Judging by the many Terra units on the road, it is easy to tell Filipinos like plenty of things about it, although it is probably one of the oldest SUV models in the market. 

It received a modest update two years ago, but not enough to give it a noteworthy aesthetic makeover. On the other hand, rivals have given their units Las Vegas-level facelifts for a fresher look.

While the competition gave theirs a sleeker front fascia, the Terra still sports that massive V-Motion grille — in chrome no less — and with thick pillars on either side adjacent to stylish auto on/off quad-LED headlamps with LED daytime running lamps. It has a silver front underbody garnish and more chrome to frame the LED fog lamps.

It was a thoughtful move by Nissan to give step boards for easy ingress. Roof rails are a norm for added functionality and cargo space in this segment. The rear brings up a shark’s fin antenna, a spoiler, that love-it-or-hate-it chrome tailgate garnish, and a rear silver underbody garnish.

Nothing about its exterior stands out because of its conventional design, but I like how the nose is more pronounced and how the shapely fenders give it more heft. The rear, because of the garnish and the LED taillight design, reminds me of the Infiniti QX80, so in my case, I love it.

It has a smart key with push-button ignition, so you don’t even have to see or touch the keys to unlock and start the Terra.

The cockpit is highly appointed with burgundy red leather (to match the exterior color) and silver trim, advanced entertainment equipment, and plenty of easy-to-use features. The layout is excellent, as the nine-inch touchscreen and digital AC display are framed nicely at the center stack. Below are two USB ports (Type-A and C) and the 4WD dial. In the middle of the instrument panel is a seven-inch multi-info display with modern fonts and graphics. There is a wireless charging pad at the bottom.

Zero Gravity-Type seats are in front, 10-way adjustable for the driver, and four-way manual for the passenger. I didn’t feel its benefit (alleviates fatigue by giving support from hips to shoulders) but perhaps using the Skyway cuts the trips too short to be fatigued. All seats get leather upholstery.

Other cabin features include dual-zone climate control with rear cooling, USB connectivity on all rows (Type-C and Type-A in the first two rows and Type-A in the third row), and if you have kids, they will love the 11-inch flip-down rear monitor (located in the second row) where they can watch movies during the drive. Audiophiles will love that it has eight Bose premium speakers.

The interior is high-tech, but I like that it does not flaunt it. The cabin configuration gives it plenty of legroom in the first two rows but does not expect much from the last row as the second-row seats do not slide forward (at least it has a remote fold-and-tumble button right beside the parking brake).

Its 2.5L turbodiesel engine still makes 190-PS and 450-Nm of torque. Power goes to the rear- or all-wheel drive via a seven-speed AT. It does not blast off the line even with all that torque partly because of its 2.72-ton weight, which is also why I only picked up 8.7 km/l at best in combined driving conditions. That being said, its steady acceleration can take it to 110 km/h and still keep the revs a smidge under 2,000 RPM, which means the engine is not stressed as much.

Power-assisted handling feels perfect. There is weighted feedback coming through is just enough for ease of use while still giving drivers a good sense of the vehicle’s size and weight. 

I can’t complain much about ride comfort. Except for a bit of engine noise, the cabin felt supple over humps and road imperfections and kept external sounds out.

Its best feature is Intelligent Mobility. It has an around-view and rearview monitor, forward collision warning, emergency braking, lane departure warning, driver alertness, blind spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, hill start assist, hill descent control, and a tire pressure monitoring system.

The Forged Metallic Copper hue is a great color and makes it look more premium and rightfully so because this top-of-the-line variant goes for PHP 2.354 million. 

For a vehicle with some mileage already, it is still very well put together — see what good maintenance can do you for vehicle folks. I hear an update is coming this year. You can wait for that or pick this one up because clearly, regardless of age, the 2021 Nissan Terra VL 4x4 AT is still a heck of an SUV.