2027 Nissan Rogue Hybrid will launch in dual-motor AWD SR and SR Technology Package grades with SV, SR and Platinum models available in early 2027. The entry-level SV e-Power is priced from US$35,490 (~$49,900).Motors are AC synchronous permanent magnet, the front unit producing 151kW/329Nm and the rear 100kW/195Nm. Overall output is quoted at 168kW.Despite still being underpinned by an iteration of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance ‘CMF-CD’ platform the current model rides on, Nissan Corporate Executive of Family, Products & Components Strategy Richard Candler previously told CarsGuide there is a “very large amount of new”.For example, the structure is claimed to be completely different and much stiffer than before.Additionally there is a fresh interior design and a reworked strut front, multi-link rear suspension system with a wider track width.Three-cylinder, turbo-petrol pure-combustion models will be offered alongside the hybrid although it’s unclear whether 4x2 hybrid variants, popular X-Trail options in Australia (delivering 5.4L/100km economy), will be available in the States.All Rogue grades feature 90-degree opening doors, all LED exterior lighting, a 12.3-inch multimedia display and instrument cluster (both 14.3-inch on higher grades), 64-colour ambient lighting, wireless charging, multi-zone climate control, top-shelf safety and more.Announcing the newcomer, Nissan Americas Senior Vice President, Chief Product and Planning Officer Ponz Pandikuthira said, “We've created a hybrid SUV that delivers an agile and spirited driving experience while adding the benefits of a hybrid powertrain.“The instantaneous torque delivery, with a quiet and efficient powertrain, will redefine what hybrid means in this segment," he said.CarsGuide contacted Nissan Australia for comment on the new Rogue Hybrid’s arrival in the US and when a new fifth-generation X-Trail may come to local showrooms, a spokesperson telling us they “cannot comment on future product planning”.  

Nissan clearly believes the best form of defence is attack, with the company’s global President Ivan Espinosa confirming a new-generation Skyline is locked in for launch in December this year.Speaking with Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, Espinosa said he hoped the new sports sedan would "become a symbol of the renaissance of Nissan", joining a host of other new products from the Japanese maker.Representing the first full model renewal in 13 years, like its ‘V37’ predecessor, the new 14th-generation Skyline will be produced in Nissan’s Tochigi plant, designated as the brand’s advanced production base for sports cars, EVs and people movers.Recent teaser images released by Nissan feature an aggressive two-tier nose treatment and the model’s signature dual circular tail-lights.Initially slated for Japanese domestic market (JDM) consumption only, it’s expected to remain a four-door performance sedan rather than making the jump to an SUV or crossover body style.A roughly 300kW version of the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine currently used in the Z sports car is widely expected to drive the rear wheels through an auto transmission, with six-speed manual and all-wheel drive options possible.In a not so subtle reference to the rapid ‘China Speed’ development often attributed to emerging competitors, Espinosa said, "The Skyline is an icon of speed as a car and it’s an icon of speed for Nissan because it’s the first new car to run under our accelerated development process.”He said the use of AI (artificial intelligence) has massively reduced the Skyline’s development period from the usual 50 months to around 26 months and added, “This car proves Nissan can not only make good cars, but also develop them with speed."The Skyline was included in Nissan’s long-term strategic vision announcement, held at the company’s Yokohama headquarters in April, along with the new Elgrand people mover (which launched in the Japanese domestic market in July), X-Trail (Rogue), Juke EV and Xterra.Sale of the sub-compact crossover-style Kicks SUV has also been extended into Europe and the new Murano SUV will be exported to Japan from its US production centre in Tennessee.This new and extended product activity sits within the company’s commitment to “streamline its global line-up from 56 to 45 models, exiting low-performing models and reallocating reinvestment to growth areas.”Nissan is aiming to move on from a financial crisis which saw it record massive consecutive annual losses, including a A$7.0 billion net loss for the fiscal year ending March 2025 and a A$4.7 billion net loss for the year ending March 2026.However, it recorded a profit in this year’s most recent April-June quarter thanks in part to cost efficiencies and increased overseas earnings from a weaker yen.And as part of its strategic vision, Nissan is transforming its industrial model through the ‘Nissan Product Family’ strategy.This will move the company’s focus from model‑by‑model optimisation to platform‑led development across three product families accounting for more than 80 per cent of global volume.The three product family groupings are mid-size (think X-Trail), compact family (think Qashqai/Note) and body-on-frame, the latter initially focused on reintroduction of the Xterra SUV in the US market from 2028, with it and “four sibling spinoffs” to be produced at Nissan’s Canton, Mississippi plant by the end of the decade.

