Nissan’s New Terrano Concept Brings Back The Pathfinder Design We All Loved

Good news, fans of four-wheel-drive Nissans: the Terrano is coming back in one form or another. Nissan unveiled two SUV concepts at Beijing’s Auto China motor show, and one of those is the extremely cool-looking Terrano PHEV Concept.

The important part is that this isn’t just fan service. Nissan will actually build a production version of this truck and sell it. Note that it will be available in select markets, instead of fully global sales, but while it was unveiled in China, it will not remain a specialty for the Chinese market.

I have my fingers crossed that the upcoming new Terrano would actually battle the Land Rover Defender and Toyota Land Cruiser on all of the same markets, but the usage of the word “select” makes me cautious about whether those will include North America or Northern Europe. Still, here’s hoping.

Newsflash: the Terrano nameplate wasn’t sold globally, but in its most original and pure form, we’re talking about the Hardbody-based sports truck that Nissan sold as the Pathfinder in North America in the mid-1980s. The two-door version looked very much like the pickup truck derivative it was, but it also grew rear doors, much in the style of the Chevy Blazer.

The second generation Pathfinder was sold as the Terrano Regulus and also the Infiniti QX4, as it was already fancy enough to make it as a luxurious Infiniti with few changes.

In Europe, Nissan offered a smaller Terrano II, again based on the same structure as the D21 Hardbody truck, but featuring an Italian-designed body from the I.DE.A Institute’s drawing board. Offered with two wheelbase configurations, it was built in Spain and also sold as the Ford Maverick – an interesting instance of the Maverick econocar name being slapped onto a truck, preceding today’s US-market Maverick by decades.

The most recent Pathfinders after the 2001 R51 generation have been unibody crossovers, the latest US-market one being sold from the 2022 model year onwards. The R51 generation Pathfinder was also sold in Europe, and it replaced the Terrano II here and put the Terrano name to rest.

Sharp Retro Design Down To The Wheels

The new Terrano pulls its design inspiration from those aforementioned body-on-frame models and also adds some visual punch that seems to come from the bigger, brawnier Nissan Patrol, with the bold, flared arches and the wing-shaped headlights.

There are little visual tie-ins to the classic Terranos/Pathfinders, and one of them is the inclusion of three illuminated air intakes on the fascia, below the large N I S S A N script that also appears lit.

Another throwback is the ridiculously, immensely cool three-spoke wheels, their design directly lifted from the original Terrano/Pathfinder. It is the same wheel, just with a more modern interpretation, wearing chunky Mickey Thompson off-road tires.

That’s Definitely A Spare Wheel Carrier

In the front is a bull bar with a satin finish, in the back is one of the weirdest-looking spare wheel carriers, even on a concept car level.

The flared rear wheel-arch shape continues all the way to the spare carrier, forming some sort of handle-shaped form that also incorporates the tail lights in the corners, while reminding me of a football helmet’s chin guard. It works, but it’s weird.

The window line’s kick-up comes directly from the European Terrano II, which also did this neat little lift towards the rear side windows. The C-pillars are partially covered by vestigial ladders, which are part of a roof rack that itself covers a sunroof.

The entire truck is at the same its own design, a throwback to Nissan’s ‘80s-‘90s-’00s SUV design, and obviously inspired by today’s Land Rover Defender.

In addition to LED lights integrated within the roof rack, the Terrano also has smaller extra light pods on top of the front fenders. Most details are blocky and matte or satin finished, but the bumper corners and C-pillars feature neat topographical map designs. None of the interior is shown in any of the renders or video, but expect it to feature a design that’s just as blocky as the exterior and you can’t go far wrong.

The promotional material shows the Terrano conquering rocky terrain and dunes alike, with some perfectly acceptable soft and easy-listening metal on the video’s soundtrack.

As even the concept is a plug-in hybrid, the production version, which will be unveiled in a year, will likely also be electrified but not a full EV. No information of the actual powertrain has been released.

Next to the Terrano concept, Nissan showed a swoopy crossover concept called the Urban SUV. It’s also a PHEV, and design-wise, it’s more related to Nissan’s upcoming, Dongfeng-based NX8 that will also be sold in select markets around the world. While the Urban SUV is something that’ll also blend in nicely with Nissan’s Ariya EV, the Terrano’s stand-out design is something enthusiasts are more likely to have been waiting for.

Photos and top graphic image: Nissan