Introduction
The B-SUV segment is where all the action is happening right now. Nissan India, by introducing the all new Magnite to its product portfolio has entered a stiff competition in B-SUV segment. The Magnite is built from ground-up, 3-4 years of R&D has gone in for this product’s inception. Magnite becomes the first Nissan car to carry the new rebranded Nissan logo, the car absolutely looks stunning and fresh when seen in flesh (as well as on your screen). The car will be officially launched on 2nd of December 2020 where the official price details will be revealed. We at GaadiKey got an exclusive invitation from Nissan for the Media drive which happened at Chennai (Velachery/Mahabalipuram). The first drive experience was terrific, what follows below is the detailed review of New Nissan Magnite compact SUV. Magnite carries the tagline “Inspired by India, Designed in Japan and Made for the World” and here we are to find out what Magnite really is.
Design
The Designers in Japan have carefully studied the Indian population – their behaviour, their attitude and have come up with a new design philosophy that blends well with Japanese culture. By looking at exteriors, one may experience the unique look and feel of the car – it is bold and dynamic. The very first thing one notices is the large front Grille carrying the new Nissan branding in the middle of sharp, well-sculptured grille surrounded by thick chrome. The L-shaped LED DRLs and a very humble front headlamps housed on this car with tall-stance steals the show. The 16-inch stylish alloy wheels stunningly covered by square wheel arch with thick cladding draws your attention the moment you see the car.
Talking about the side profile of Magnite, it doesn’t feel like its a small compact SUV at all, rather looks like a proper mid SUV like Creta. The car’s rear with Magnite badging is very neat and beautiful. The rear of Magnite is very proportionate, the LED tail lamps are of the right size and blends well with the car. The skid plates, rear cladding, the high quality exterior design elements is worth every rupee you spend on this car. The Magnite looks are very premium and is one of its core strengths. Even the base variant of Magnite gets rear spoilers and Rear wipers!
Interior
The Nissan Magnite doesn’t get a sunroof, the car is built with “Purposeful Design” philosophy in mind – what you get is what you need and what you use more frequently. It doesn’t mean it limits you from choosing the modern day tech savvy features like Wireless charger, Air purifier, Ambient mood lighting, puddle lamps etc. Nissan Magnite gets this all in the “Tech pack” and Premium options.
Talking about the infotainment system, the Magnite offers a floating 8 inch touchscreen with minimal clutter on the screen. The infotainment system is slightly tilted towards the driver to give him/her a better angle while driving and also protects your view from the glare. You will be getting all the bells and whistles like voice recognition, Android Auto, Apple Carplay, AUX, Bluetooth, MP3, FM player, Notification read-outs, Wifi connect etc. The around view monitor, Birds eye view, simultaneous Rear and Side View Display aids you when you are parking, backing out or manoeuvring your car in the tight space. In addition to this, there are 50+ Nissan connect features like Track your car, Geo fence, Speed alerts etc.
The car feels very spacious inside, both in front and back rows. In the front, you would notice ample space to comfortably place your leg, there is sufficient amount of storage space to place the toll tickets, coins, mobile phone etc. The interior cabin materials are of premium quality, you get illuminated glovebox in the front. You get direct USB ports for charging your phone. The AC switch, temperature and Fan speed adjustments can be done without much fuss. The automatic AC feature is available and cooling effect is well-felt by both front and rear passengers thanks to dedicated AC vents at the back. We didn’t spend much time on the rear seats, but it was very spacious and wide, 3 people can easily sit in the back row. There is ample knee room and leg room for rear passenger even if they are tall (6 feet).
Engine and Transmission
Magnite gets two different engine variants – the one is naturally aspirated 1.0 litre B4D Petrol engine and the other is 1.0 litre Turbo HRAO Petrol engine. The petrol engine is mated to MT or CVT gearbox. The one which we tested in this review is 1.0 litre Turbo petrol engine which had a whooping power figures of 100 PS @ 5000 rpm and delivered torque of 152 Nm and also the 1 litre Turbo CVT Petrol engine offered similar 100 PS of power and delivered torque of 160 Nm.