Earlier this month, Audi unveiled a retro-inspired small electric vehicle that is a homage to a car that failed a quarter of a century ago. Spectacularly.Chances are the timely and handsome new A2 will succeed where the overpriced and oddly styled original from 2001 could not, but referencing a flop seems risky.It’s like Ford reviving the AU Falcon (though to be fair it is having a moment), or General Motors exhuming Holden with an ode to the ZB Commodore. Or Epica.Which has us thinking: this isn’t the first time that nostalgia, perhaps served with a side plate of delusion, has led to some confounding decisions.Whether they sold or were received poorly, we outline five resurrections that flopped.And if you disagree, let us know why in the comments below.How the millennial Monaro came about requires context.Holden enjoyed two golden eras: the early years, and for half a decade from 1997, after the then-new VT Commodore became a runaway smash hit.And the next year’s Australian International Motor Show in Sydney was pivotal.Codenamed Monica, the 1998 Holden Coupe Concept – essentially a VT with two doors, a slightly more-rakish windscreen and four (lower) seats – stole the show like no other car ever had before or since.At the time, Holden wasn’t even planning to build it. After all, coupe shelf lives are notoriously short. The original HK Monaro of 1968 proved popular initially, but its HQ-HX successors from 1971 struggled.The Coupe Concept utterly overshadowed Ford’s debuting AU Falcon at the Sydney show, made national news and created a buzz that helped bolster the brand. It was nothing short of sensational. Journalists immediately dubbed it Monaro, something Holden was understandably wary of.Despite what some articles today state, the resulting V2 Monaro failed to meet internal sales expectations when it arrived far later than scheduled, in November, 2001.Priced beyond most buyers’ reach from nearly $95,000 adjusted for inflation today, it went on to account for only a fraction of Commodore volume, at 4274 versus 88,478 units, putting it at 47 spot.From there, sales never improved, and the US-market Pontiac GTO export version of 2004 also failed to find a large-enough audience.By then, GM was floundering as the world moved away from sedans and coupes, in favour of SUVs, with the planned next-generation VE Monaro promptly canned, save for the 2008 Coupe 60 Concept to celebrate Holden’s 60 Anniversary.The Datsun 1600 is regarded as one of Japan’s earliest greats.Launched in 1967, it combined elegant styling with European-style chassis sophistication, to create a brilliant little sedan that dominated world rallying as effortlessly as it won over owners’ hearts.However, the larger and heavier 180B and 200B replacements of 1972 and 1976 respectively completely lacked the 1600’s sporty charm.Stung by widespread criticism, Datsun attempted to recreate the magic with the Stanza in 1978.But, built down to a price, it sorely lacked the fun and finesse that endeared so many owners to the old 1600. Critics were ruthless in their reviews. And though relatively popular and successful in motorsport, the Stanza couldn’t replicate the old 1600’s greatness and lasted only a single generation in Australia.By all objective means, any NSX is a masterpiece.Be it the exquisite 1990 NA1 original that became the first mid-engined supercar in history to love you back, or the NC1 tri-electric motor petrol/hybrid AWD successor of 2016 that was a breathtaking technological showcase, the name signifies engineering mastery.However, while neither generation achieved the sales volumes Honda required, the original has enjoyed a glorious afterlife as one of the all-time sports car greats.But the latter? Sadly, the second – or American – NSX remains misunderstood as being too advanced, and not “analogue” enough for drivers to truly connect with. That Honda cancelled it early (except in Japan) has not helped.Maybe the NC1 was just a decade before its time. Still an amazing achievement.One of Japan’s earliest Volkswagen Golf clones, the Pulsar became a beloved small-car staple in Australia over 25 years and six generations from 1980.That was until Nissan was forced to switch to a smaller replacement with awkward styling, ambitious pricing and a silly name.Inevitably, the 2006 Tiida tanked, even as Australians were clamouring towards smaller cars in the wake of soaring fuel prices. This was the era where the Mazda 3 and Toyota Corolla were king, but Nissan missed the party completely.The reason why the Pulsar ended was that it never properly challenged the Golf, so instead Nissan devised the Qashqai crossover, which immediately became a sales phenomenon.Somehow, Nissan Australia convinced a reluctant Japan to allow the redesigned Tiida hatch of 2012 to be rebadged Pulsar, along with the Thai market Sylphy sedan.Hopes were high of a sales revival but neither interloper possessed the required sophistication or appeal to lure local consumers back. Both Pulsar iterations never saw out their model cycle.The rear-engined air-cooled Beetle, which changed comparatively little between 1937 and 2003, remains the world’s best-selling vehicle of all time, at 21.5 million units.In contrast, the Toyota Corolla regenerated 12 times to date for it to find 50 million buyers.The re-imagined New Beetle, released globally in 1997 and 2000 in Australia, based on the versatile Golf IV architecture and built inexpensively in Mexico, sold strongly at first.But demand tapered off markedly as per most fashion statements, especially when BMW’s Mini reset the bar for retro remakes from 2001.However, after nearly 1.2 million units, VW’s third attempt, officially known as the “The Beetle”, struggled from the outset in 2012, despite featuring significantly more sophisticated drivetrains.Gone by 2019, barely 550,000 units were produced worldwide.

