2022 Nissan Terra vs Toyota Fortuner Comparison: Spec Sheet Battle

Updated Jan 11, 2023

Two Japanese branded SUVs face-off.

In this article...

  1. Battle of the macho SUVs
  2. Exterior
  3. Interior
  4. Engine and Performance
  5. Safety
  6. Price
  7. Conclusion

Nissan Terra vs Toyota Fortuner: Battle of the macho SUVs

The SUV market here in the Philippines is competitive; scratch that, it’s hypercompetitive. These seven-seater midsize SUVs after all, are the go-to car class for many Filipinos. They’re perfect for those with a sizable family, and great for dealing with the occasional rough road and pothole.

Now, two of the more popular models in this class are of course the Nissan Terra Philippines and the Toyota Fortuner. The former of which, received an update recently in September 2021. The Fortuner in turn, was also updated back in December 2020.

So, which of them are better on paper? To find out, we’re comparing their respective top-spec variants. That’s the Terra VL 2.5 4x4 AT against the Fortuner LTD 2.8 4x4 AT.

A picture of the Nissan Terra and Toyota Fortuner head to head

Let's find out which of these two SUVs are better on paper

Nissan Terra vs Toyota Fortuner: Exterior

To kick off this car comparison, let’s start with their dimensions. For the new Nissan Terra, it is 4,900mm long, 1,865mm wide, and 1,865mm in height. Its wheelbase length clocks in at 2,850mm, and it has a ground clearance of 225mm.

The Fortuner LTD meanwhile, has a length of 4,795mm, a width of 1,855mm, and a height of 1,835mm. It also has a wheelbase length of 2,750mm, and a ground clearance of 193mm.

Nissan Terra frontToyota Fortuner Front

The Nissan Terra (left) from the front, compared to the Toyota Fortuner's front (right)

To sum it up, the Terra is wider and longer than the Toyota model. The Nissan model also has a longer wheelbase, and significantly more ground clearance.

Nissan Terra VL 2.5 4x4 AT

Dimensions

Toyota Fortuner LTD 2.5 4x4 AT

4,900mm

Length

4,795mm

1,865mm

Width

1,855mm

1,865mm

Height

1,865mm

2,850mm

Wheelbase

2,750mm

225mm

Ground clearance

193mm

As for their exterior equipment, both the top-spec Terra and Fortuner come standard with auto on/off LED headlamps, LED taillights, LED daytime running lamps, and LED front fog lamps. Both also come with roof rails, power-folding side mirrors, and a set of 18-inch alloy wheels.

Nissan Terra front 2Toyota Fortuner front 2

Which midsize SUV do you think looks better?

The Terra also comes with rain-sensing wipers and an automatic leveling for its LED headlamps. These two features are absent on the Toyota-made SUV.

Nissan Terra VL 2.5 4x4 AT

Exterior Equipment

Toyota Fortuner LTD 2.5 4x4 AT

LED with auto-on/off

Headlights

LED with auto-on/off

With

Headlight auto-leveling

None

LED

Daytime Running Lights

LED

Halogen

Turn signal lamps

Sequential LED

LED

Taillights

LED

With

Front Fog lights

With

With

Roof rails

With

18-inch

Wheel size

18-inch

Alloy

Wheel type

Alloy

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Nissan Terra vs Toyota Fortuner: Interior

Moving on to interiors, both the Terra VL 4x4 and the Fortuner LTD 4x4 can accommodate up to seven adult-sized occupants. Both are also kitted out with automatic climate control systems with rear vents, wireless phone chargers, USB and 12-volt charging ports, leather seats, 60:40 split-folding second rows, and 50:50 folding third rows.

