Nissan's New Body-On-Frame SUV Concept Revives a Classic Name

While we’re patiently waiting for Nissan to bring back the Xterra, another nameplate is coming out of retirement. Although the Terrano doesn’t have the same panache, it’s a moniker millennials will remember, harking back to the days when body-on-frame SUVs were the norm rather than the exception. While technical specifications remain shrouded in mystery, the vibe we’re getting points to a proper ladder-frame setup.

Nissan does say the Terrano has a plug-in hybrid powertrain, which makes us think it might be related to the Frontier Pro PHEV introduced last year. The electrified pickup truck is the brand’s first true plug-in hybrid model, as the e-Power models are technically EVs with a range-extending combustion engine. If the SUV is cut from the same cloth as the truck, there’s a turbocharged 1.5-liter gasoline engine teamed with an electric motor built into the transmission.

In the Frontier Pro PHEV, the powertrain delivers a combined 402 horsepower and 590 pound-feet (800 Newton-meters) of torque. Courtesy of a 33-kWh battery pack, the pickup goes 84 miles (135 kilometers) on a single charge in pure electric mode, albeit under the lenient CLTC test cycle. Equivalent WLTP and EPA figures would be much lower.

Although labeled as a concept, it looks as if it could be sold to customers with few changes. In fact, the Terrano’s production version will follow shortly. Nissan says it will launch the lifted SUV in China within a year. Additionally, “selected global markets” will also get the all-terrain vehicle, but it’s highly unlikely to be sold in North America or Europe.

Nissan doesn’t discuss the concept’s size, but it appears smaller than the Armada/Patrol and, at the same time, larger than the original Terrano, which was a compact SUV. It wouldn’t make sense for the production version to arrive in the United States, where it would risk clashing with the reborn Xterra.

To be assembled in China with help from local joint-venture partner Dongfeng, the Terrano has all the visual ingredients of a go-anywhere SUV. From squared-off wheel arches and meaty tires to rugged skid plates and auxiliary lights, it means business. Nissan shaved off the bumper corners for better approach and departure angles and added a side ladder to access the roof rack.

The largely exposed spare wheel at the back suggests cargo-area access via a side-hinged tailgate, though that could change in the production version. Nissan isn’t showing the interior just yet, but if the Terrano really is based on the Frontier Pro PHEV, the truck’s cabin is unlikely to change significantly for its SUV sibling.