Nissan claims a fuel efficiency of 20 kmpl for the 1 litre Turbo petrol engine with manual transmission and 17.7 kmpl for 1.0 Turbo petrol with CVT. We didn’t get a chance to test the naturally aspirated 1.0 petrol engine which has power figures of 72 PS @ 6250 rpm and 96 PS @ 3500 rpm.
Dimensions
Lets talk about how big the Magnite is and dimensions of the car. Nissan Magnite is a sub 4-metre compact SUV with a total length of 3994 mm. The width of the Magnite is 1758 mm and height is 1572 mm. The wheelbase of Nissan Magnite measures 2500 mm. The car gets a very large ground clearance of 205 mm, so no worry of car’s floor hitting the bottom in rough and uneven terrains. The fuel tank capacity of Nissan Magnite is 40 litres.
Driving the Magnite
We drove the Nissan Magnite with 1.0 Turbo Petrol Manual version (the one in Brown) as well as the 1.0 Turbo Petrol CVT option (the one in Red color). Once we sit on the driver’s seat everything feels intuitive. The Start-Stop push button gets you going. The car offers a very good viewing angle of the road – the ORVMs are electrically adjustable and is quite handy. Driving the manual version of Magnite was comfortable and neat, the gears shifted easily, operating the clutch was a breeze. We hit a good speed of about 120 Kmph on the Mahabalipuram highway and the car was very stable. The steering was light to operate and the control was just perfect. Thanks to the 1.0 litre turbo engine, the power kicked in at the right spots when needed (initial pickup and overtaking).
The driver side instrument cluster displayed a good piece of readable information – the trip meter, the speed at which you are driving, fuel left, tachometer etc. Additionally it also shows you crucial information like tyre pressure of all tyres etc. While driving on highways you can use the cruise control feature to lock the speed so the car automatically cruises at a constant speed without driver hitting the accelerator pedal.
We found driving the Magnite with Turbo CVT engine was super easy and stress-free. The Magnite with Turbo CVT is what you need for stress-free experience of driving as it frees you from thinking of pressing the clutch and changing the gears. Everything works automagically with Magnite Turbo CVT with minimum driver intervention – all one needs to do is focus on road and control the steering with a foot to spare and a foot to co-ordinate between accelerator/ brake. The engine revvs up even better in Turbo CVT variant offering high performance and smooth automatic gear shifts. The car just drives the way you want and is completely in your control, we felt like driving a luxury car model from BMW or Mercedes. The hill-start assist , responsive braking and short braking distance makes the driving experience even sweeter and comfortable. The suspension system was good enough to tackle the potholes on the road.
Price and Variants
The price of Nissan Magnite is not officially revealed at the time of writing this. The Magnite is expected to have a starting price of Rs 5.5 lakhs (Ex-showroom). The top trim of Magnite is expected to go upto 11 lakhs ( Ex-showroom). Keeping the Indian consumers in mind, the Nissan Magnite will be launched in 20 different price points providing plenty of options for the customer to choose between different feature sets, variants, transmission and trim levels.
There will be 4 different trims like XE, XL, XV and XV Premium which is shuffled between 2 different engine options and transmissions (MT/CVT). In addition to this, one has an option to avail the Tech Pack separately.
Currently Nissan Magnite is available in 8 different color options namely: Flare Garnet Red & Onyx Black , Blade Silver, Storm White, Sandstone Brown, Onyx Black, Tourmaline Brown & Onyx Black , Pearl White & Onyx Black, Vivid Blue & Storm White
Verdict
Should you buy a Nissan Magnite? The answer is Yes. If you are in the market for buying a reliable, stunning, powerful compact SUV which is big on space with a budget under 10-11 lakhs this is the car which you should be considering. Stunning looks, the purposeful design philosophy, attention to small details, wide range of options (both in terms of features and price points) is the value offered. Magnite is distinctly ahead and has an edge over the competition like Sonet, Nexon, Brezza or Venue. If Nissan can delight its customers with strong and committed sales/service experience across its network, there is no doubt Magnite can easily win all the love from SUV lovers in India.
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