2024 Nissan Terra Sport 2.5 VL 4×4 | Car Review | Is it worth the extra money?

If there’s one way for a car brand to inject new life into their aging models, the fastest and easiest way is to add some body kits or accessories, or maybe replace chrome with black, and add “Sport” or “Black Edition” to its name.

That’s exactly what Nissan Philippines did to the Terra midsize SUV. The Japanese automaker introduced the new Terra Sport variants early last year in a bid to join the fray of supposedly sportier versions of its rival models such as the Ford Everest Sport and Mitsubishi Montero Sport Black Series.

Like those, the Nissan Terra Sport comes out of the factory with special body kits added to the VL trim levels. With an additional Php 60,000 (Sport VL 4×2 – Php 2,179,000; Sport VL 4×4 – Php 2,469,000) asked for on top of the standard VL variants’ retail prices, is it actually worth it?

The Terra Sport is your familiar Terra which in my opinion is still among the best designed in the segment. And to put the Sport in Terra Sport, it comes with a few bits and pieces that set it apart from the standard Terra.

For starters, the exterior says goodbye to silver and chrome as most of them have been blacked-out such as the V-Motion front grille, front and rear lower bumper garnishes, fog light housings, side mirror caps, door handles, roof rails, running boards, tailgate garnish, and rear spoiler. It also gets 18-inch alloy wheels lifted straight from its Navara sibling, also finished in black for this execution.

There’s also the exterior paint job option of Stealth Pearl Gray which follows the trend of painting cars in ”primer gray.” Looking good!

Honestly, Nissan could’ve stopped there but they also added additional black plastic garnishing on the front and rear bumpers which I don’t like as they look a bit tacky. 

They also feel like an afterthought (at least in front) where the parking sensors are noticeably colored the same as the vehicle and not black like the garnishes, making them look like pimples.

Moving inside, everything is familiar post-2021 Terra. Instead of a two-tone Burgundy and black color scheme, the Sport gets an all-black affair. The dashboard gets soft-touch leather and hard plastic surfaces which all feel of good quality, while the seats are wrapped in very nice black leather with a diamond pattern.

One thing though, I noticed that common in every single Nissan Terra is a fit-and-finish issue where the cover of the tweeters on the dashboard are never flushed into the dashboard itself. This is something Nissan should really fix.

This particular unit is equipped with an 8-inch NissanConnect touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and (wired) Android Auto. Actual units delivered to customers now will get a slightly larger 9-inch touchscreen. 

The reason behind this is that the initial batch of Terra Sport units (as well as some VL units) were affected by the global chip shortage. As a result, Nissan had to downgrade some hardware.

Anyway, regardless of size, the infotainment system is easy to navigate through and very user-friendly. It is quite laggy though with some actions becoming very choppy at times. Hopefully Nissan does something to improve this soon. A simple software update might do the trick.

Now, other features. This being the top-spec variant gets a good amount of standard equipment such as an eight-speaker Bose premium audio system, wireless phone charger, dual zone automatic climate control, USB type A and C ports both for front and rear occupants, a flip-down rear entertainment monitor, and an HDMI port.

Space and comfort-wise, the Nissan Terra might be among the best in the segment. The Zero Gravity front seats may not look so supportive but they are actually the most comfortable you can find. 

As for space, second row passengers will find no issue here except for maybe headroom as the seats have been positioned a bit higher for better forward visibility. The third row is typical of these pickup-based SUVs and is still best reserved for children or smaller adults. 

Storage will not be a problem at all as you do get various storage cubbies around the cabin for your personal items such as your smartphone, wallet, keys, personal drinking bottles, and other items. 

The same goes for cargo storage as the Terra is right in the leagues of its competition. It offers a decent amount of space with the 3rd row seats up while folding them down increases that by more than double. You also have a little bit of under-floor storage where you can hide some contraband precious items.

Bear in mind that the Terra is the only model in its segment that does not come with a power tailgate as standard. You’ll have to go to Nissan’s accessory department or go for the aftermarket route to get that convenience feature.

Now you might think that with the word “Sport” in its name, Nissan has done some mechanical modifications. Well, no. The Terra Sport still gets the same 2.5-liter Inline 4-cylinder YD25 turbodiesel engine that makes 190 horsepower and 450 Nm of torque, mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission.

With that, it’s a given that the Terra Sport drives like any other Terra. While it’s not the most powerful in the segment, the YD25 engine is very much at par with what rivals get. 

The seven-speed automatic transmission, despite having a few gears less, is on the sweet spot. Not too much, but not lacking as well. It also provides smooth shifting with no unnecessary gear hunting. Admittedly, there is a slight delay at times but it’s nothing to be bothered about.

Handling on the other hand is pretty good. I’ve driven the Terra quite extensively on long stretches of highways and twisty roads and it handles really well. Body roll is expected from this kind of vehicle so I won’t complain.

Steering feel is on the heavier side especially at lower speeds, somethinf most buyers will dislike as most use their SUVs primarily inside the city. For someone like me who frequently takes long drives, this is acceptable.

Comfort is hands-down one the Terra’s strongest suit and it remains that way here on the Sport. The suspension does a great job of soaking up different road imperfections, while keeping the vehicle stable and not bouncy. Outside noise is also kept to a minimum. 

Engine noise? It will get loud as the Terra screams “I’M DIESEL” when at lower speeds. I’m not complaining as I do like the muscular feel of its engine note. Oh and that start-up sound, love it.

If you want to be saving on fuel, then no need to worry as the Nissan Terra Sport like any other Terra is quite efficient. City highway driving returns around 9 km/l in moderate conditions, while pure highway driving returns as much as 18 km/l. 

My only real gripe when driving the Terra, and one that I find is a deal breaker (at least for short-armed me), is the lack of reach adjustment for the steering column. This makes finding a comfortable driving position a bit difficult no matter how I try. It’s either you sit close to the steering wheel and get strained knees, or sit far with comfortable knees but stretched arms.

Also, the Terra Sport (and Terra in general) has become slightly left behind in terms of driver-assistance tech. Yes, it gets a suite of Nissan Intelligent Mobility which gives it autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane departure alert, driver attention alert, blindspot warning, and rear cross traffic alert but…

That’s almost all you’ll need though it could’ve been a bit better if it included at least adaptive cruise control which all its rivals already get and is very useful on highway drives. It also lacks auto-brake hold which is very useful in stop-and-go traffic.

Now to answer the question, is the Nissan Terra Sport actually worth the extra Php 60,000? Yes and no.

I’d personally just stick to the standard VL variants and do the blacking out myself, saving the extra cash. If you want it easy though and dig the added garnishes (unlike me) then by all means go ahead. Like the standard Terra, this offers a compelling package that looks rugged and tough, and can go anywhere as its tagline says. In any case, a Nissan Terra is always a good choice.

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2024 Nissan Terra Sport VL 4×4 | Key Information

Engine	2.5-liter YD25DDTi Inline 4-cylinder turbodiesel
Output	190 horsepower, 450 Nm of torque
Transmission	7-speed automatic transmission
Drivetrain	4×4
Seating Capacity	7 (including driver)
Driver Assistance	Autonomous Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Alert, Blind Spot Detection, Lane Departure Alert, Intelligent Rear-View Mirror
Price	Php 2,469,000 (as of September 2024)
Pros	Blacked-out trim looks great, Very comfortable for long and short drives, Well-equipped package
Cons	Sport garnishes look tacky, No adaptive cruise control, No steering wheel reach adjustment