Nissan just posted the first Terrano. Forty years later. The company called it “still as fresh as ever,” named it Pathfinder in the same breath, and linked the original 1986 press release. Blistered fenders. A window layout that looks like roll bars. Nissan wrote that in 1986. Nissan wrote it again in the official YouTube community post.
40 years. Same fenders.
Nissan Motor Corporation’s YouTube post is not a new truck. It is the original two-door, pointed at the kit from August 1986. Title: “Nissan launches a new 4WD recreational vehicle ‘Terrano.’” The newsroom dates the release August 21, 1986. The International Division PDF is dated August 22, 1986. Tokyo. Japanese market.
The 1986 copy said vigorous efforts were made to create the characteristics of a passenger car in an off-road 4WD vehicle. Flush body. Unique window layouts giving a roll bar impression. Blister fenders. The 2026 post reused the same two details: blistered fenders and an iconic window layout that gives the impression of roll bars.
Nissan’s global heritage gallery still files the first generation as WD21 (1986–1995). In the U.S., Nissan’s July 7, 2016 Pathfinder history recap printed the name Pathfinder, a 1987 model-year intro, and a two-door first. Four doors arrived for 1990. Those are U.S. Pathfinder years Nissan printed. They are not the 1986 Japan launch sheet.
Tokyo prices. 85 PS. 500 a month.
The 1986 International Division release is a Japan sheet. Newly developed TD27 diesel. 85 PS at 4,300 rpm, JIS NET. 18.0 kgm at 2,200 rpm, JIS NET. Five-speed manual. Direct-connection 4WD transfer integrated with the transmission. Independent double wishbones and torsion bars up front. Newly developed 5-link coil springs at the rear.
Prices in Tokyo: ¥1,914,000 to ¥2,333,000. Nissan expected to sell 500 units per month in the domestic market.
That is the 1986 Japan Terrano. Not a U.S. Pathfinder horsepower number. Nissan USA later printed a 2.4-liter four and a 3.0-liter V6 rated at 140 horsepower for the first-generation Pathfinder, with 145 as of 1988 and 153 hp from 1990. Different market. Different engines. Different sheet.
A cabin Nissan called passenger-car.
The 1986 kit promised a driving position comparable to a passenger car, exceptional ease of entry and exit, and a spacious cabin designed for multifunctional use with high quality interior equipment. Recirculating-ball steering with power assistance. The R3M photos Nissan still hosts show the inclinometer pod on the dash, a five-speed, and a transfer lever next to it.
What Nissan actually printed in 1986
Japan domestic models. August 22, 1986 International Division release:
- TD27 in-line 4-cylinder diesel, OHV, swirl chamber, 2,663 cc
- Bore x stroke 96.0 x 92.0 mm. Compression 21.8
- 85 PS / 4,300 rpm (JIS NET). 18.0 kgm / 2,200 rpm (JIS NET)
- 5-speed manual. Dual-range transfer 1.000 / 2.020. Final drive 4.875
- Length 4,365 mm. Width 1,690 mm. Height 1,680 mm. Wheelbase 2,650 mm
- Track 1,445 / 1,405 mm. Ground clearance 210 mm. Weight 1,670–1,700 kg
- Front brakes ventilated discs. Rear duo-servo. Tires 215SR15
- Spare-tire carrier on the back: 200 mm longer, 20 kg heavier
- Tokyo price ¥1,914,000–¥2,333,000. Expected 500 units a month in Japan
Nissan posted the two-door, called 40 years fresh, and sent everyone back to a 1986 Tokyo sheet that priced a diesel 4WD at ¥1,914,000. The fenders still blister. The windows still fake a roll bar. That was the pitch then. That is the pitch now.
Images courtesy of Nissan, from the official Global Newsroom heritage gallery and 1986 Terrano photo pack (WD21, 1986–1995). Engine, price, dimensions, and 500-a-month Japan volume from Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. International Division release “Nissan launches a new 4WD recreational vehicle ‘Terrano,’” August 22, 1986 (19860822-e.pdf), hosted at global.nissannews.com/en/releases/19860822-e. Anniversary copy from Nissan’s official YouTube community post, August 2026. U.S. Pathfinder name, 1987–1995 first generation, 1990 four-door, and U.S. engine ratings from Nissan USA’s July 7, 2016 recap “Nissan Pathfinder 1987 – 2017: A brief history.”
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