Terra In The Sahara

TESTING NISSAN’S NAVARA-BASED 4X4 WAGON IN THE SAHARA DESERT.

- Toby Hagon

IT’S DAUNTING looking up at the vast mass of reddened Sahara sand that swoops and swirls towards the vibrant blue backdrop, but the car we’re driving, a newcomer called the Nissan Terra, doesn’t seem to be sharing the same trepidation.

While its old-school 2.5-litre diesel engine is grunting hard with all 450Nm banding together to trudge through the shifting granules, there’s little to suggest the Terra is struggling.

The standard 18-inch highway Bridge stone Duelers have been lowered to 18psi, but otherwise our Terra is stock standard, its flashy chrome highlights indicative that this one we’re in is top of the range, leather and all. Our target for this drive is somewhere higher than we are now, the seemingly endless expanse of barren sand a stunning backdrop for lovers of off-roading.

Our convoy includes a quartet of Nissans, including the AT32 variant of the Navara, the familiar Y62 Patrol and the America only Titan; but it’s the Terra we’re most interested in, as the seven-seat 4x4 high on Nissan Australia’s want list.

Since 2017, when the Y61 Patrol took its last dusty gasp, Nissan has been without a diesel 4x4 wagon designed to tackle the tough stuff. Considering the near-60-year history of Nissan off-roaders in Australia – most of them Patrols – it’s a sad state, the Nissan faithful keen to see a return to form.