Nissan Terrano Regulus

Nissan Terrano Regulus: which version to buy

The Nissan Terrano Regulus was sold in 1 generation (August 1996–August 2002) as an SUV 5-doors with 3 versions: 3.0 AT, 3.2 AT, and 3.3 AT. All three share Automatic with 4 gears, AWD, an 80 L tank, and 210 mm ground clearance. The buying choice is not “which generation” — there is only one — but which of these three powertrains matches how you use the car.

The Nissan Terrano Regulus was sold in 1 generation (August 1996–August 2002) as an SUV 5-doors with 3 versions: 3.0 AT, 3.2 AT, and 3.3 AT. All three share Automatic with 4 gears, AWD, an 80 L tank, and 210 mm ground clearance. The buying choice is not “which generation” — there is only one — but which of these three powertrains matches how you use the car.

Which generation changed what

There is no second generation and no restyle listed as a separate generation in this catalogue. Every version below ran the same window: 1996-08-01 to 2002-08-31, SUV 5-doors. What changed between the three cars is the engine, not the body cycle.

Specs: the three versions side by side

Valves per cylinder (not in the table, but it splits the two diesels): 3.0 AT has 4; 3.2 AT and 3.3 AT have 2. Compression: 17.9 (3.0 AT), 22 (3.2 AT), 8.9 (3.3 AT). Bore × stroke: 96 × 102 (3.0 AT), 99.2 × 102 (3.2 AT), 91.5 × 83 (3.3 AT). Fuel label for 3.3 AT is 95. Injection is listed only on 3.3 AT: Distributed injection (multi-point). Engine position and feed system for both diesels: not measured.

Engine: what the extra displacement actually buys

3.2 AT is the largest diesel (3153 cc) but the weakest of the three: 150 hp and 334 Nm. 3.0 AT is 200 cc smaller (2953 vs 3153) and 20 hp stronger (170 vs 150) with 19 Nm more torque (353 vs 334). Specific output:

• 3.0 AT: 170 ÷ 2.953 ≈ 57.6 hp/L, 353 ÷ 2.953 ≈ 119.5 Nm/L
• 3.2 AT: 150 ÷ 3.153 ≈ 47.6 hp/L, 334 ÷ 3.153 ≈ 105.9 Nm/L
• 3.3 AT: 170 ÷ 3.275 ≈ 51.9 hp/L, 271 ÷ 3.275 ≈ 82.7 Nm/L

So the extra 200 cc on 3.2 AT versus 3.0 AT does not buy more power or more torque. It buys a different diesel recipe: 2 valves per cylinder instead of 4, compression 22 instead of 17.9, peak torque 200 rpm later (2000 vs 1800). 3.0 AT is the denser diesel.

3.3 AT matches 3.0 AT on peak power (170 hp / 125 kW) but not on how that power is made. It is Gasoline, 6 cylinders, V-shaped, No turbo, 3275 cc, and it needs 4800 rpm for the same 170 hp that 3.0 AT posts at 3600. Torque is the gap that matters for an SUV 5-doors: 271 Nm versus 353 Nm on 3.0 AT — 82 Nm less — and the gasoline peak is at 2800 rpm versus 1800 on 3.0 AT. You are not paying for more horsepower versus 3.0 AT; you are paying for Gasoline / 95 instead of Diesel, and for a 6-cylinder V-shaped layout instead of a 4-cylinder Inline Turbo.

Versus 3.2 AT, 3.3 AT is 20 hp up (170 vs 150) and 63 Nm down (271 vs 334). If the job is pulling from low rpm, 3.2 AT still has more twist than the gasoline 3.3 AT despite 20 fewer horsepower.

Weight per horsepower (and what 20 kg does)

Kerb weight: 1930 kg (3.0 AT), 1910 kg (3.2 AT), 1910 kg (3.3 AT). Gross weight: not measured on all three.

• 3.0 AT: 1930 ÷ 170 ≈ 11.35 kg/hp
• 3.2 AT: 1910 ÷ 150 ≈ 12.73 kg/hp
• 3.3 AT: 1910 ÷ 170 ≈ 11.24 kg/hp

3.3 AT is the lightest per horsepower by a thin margin: 0.11 kg/hp under 3.0 AT, because it shares the 1910 kg kerb of 3.2 AT while matching 3.0 AT’s 170 hp. 3.0 AT carries 20 kg more than the other two (1930 vs 1910) — about 1.0% extra mass — for 20 hp and 19 Nm over 3.2 AT, and for 82 Nm over 3.3 AT. That 20 kg is a poor reason to skip 3.0 AT if you want the diesel with the highest specific output.