Nissan is preparing to shake-up the 4WD segment with a new affordable ute-based off-roader.Nissan has already confirmed the Xterra, which Nissan America boss Christian Meunier labelled “badass” on social media.It is also expected to cost the equivalent of $56,000 in Aussie dollars when it launches in the US next year. Nissan hasn’t revealed the 4WD, which will be based on the US-market Frontier ute, but digital artists AutoYa and from TopElectricSUV have taken recent teaser images and given us a full width view of the tough-looking off-roader.The renders show a bold, aggressive front end with massive air intakes in the grille, coloured LED lights across the bonnet and underbody protection.Wide, muscular haunches and a boxy silhouette follow the trend set by the Toyota Prado, Denza B5 and new Mitsubishi Pajero.The Xterra will be built on a ladder frame underpinning, which is best suited to rough-and-tumble four-wheel drives. You’ll find that tough chassis underneath the Prado, Pajero and Everest 4WDs and nearly all dual-cab utes such as the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.It’ll likely use V6 petrol or V6 hybrid power. This will be different from the brand’s 'e-Power' hybrid technology found in the Qashqai and X-Trail SUVs, which use the engine purely as a generator to charge the battery while electric motors drive the wheels.Nissan has promised the Xterra will be a no-nonsense 4WD.“The Xterra represents the DNA of Nissan: affordable, durable and high quality,” Meunier told Automotive News.“We don’t want to over-engineer it and make it overly complicated or expensive.“We’re going to give our Nissan customers everything they need, nothing they don’t,” he said.Bad news? The Xterra will be built in the US for the North American market, with no known plans to bring it to Australia.But another ladder frame ute-based Nissan 4WD has emerged as a possible starter in Australia.The Terrano 4WD is based on the Chinese-built and developed Frontier Pro ute, the latter is expected to be called Navara Pro when it arrives in Australia, and could be Nissan’s local answer to Pajero and Prado.The Navara Pro will use plug-in hybrid grunt, pairing a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine with an electric motor with total system outputs of 300kW and 800Nm.It can offer up to 135km of electric range, according to the lenient CLTC test cycle.Nissan has confirmed the new Terrano is “intended for selected global markets”, but hasn’t revealed if Australia is one.

