NIssan terrano a failure

For once I am in a fix as to what I have to do with my new Teraano, given the fact that I have purchased the same just by going by the brand value and not having done my home work pretty well and getting the basics wrong.

Myself owns two cars Honda city and Swift VDI( 5 years only). I was in search of descent car with perfect ride quality and descent mileage. Priorities were, Toyota Altis, Fortuner, Innova, Scorpio, Nissan Sunny. Fortunately or unfortunately I got obsessed with the good looks of Terrano. I have also used Nissan Sunny. Finally I booked my vehicle at EVM motors cochin. Took delivery of my new Terrano XL Plus on 22 November 2013 from cochin and that too after having issues regarding the delivery of my vehicle. Finally after getting the Terrano delivered, I have noticed the following:-

Comparison:

This is a much touted model and I have shelled a few lakhs for the same and the dealer has not shown the courtesy to provide me with mud flaps and mats for this premium vehicle and that too being one of the first customers in Kollam.

Nissan Terrano looks great from outside, but for a 13 lakhs car the interiors and other features are disappointing for the standards of Japanese number 2 car maker and world’s 6th largest car maker. The build quality can be compared to a 6 lakhs vehicle, the glow box and other plastics are worse than the old maruthi 800. Each door makes a different sound when closing. Another issue is when travelling on uneven roads or deep curves on mountain terrain then the steering is not steady and vibrates and bounces unevenly, the with Swift ABS handles it much better.

The micra and sunny has indicator leavers in the right side while the Terrano has it on the right side which is not suited for Indian conditions. When stopping and them moving from signals, traffic jams or on highways you will not be able to indicate as the indicator leaver, headlights flash is on the same side as the gear leaver, you will need a third hand to use the indicator and flash leavers. The console is the same as the Logan.. it is pertinent to note that the wiper and turn signals are not standardized to suit Indian standards. We tend to use more of the wiper than the indicator especially if you have more than one vehicle. It makes all the more difficult to engage the gears while turning on the signals and vie versa which in turn increases the risks of accidents and jeopardize the safety of the driver as well as that of the passenger. Flashing of the headlight during an emergency is much of a problem when you are changing gears.
Standard 5 wheel rotation cannot be done as even the full option model of 85 bhp does not have alloys spare wheel, in case you change your spare wheel then your vehicle will look like a handicap with 3 alloys and one normal tyre. Note the spare wheel has a different set of screws, beware not to loose them and to check each time when you give it to the service centre.

Handling charges:

Another thing I have notices and something that I am going to fight is the handling charges collected from me amounting to Rs. 10,000/- which tantamount to contempt to court as the Hon’ble Supreme Courts has in no uncertain way declared that how such thing as handling / logistics charges are to be levied from the customer by an dealer thought out the length and breadth of India. The Verna has handling charges of Rs. 2500/- Fortuner has 6450/-, Terrano cochin dealer 10000/-, Trivandrum dealer Rs. 8000/- . The ex-showroom price is the MRP of the Vehicle and apart from the commissions they get from Nissan they are charging an additional amount as per their wish. Note : Insurance and Road tax was paid by me directly.

Cutting Costs:

Another way to cut down cost is reduce number of horns. Even wagon R and swifts come with dual horns. Nissan terrano comes with single horn which is not enough to handle indian driving scenarios. No mud flap or floor mat for a premium SUV. They could have provided minimum accessories at least. Rear view mirrors could have been better, even side mirrors could have been improved. What Nissan did with the Terrrano is to rebadged the duster without putting its standards in place, to make a few quick bucks with its brand name. Nissan being the 2nd largest car maker in Japan should have not done it.

Customer Care:

The worst of its kind which i have come across, they don’t register a complaint via phone unless you insist, after sending a email you need to follow up requesting them to read the mail and relpy to that at least a few times. Even when you buy an Alto we get a 5 star customer care from maruthi, compared to that its not worth investing on a car with such poor customer care.
Now if you are buying a Terrano only if outer looks matter then its okay, if you need customer care and quality then think again.