3.2 AT is the heaviest per horsepower: 12.73 kg/hp, 1.38 kg/hp more than 3.0 AT. Same Automatic / 4 / AWD as the others, same 210 mm clearance, same 80 L tank — the deficit is engine output, not chassis spec.

Performance, mpg, and what is not measured

0–100 km/h: not measured for 3.0 AT, 3.2 AT, and 3.3 AT. Top speed: not measured for all three. City / highway / combined consumption: not measured for all three. CO2 and eco class: not measured for all three.

You cannot pick a Terrano Regulus on catalogue mpg or 0–100, because those figures are not in this dataset. The comparison that is measured is torque and the rpm at which it arrives: 3.0 AT 353 Nm @ 1800, 3.2 AT 334 Nm @ 2000, 3.3 AT 271 Nm @ 2800. For low-speed work in an AWD SUV 5-doors, that order is the practical ranking.

Dimensions, clearance, tank, wheels

Ground clearance is identical: 210 mm on 3.0 AT, 3.2 AT, and 3.3 AT. Tank is identical: 80 L. Wheel sizes: not measured on all three. Suspension is the same English labels on all three: front Independent, spring, rear Independent, spring. Brakes: front Ventilated disc, rear Drum on all three.

Nothing in dimensions or running gear differentiates a “highway” version from an “off-road” version in this data. Clearance, tank, drive, gearbox type, and brake/suspension labels do not change with the engine. The version decision is the powertrain only.

Reliability and problems: what the numbers allow (and what they do not)

This catalogue does not list failure rates, recalls, or typical faults. Do not treat silence as “no problems.” What you can say from the spec sheet:

• Two Turbo Diesel 4 / Inline versions (3.0 AT, 3.2 AT) versus one naturally aspirated Gasoline 6 / V-shaped (3.3 AT, boost No).
• 3.0 AT is the only 4-valve-per-cylinder engine; 3.2 AT and 3.3 AT are 2.
• 3.2 AT runs the highest compression (22 vs 17.9 vs 8.9).
• Peak diesel power is at 3600 rpm on both 3.0 AT and 3.2 AT; 3.3 AT peaks 1200 rpm higher (4800).

Those are design differences, not reliability scores. Fuel type is the other hard split: Diesel on 3.0 AT and 3.2 AT, 95 Gasoline on 3.3 AT.

Which version to choose

Choose 3.0 AT if you want the strongest measured diesel in this model: 170 hp, 353 Nm, 57.6 hp/L, torque peak at 1800 rpm, Turbo, 4 valves per cylinder. You accept 20 kg extra kerb (1930 vs 1910) versus the other two. Same Automatic 4, same AWD, same 80 L tank, same 210 mm clearance. Among the three, this is the version where displacement is used most efficiently.

Choose 3.2 AT only if you specifically want the larger diesel (3153 cc) with compression 22 and 2 valves per cylinder, and you accept being last on power (150 hp) and last on kg/hp (12.73). You do get 334 Nm — 63 Nm more than 3.3 AT — so it still out-torques the gasoline version. You do not get more torque than 3.0 AT (334 vs 353). The extra 200 cc versus 3.0 AT is not a performance upgrade in this dataset.

Choose 3.3 AT if the requirement is Gasoline / 95 and a 6-cylinder V-shaped engine with Distributed injection (multi-point) and boost No. You match 3.0 AT on 170 hp at a lighter kerb (1910 kg, 11.24 kg/hp) but you give up 82 Nm (271 vs 353) and you make peak power 1200 rpm later. Versus 3.2 AT you gain 20 hp and lose 63 Nm. This is the version for fuel-type preference, not for catalogue torque.

There is no “later generation” to buy into. One generation, three versions, same years, same body. If 0–100, top speed, mpg, gross weight, or wheel size would have decided it for you, those values are not measured here — the arithmetic that is available ranks 3.0 AT first on diesel output density, 3.3 AT first on kg/hp among the 170 hp pair, and 3.2 AT last on power and last on kg/hp.