The Nissan Kicks, a sub-compact crossover-style SUV is potentially one step closer to Australian sale with news the latest second-generation version will be produced in the Japanese giant’s long-serving Sunderland plant in the UK, for sale in that market and throughout Europe.Already manufactured in Japan, Mexico and Brazil for sale globally, the addition of the UK to that production roster puts the Kicks e-Power even more strongly in the frame for local right-hand drive consumption.The move represents a £170M (~A$320M) investment in upgrading the Sunderland facility, now in its 40th year of operation.And it comes on the back of a £450m (~A$850M) spend in 2025 focused on a modular assembly system to accommodate Leaf EV production.At close to 4.4m long, 1.8m wide and around 1.6m tall with a 2657mm wheelbase (AWD 2664mm) the Kicks is roughly the same size as the Hyundai Kona, Kia Seltos and Toyota Corolla Cross, which sit in a segment that already includes the similarly-sized Nissan Qashqai e-Power.It’s worth noting Australian market Qashqai e-Powers are already produced in Sunderland, using a (140kW/311Nm) 1.5-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder engine to charge the car’s traction battery and it returns an official fuel economy number of 4.1L/100km.But the global export Kicks uses a third-generation e-Power system underpinned by a (100kW/280Nm) 1.4-litre turbo triple for an even more miserly fuel consumption figure of 3.9L/100km.Nissan said over its first 10 years the Kicks has surpassed 1.8 million units sold in more than 70 countries but confirmed the Sunderland move marks the model’s European debut.Making the announcement Nissan AMIEO (Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania) Region Chairperson Massimiliano Messina said, “This is fantastic news for our European region and demonstrates the agility and speed with which we can bring new models to new markets.”Consideration of the first-generation Kicks for Australian sale was sidelined a decade ago when compliance with Australian Design Rules (ADRs) relating to child restraints as well as front and side impact protection made the prospect uneconomic.With the move to European sale (and safety compliance) as well as UK production CarsGuide contacted Nissan Australia for comment on the possibility of the second-gen Kicks making an appearance Down Under.A company spokesperson said, “We are examining the business case for the new-generation Nissan Kicks in the Australian market, but at this stage we don’t have anything further to share regarding its potential introduction.”  That’s not a no, so stay tuned.

We now know the truth about how long a car battery will last.Austrian battery diagnostics specialist Aviloo has worked out which vehicles perform best when it comes to an EV battery’s state of health (SoH) over time and distance.In its 2026 Certified EV Battery Report the company has analysed more than 500,000 Aviloo ‘Flash Test’ results from 2022 to 2026 across 20 high-volume electric car models in North and South America, Europe, Australia and Asia to determine the best performers.The flash test is a three-minute diagnostic check that assesses the health and performance of an electric vehicle's high-voltage traction battery.Rather than registering a value reported by the car's on-board battery management system, the flash test “independently calculates SoH using a statistical model trained on hundreds of thousands of comparable used vehicles, factoring in mileage, age, (charge) cycle count, cell voltage spread, energy counters and other diagnostic signals.”In releasing its results Aviloo made the point that, buyers of used internal-combustion cars rely on odometer readings and service records, but was not the most accurate way to tell an EV battery's state. “The battery is the single most expensive component of an electric car, and the one with the widest variation from vehicle to vehicle.“Two used electric cars with 50,000 kilometres on the odometer might present in what appears to be identical condition but can differ by up to 10 percentage points in battery SoH,” it said.The data reflects three mileage milestones (50,000, 100,000 and 150,000 kilometres), identifying the SoH range covering 99 percent of all independently tested vehicles of that model. The company made the point, “Battery health varied within each of the 20 models tested, between models and, above all, between individual vehicles of the same model. An average per model therefore says little about a specific car."SoH can vary by up to 13.5 percentage points between the best and weakest examples of the same model,” it said.As a result the median serves as the reference point in each case.The spread across the 20 models tested was already clear at the 50,000km mark with four examples highlighted for more detailed analysis in line with their different sizes, typical use and battery types.Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 had the best SoH of the four models, with range barely falling from 335 to 321km and a spread of 37 kilometres between the extremes recorded.As one of Europe’s best-selling EVs, the VW ID.4’s potential range fell from 373 to 355km, with up to 44km between the best and the weakest vehicle at 150,000km.The Tesla Model Y, the world's best-selling car for the last three years, saw its real-world range fall from 379 to 361km at 150,000km, with a 46-kilometre difference between the best and the weakest example tested.The Nissan Nissan Leaf ZE1, with the smallest (40kWh) battery of the four models highlighted the finding that smaller batteries with more frequent charging cycles age faster on average. Across all three mileage levels analysed, the Nissan had the lowest SoH of the four models examined in detail, with its real-world range dropping from 195 to 185km.Other models that performed well after 150,000km travelled were the Mercedes-Benz EQA (93.97 SoH), BMW i4 (93.62), Hyundai Kona EV (92.95), Volvo XC40 Recharge (92.79), Ford Mustang Mach-E (92.53) and Polestar 2 (92.46).Some that didn't fare as well were the Renault Zoe (87.33) and Tesla Model 3 (88.94).Commenting on the report Aviloo CEO Dr. Marcus Berger said, “The truth in this data is that averages hide a lot. “Yes, electric car batteries age better than the myth of rapid wear suggests, but that is not the most important finding. “What matters is that battery health varies widely between models, and even more widely between individual vehicles of the same model,” he said.The Aviloo Certified EV Battery Report will now be published twice a year, drawing on the company’s global diagnostics database, which holds more than one million independent tests. 