Nissan Terra VL 2.5 4x4 AT

Interior Equipment

Toyota Fortuner LTD 2.5 4x4 AT

Leather

Seat material

Leather

Electronic

Driver’s seat adjustment

Electronic

Tilt

Steering wheel adjustment

Tilt and Telescopic

Dual-zone automatic AC with rear vents

Air-conditioning type

Automatic climate control with rear vents

Push button

Ignition

Push button

None

Seat cooling

With

None

Power liftgate

With

7

Seating capacity

7

For the driver, both models also feature power-adjustable driver’s seats, a push to start button, and a leather-clad multi-function steering wheel. On the Terra, its steering wheel has tilt manual adjustment. The Fortuner meanwhile comes with a tilt and telescopic steering wheel, plus it also gets front seat cooling.

Terra interiorFortuner interior

Compare the updated Terra VL's interior (left) with the Fortuner LTD's using the slider

To keep its occupants entertained, the Terra VL has a nine-inch touchscreen headunit with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, and USB connectivity. The Fortuner LTD’s touchscreen meanwhile, is smaller at eight inches. Besides that, it gets the same connectivity options as the Nissan model though its Apple CarPlay is not wireless. Despite being larger, the Terra VL’s has fewer speakers numbering at eight. The Toyota in turn, has nine speakers.

Nissan Terra VL 2.5 4x4 AT

On-board tech

Toyota Fortuner LTD 2.5 4x4 AT

9-inch touchscreen

Infotainment system

8-inch touchscreen

Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, USB

Connectivity options

Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, SUB, Smart Device Link

8 Bose Speakers

# of Speakers

9 JBL Speakers

With

Wireless charger

With

With

Offline Navigation

With

With

Power-folding side mirror

With

With

Auto-dimming rearview mirror

With

With

Rain-sensing wipers

None

And lastly, the Fortuner has a power tailgate while the Terra has a manual tailgate. The Terra also has an auxiliary ceiling-mounted monitor, which is not present on the Fortuner.

>>> Related: Toyota Fortuner 2020 for sale

Nissan Terra vs Toyota Fortuner: Engine and Performance

Under the hood, the Nissan Terra VL’s powerplant is a 2.5-liter inline-4 turbodiesel. At most, it can churn out up to 187 horsepower and 450 Nm of torque. It uses a 4x4 drivetrain that’s paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission.

A picture of the Terra's engine

The Terra's 2.5-liter inline-4 turbodiesel engine

On the other side of the coin, the Toyota Fortuner LTD uses a 2.8-liter inline-4 turbodiesel engine. It can make up to 201 horsepower and 500 Nm of torque. Power is then sent to all four of its wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.

In summary of their powertrains, one can see that the Toyota model produces a bit more horsepower, and significantly more torque. Apart from that though, both of their 4x4 drivetrains are switchable between 4x4 and 4x2. Both also have locking rear differentials.

A picture of the Toyota Fortuner's engine

The Toyota Fortuner's 2.8-liter inline-4 turbodiesel mill

When it comes to suspensions, both models are similar. The Terra and the Fortuner, both use a double wishbone for the front, and multi-link for the rear. Both also have disc brakes for all of their four wheels.

As of its update however, the top-spec VL trims have gained an electronic parking brake, which is not available on the Fortuner.

Specs

Nissan Terra VL 2.5 4x4 AT

Toyota Fortuner LTD 2.5 4x4 AT

Engine

Inline-4 turbodiesel

Inline-4 turbodiesel

Displacement

2.5-liters

2.8-liters

Transmission

Seven-speed automatic

Six-speed automatic

Horsepower

187

201

Torque

450 Nm

500 Nm

Drivetrain

4x4

4x4

>>> Related: See the best Toyota Fortuner 2021 price

Nissan Terra vs Toyota Fortuner: Safety

When safety is concerned, both the Terra VL and the Fortuner LTD are the top dogs in their respective variant line-ups. This is because the former has the Nissan Intelligent Mobility safety suite, while the latter comes with the Toyota Safety Sense.

A picture of the Nissan Terra's 360-degree view camera

The Terra's 360-degree around-view monitor in action

What that means is both of these vehicles come standard with adaptive cruise control, lane departure alert, a 360-degree view camera, blind-spot detection, and pre-collision warning systems. What the Toyota lacks that is available on the Nissan SUV though, is automatic emergency braking.

