- Nissan shares some of the SUV design cues common to the Nissan TEKTON and the upcoming new Nissan Patrol
It’s hip to be square as Nissan South Africa celebrates the first month of sales of its new Nissan TEKTON SUV.
The new model arrived in South Africa exactly one month ago and took centre stage at a special “Festival of Nissan” hosted in Johannesburg. Here, Nissan showed guests a selection of its classic vehicles, including modern and historic versions of its GT-R supercar range, and unveiled both the new TEKTON and upcoming Nissan Patrol.
“For the TEKTON and Patrol to share a stage is no coincidence,” says Ramy Mohareb, Head of Brand and Communications at Nissan Africa. “The two models share a design language, and both are tasked with carrying the pioneering Nissan spirit into the next decade.”
South Africa was selected as the first country outside India, where the new Nissan TEKTON is manufactured, to receive the new model. As a country that values the great outdoors, long road trips and a bit of rough driving, it is only fitting that it should become the first international market for a vehicle that offers just that and opens the door for the upcoming, all-conquering new Nissan Patrol.
Both the Nissan TEKTON and the next-generation Nissan Patrol share a design language that emphasises boldness, a muscular stance and a promise of go-anywhere, do-anything adventure.
In the Nissan TEKTON, this design language is best viewed in the side profile, where the large, squared-off wheel arches create a visual frame for diamond-cut 18-inch alloy wheels with multi-purpose tyres.
The two wheel arches are connected by blocky side skirts and a dark polycarbonate fender line that accentuates the boxy shape while offering additional, hard-wearing protection from stone chips, small dents and scratches.
The side profile also hides a special Easter egg: two silver-lined polycarbonate plaques inserted into the front doors. The plaques depict the profile of the Himalayas, where the TEKTON spent time testing, and more broadly serve as a universal symbol of adventure and outdoor living.
Viewed from the front, the new TEKTON shares a great deal of design inspiration with the upcoming Patrol.
The most striking visual link between the TEKTON and the Patrol is the C-shaped LED daytime running light design, which runs across the bold, squared-off grille and cups both headlamps with a modern, diffused light bar.
Keen observers of vehicle design will notice the small break in the C-shape of the running lights, where it is intersected by the extended chrome line stretching outwards from the Nissan logo. This is another nod to the upcoming Patrol and to many of the SUVs in Nissan’s 75-year heritage.
The lights and grille are framed from below by a functional bash plate in contrasting silver, deeply recessed, squared-off fog lights and a clamshell bonnet with a muscular profile similar to that of the new Nissan Patrol.
Returning to the side profile, the Nissan TEKTON has a higher waistline than its main competitors, creating a muscular stance, while the B- and C-pillars are partially darkened to create a floating roofline and a more modern appearance.
The C-pillar terminates in widened rear fenders to round off the muscular appearance, just like in its bigger brother.
At the rear, a light bar connects the vehicle flanks, while a deeply sculpted roof spoiler and squared-off, silver-framed rear bumper round off the design by echoing the front bumper and bonnet shape.
Inside the TEKTON, Nissan has again taken a cue from the Nissan Patrol design to create a cabin that is airy, functional and more than a little muscular.
From the driver’s point of view, the square dashboard and floating infotainment system convey durability and ease of use. As in its larger SUV sibling, the system is angled towards the driver, emphasising their command of the vehicle and the road.
The thick-rimmed steering wheel is squared off at the top and bottom for better visibility while retaining full functionality, and many of the most important vehicle controls fall easily to hand.
The air-conditioning, basic vehicle and driving-related controls have been made larger and chunkier, in keeping with Nissan’s SUV design theme. On selected models, a recessed panoramic sunroof is integrated into the roof lining without compromising headroom.
Says Mohareb: “Nissan has spared no expense in developing a true, died-in-the-wool Nissan SUV. It not only shares a design theme with the forthcoming Nissan Patrol, but it holds the same promise of exploration and adventure that Nissan fans love and that South Africans crave. We cannot wait to welcome more new members to the Nissan SUV driver family with this model.”
Nissan offers five versions of the new TEKTON, including an entry-level 1.0 Visia model with a manual transmission and four self-shifting models fitted with Nissan’s turbocharged 1.3-litre petrol engine, matched to a modern dual-clutch transmission.