A new Toyota RAV4 rival has just broken cover in China. The Nissan NX7 has been revealed in Chinese government filings as a new plug-in hybrid five-seat mid-size SUV. It will take on hybrid family SUV favourites the BYD Sealion 6 and Toyota RAV4, as well as the petrol-only Mazda CX-5. The car will launch in the fourth quarter of 2026, according to a report in Auto News. The NX7 is one of 10 new Nissan models to be revealed by 2027 from its Chinese partnership with Dongfeng.  Chinese government filings reveal the NX7 will be powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine producing 73kW, paired with a 170kW electric motor. It's equipped with a 41kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery, offering an electric driving range of 225km, according to more generous CLTC standards. There are limited specification details available at this stage, but it will have semi-hidden door handles and ride on either 18-inch or 19-inch wheels. It is a size up on the Toyota RAV4, boasting dimensions of 4785mm long, 1920mm wide, 1660mm tall, with a 2815mm wheelbase.The NX7 poses in a sporty stance, with a covert rear spoiler and sharp creases on the bonnet.Its exterior design incorporates boxy elements, while still having rounded features for an imposing look overall. Nissan’s Australian branch has not officially confirmed any details about the Nissan NX7’s future Down Under. The local branch has been contacted for comment to see if the NX7 will launch here.The car has not been confirmed for any export markets at this stage and will only be sold in China for now. Some of Nissan’s other Dongfeng partnership models have already been earmarked for an Australian introduction.The Nissan Frontier Pro PHEV ute, expected to be called the Navara Pro in Australia, should arrive in 2027, with the larger NX8 SUV also on the cards. The NX7 would provide a cheaper hybrid alternative to the Ariya electric SUV that starts from $49,990, drive-away currently. 

A camouflaged prototype of what appears to be the production Nissan Terrano SUV has been spied ahead of its imminent reveal.The images were posted to Instagram by nissanarabian and show the white-painted production-specification prototype with varying levels of camouflage.What is clear is the Nissan badge on the front grille and the Terrano badging on the tailgate, clearly marking it as the production version of the new Nissan Terrano.Virtually all of the vehicle’s boxy SUV looks and design cues have carried over from the Terrano PHEV concept that was revealed in China earlier this year.One particular photo that shows under the bonnet indicates this Terrano features a combustion engine, indicating it’ll likely have a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) set-up, like the concept.It’s understood the Terrano will share a lot of components and its body-on-frame platform with the Frontier Pro/Navara Pro dual-cab ute.The PHEV set-up in the Frontier Pro/Navara Pro marries together a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor with total system outputs of 300kW and 800Nm. Depending on the battery pack, it can offer up to 135km of electric range, according to the lenient CLTC test cycle.It’s unclear whether any other powertrain options will be available in the Terrano. For reference, the Frontier Pro/Navara Pro is also offered with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel.Beyond the boxy SUV exterior of the new Nissan Terrano, a photo of the vehicle’s interior can be seen.There is a large central touchscreen multimedia system, as well as the digital instrument cluster.There also seems to be a series of physical buttons on the centre console and the steering wheel.This version of the Terrano has what looks like a high-spec brown-and-black interior colourway. Other colours are also expected.While the Terrano nameplate has a long history with Nissan, this new version has been developed and will be manufactured in China with the Dongfeng Nissan joint venture.Many of these Dongfeng Nissan vehicles, like the Frontier Pro/Navara Pro ute, NX8 SUV and N7 sedan, have been developed with the Chinese market in mind. However, Nissan is currently ramping up the export of these Chinese-made models.At this stage Nissan hasn’t confirmed which of its Dongfeng Nissan models will be coming to Australia, however vehicles like the Frontier Pro/Navara Pro and NX8 have been earmarked.Nissan has confirmed the new Terrano is “intended for selected global markets”, however it’s unclear whether Australia is on the list. If it does come to Australia it will slot under the Y63 Patrol and be a more rugged successor to the US-made Pathfinder.