Other than that, both vehicles are also kitted out with anti-lock braking with electronic brake-force distribution, hill-start assist, hill-descent control, ISOFIX child-seat tethers, stability control, an engine immobilizer with car alarm, and parking sensors.

>>> Related: See more old Nissan cars for sale

A picture of the Fortuner's 360-degree view camera

The around-view monitor on the Toyota Fortuner

Then again, Fortuner LTD lacks a tire pressure monitoring system which is present on the Terra VL. The Nissan in turn has six airbags, while the Fortuner has seven due to having a driver’s knee airbag.

Nissan Terra VL 2.5 4x4 AT

Safety equipment

Toyota Fortuner LTD 2.5 4x4 AT

6

Airbags

7

With

Antilock braking with EBD

With

With

Reverse Camera

With

With

360-degree camera

With

Standard

Cruise control

Adaptive

With

Hill-start assist

With

With

Hill descent control

With

With

Stability control

With

With

ISOFIX child seat tethers

With

With

Lane departure warning

With

With

Blind-spot detection

With

With

Tire pressure monitoring

None

With

Engine immobilizer

With

With

Security alarm

With

With

Speed sensing door locks

With

With

Emergency braking

None

Nissan Terra vs Toyota Fortuner: Price

Nissan Terra Variants

Price

Terra EL 2.5 4x2 MT

Php 1,649,000

Terra VE 2.5 4x2 AT

Php 1,829,000

Terra VL 2.5 4x2 AT

Php 1,999,000

Terra VL 2.5 4x4 AT

Php 2,339,000

Toyota Fortuner Variants

Price

Fortuner G 2.4 4x2 MT

Php 1,633,000

Fortuner G 2.4 4x2 AT

Php 1,723,000

Fortuner V 2.4 4x2 AT

Php 1,827,000

Fortuner V Pearl 2.4 4x2 AT

Php 1,842,000

Fortuner Q 2.8 4x2 AT

Php 1,998,000

Fortuner Q Pearl 2.8 4x2 AT

Php 2,013,000

Fortuner LTD 2.8 4x2 AT

Php 2,244,000

Fortuner LTD Pearl 2.8 4x2 AT

Php 2,254,000

Fortuner LTD 2.8 4x4 AT

Php 2,404,000

Fortuner LTD Pearl 2.8 4x4 AT

Php 2,414,000

>>> You can refer to the latest Fortuner for sale today

Nissan Terra vs Toyota Fortuner: Conclusion

As top-spec models, both the Nissan Terra VL 4x4 and the Toyota Fortuner LTD 4x4 are chock full of on-board tech and safety equipment. So as functioning as family cars, so many won’t have qualms about these two. The Terra though can appease the most paranoid drivers with its automatic emergency braking system.

Nissan Terra rear

Do you like how the updated Terra looks from the rear?

Then again, the Toyota Fortuner LTD offers a whole lot more when it comes to torque. So if you need something that can haul your family and lug along a lot of cargo (maybe even a trailer), then you might want to lean more towards the Toyota.

Do note however that the Terra VL’s output is still no joke. It can still very much handle heavy loads, plus it is as capable as the Fortuner LTD in off-road situations since it also has a limited-slip differential.

A picture of the rear of the Toyota Fortuner

Or do you like the Toyota Fortuner's rear end better?

>>> Related: Used Fortuner for sale in Philippines

So which is better? Well, we’ll leave that up to you to decide by taking each of them out for a test drive. For more comparison articles, keep it here on Phil kotse.

Cesar G.B. Miguel

Cesar G.B. Miguel

Author

Cesar Guiderone B. Miguel was born and raised in Iligan City, Lanao Del Norte. He graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in English degree from Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology. He previously worked as a freelance writer for various websites, as a member of the Iligan City Disaster Risk Reduction Management's training staff, and as a medical sales representative.

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