SUV scuffle: Nissan Terra vs. Ford Everest

The local sport utility vehicle (SUV) segment is the most popular category in the Philippine automotive scene. Vehicles in this classification often answer the needs of many Filipino families making them easy choices for anyone looking for a new car.

On that note, we will be taking a closer look at two of today’s most popular nameplates to find out which of them best suits your budget and motoring needs. Join us as we pit the Nissan Terra against the next-generation Ford Everest in this epic SUV scuffle.

Exterior

The refreshed Nissan Terra sports a solid exterior design befitting its moniker. At the fore is a large chrome grille flanked by a pair of new quad LED projector headlamps with auto-leveling function. It also sports daytime running lights (DRL) with LED signature as well as LED front fog lamps. Further below is a body-colored bumper with silver under garnish.

Its side is highlighted chrome door handles, side step boards, and mudguards. The roof rails of the Nissan Terra can also be seen at this angle.

Further at the rear are LED taillamps, a spoiler-integrated high-mount stop lamp, and a rear bumper with a silver accent.

The Nissan Terra measures 4,900 millimeters (mm) long, 1,865mm wide, and 1,865mm tall. It has a wheelbase of 2,850mm and a minimum ground clearance of 225mm.

Meanwhile, the next-generation Ford Ranger dons a front grille big enough to rival that of the abovementioned Nissan Terra. On each side are its new C-shaped LED headlamps accompanied by LED DRLs, follow-me-home lights, and front fog lamps.

On its side are puddle lamps, side steps, and splash guards. It also has roof rails and a panoramic sunroof.

The rear boasts compact LED taillamps, a high mount stop lamp, and depending on the variant, a manual, power, or power (with handsfree) liftgate. Tow hooks can also be found at the front and at the rear.

As for its size, the next-generation Ford Everest measures 4,914mm long, 1,923mm wide, and 1,842mm tall. It has a wheelbase of 2,900mm and a minimum ground clearance of 223mm.

The Nissan Terra and the next-gen Ford Everest are neck and neck when it comes to their exterior appointments. On that note, we call this round a tie.

Interior

Pop the door open and the Nissan Terra wows its owners with a plush interior. Its range-topping model boasts cabin amenities such as a leather steering wheel, Zero Gravity seats wrapped in leather, and a gear shifter that’s also wrapped in leather.

It also comes with a seven-inch high-contrast instrument cluster with advanced drive-assist display, a nine-inch advanced touchscreen infotainment display, and an 11-inch flip-down rear monitor.

Similarly, next-generation Ford Everest offers its own suite of plush leather interior appointments like the leather-wrapped steering wheel, its leather seats, and its leather shift knob.

Tech-wise, the top-of-the-line next-generation Ford Everest comes with a 12-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12-inch colored portrait touchscreen infotainment system.

While both the Nissan Terra and the next-gen Ford Everest offer impressive cabins, the former gains a slight advantage over the latter thanks to its flip-down monitor to keep the rear occupants engaged during both long and short drives. That said, we give this round to the Nissan Terra.

Engine

Under the hood of the Nissan Terra is a 2.5-liter engine that can either be mated to a six-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed automatic transmission (with manual mode). It makes 187 horsepower (hp) and 450Nm of pulling power.

The next-generation Ford Everest, on the other hand, packs a 2.0-liter powerplant. The top trim next-gen Ford Everest is fitted with a 2.0-liter bi-turbo diesel engine mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. The rest of the crew gets a 2.0-liter turbo engine with a six-speed automatic slushbox. The former makes 207 horses and 500Nm of torque while the latter puts out a respectable 167hp and 405Nm.

With better engine options, we give this round to the next-generation Ford Everest.

Safety

When it comes to safety, the Nissan Terra offers a host of features. These include standard ones like airbags, seatbelts, an anti-lock braking system (ABS), vehicle dynamic control (VDC), and parking sensors.

Higher grades get the benefit of the Nissan Intelligent Mobility suite which adds an intelligent rearview monitor (IRVM), intelligent forward collision warning (IFCW), intelligent emergency braking (IED), lane departure warning (LDW), intelligent driver alertness, blind spot warning (BSW), rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA), hill start assist (HSA), hill descent control (HDC), and tire pressure monitoring.

The next-gen Ford Everest also boasts a robust safety system, which includes hill launch assist and rollover mitigation, HDC, electric parking brake, parking sensors, a rearview camera, ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), an electronic stability program (ESP) with traction control system, and tire pressure monitoring.

Additionally, the range-topping model gets Ford’s advanced driver assist technology, which includes adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and lane centering, auto high beam, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, pre-collision assist, dynamic brake support, forward collision warning system, evasive steer assist, post-impact braking, lane departure warning and lane keeping system, blind spot information system with cross-traffic alert and braking, a 360-degree camera, and reverse brake assist.

This round is obviously a tie as the Nissan Terra and the next-gen Ford Everest are neck and neck in terms of safety.

Verdict

This SUV matchup is a nip-and-tuck affair as both the Nissan Terra and the next-generation Ford Everest showcased equally impressive features. On that note, the decision in choosing between these vehicles boils down to one’s personal preference.

The Nissan Terra is offered in three variants priced from P1.664 million to P2.014 million. On the other hand, the Ford Everest has five variants priced from P1.799 million to P2.179 million.

Photos from Nissan and Ford

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