The most awaited compact SUV, which holds back Nissan in the Indian market is the all-new Magnite which has entered the crowded subcompact SUV segment which is dominated by the likes of Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, and the latest addition Kia Sonet. Here we, MotoMads share our first impression of the car.
Design:
Exterior –
This is the first thing to be highlighted, both the front and back are styled in such a way that Magnite has always been a head-turner. It has a length of 3994mm, a width of 1758mm, and a wheelbase of 2500mm. The tall stance and generous 205mm of ground clearance gives it a genuine SUV experience. The headlights are neat, the ‘L’ shaped LEDs stand out and the Datsun grille, integrated into the front design with the new logo, does point to the fact that this compact SUV started life under Nissan’s low-cost brand.
The contrasting roof and large ‘split’ rear spoiler look extremely upmarket, and Nissan has even used a chrome highlight along the doors very effectively. Even the dual-tone cladding at the rear is impressively put together.
Interior –
When moving into the interior you’ll see Lamborghini hexagonal AC vents, a floating 8.0-inch touchscreen unit, well-finished toggle switches and rotary AC controls with monochrome LCD displays housed within them, showing you temperature and fan speed. The wireless charging pad can hold even plus-size smartphones, and there’s a USB port up front too and a big storage shelf underneath it.
Space –
You have much space inside both in front seats and rear seats, and whatsoever the boot, at 336 litres, is adequately sized, and the rear seats can be folded in a 60:40 split to accommodate more cargo.
Platform:
Magnite is built on the Renault-Nissan alliance’s CMF-A+ platform. Larger and clearly more substantial than the regular CMF-A platform that underpins the Datsun Redigo and the Renault Kwid.
1.0 Turbo Engine:
The 100hp, 999cc turbo-petrol engine isn’t direct-injected but instead sticks to indirect or multiport injection. It’s available with either a 5-speed manual or a CVT, and the torque output varies accordingly – 160Nm at 2,800- 3,600rpm in the manual, and 152Nm at 2,200-4,400rpm in the auto.
Safety:
Top versions of the Magnite come with driver aids like Vehicle Dynamic Control, traction control and hill start assist, and also feature ISOFIX child-seat mounts at the back. ABS with EBD, dual airbags, and rear parking sensors are standard across the range, and on some variants, you also get a tyre pressure monitoring system and brake assist. The centre passenger in the rear, however, only gets a lap-belt, not a three-point inertia-reel seat belt.
Pricing:
With a starting price of Rs 5.49 lakh and the fully loaded automatic (including the optional tech pack) clocks in at just Rs 9.88 lakh Nissan Magnite could compete with most of the hatchbacks in this price range and even with some compact SUVs.
We are testing the vehicle for some distance and will drop the drive experience blog with Mileage testing and other details soon!