2020 Nissan Magnite Review: Enough to Take On The Rivals?

1. Nissan Magnite: A Short Intro

The Indian buyers are showing an immense affinity and sentiments towards the SUV segment, with the mindset of owning a sport utility vehicle at an affordable price tag. Various carmakers have already sent or plan to send a player to this competition. The Japanese carmaker Nissan India, whose cars haven’t been the best runs in terms of popularity, is setting out to jump on this bandwagon. Nissan has just introduced its all-new Magnite compact SUV in India which turns out as a very promising package. But it is good enough to hog the limelight from the immensely-popular models in the highly-competitive compact SUV segment? We have a chance to stay behind the wheel of the new Nissan Magnite and here’s our first-drive impression on the upcoming compact SUV model.

2. Nissan Magnite 360 View: Exterior Review

Being the company’s first attempt in the highly-contested compact SUV segment, Nissan must have burnt the mid-night lamps to give the Magnite a good look. From our visual standpoint, the Nissan Magnite gets a distinctive-looking design, making it one of the best looking cars in its category.

Front View

Starting with the front view, the first thing you should notice about the Magnite is its massive Datsun-like grille dominating the front end of the vehicle. Compared to the Kicks, the Magnite looks absolutely bolder that commands much attention from the opposite. The projector headlamps are sleek while the boomerang-shaped LED daytime running lamps fit perfectly with the L-shaped fog lamps. Nissan has made use of decent chrome treatments upfront, thus enhancing the car’s premium quotient. Also, it’s worth noting that the Nissan Magnite is the first-ever car in India to debut the company’s restyled logo.

Side View

At the side, the Nissan Magnite boasts of a rugged look with a lot of striking styling elements like blacked-out A and B-pillar, strong shoulder line with chrome accents, chrome door handles and a set of machine-cut chunky alloy wheels.

Rear View

The Nissan Magnite looks appealing at the rear with wraparound LED tail lamps, sporty roof spoiler with integrated stop lamp, bold MAGNITE lettering along with faux-finished skid plate. The chunky rear bumper with black cladding does manage to enhance the rugged stance of the SUV to a higher level.

3. Nissan Magnite Dimensions: Length, Width, Height & More

When buying a compact SUV, the size is always among the top concerns that customers always take into account. Coming as a new sub-four-metre SUV in India, the Nissan Magnite measures 3,994 mm long, 1,758 mm wide and 1,572 mm high along with the wheelbase of 2,500 mm.

From this, it is not as high and wide as its rivals but manages to match the models like Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Maruti Vitara Brezza and Tata Nexon on the wheelbase front.

Like its close cousin Renault Kiger, the Nissan Magnite will be one of the lightest compact SUV offerings of the lot. The Magnite might weigh around 939 to 1,039 kg when it comes to the kerb weight.

4. Nissan Magnite Interior Review: What does the Magnite offer on the inside?

Not just style, Nissan has been trying hard to make the Magnite a well-loaded model, all the ways to compete against the decently-equipped SUVs like Venue, Sonet, Nexon or Vitara Brezza, etc.

Comfort Features

First thing first, once stepped inside the Magnite’s cabin, you’ll notice that the SUV brings on a fair bit of comfort and convenience. Still, it may not feel as much premium as the other cars as the plastic quality and fit and finish could have been better but the mile-long features list looks convincing enough.

The free-standing 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system takes up the centre stage on the dashboard. It comes with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity which is segment-leading. The wireless charging pad, USB charging port, a 12V socket with automatic climate control and steering-mounted controls are parts of the features package. What we like the most in the Magnite’s interior is the fully-digital instrument cluster that looks very eye-catching and up-to-date. It displays the essential data like speed, temperature, time, tyre pressure, average fuel consumption among others. The aeroplane-like controls for the door lock and unlock looks posh.

While offering a plethora of features to level up the convenience quotient, Nissan has resorted to a few ways out to keep the cost in check. For instance, the carmaker brings in the fabric upholstery for the top-spec trim instead of leather seats as seen in other rivals.

Interior Space and Seating

With the compactness, it comes quite as a surprise that the Magnite’s cabin feels pretty spacious. The rear bench seat is comfortable and offers decent headroom and legroom for the passengers. In fact, the second row can even accommodate three adults abreast. The front space is not so ramped up.

Safety Features

Safety is the top priority that Nissan concerns when developing a vehicle. As you might know or not, the Nissan Kicks with 2 airbags has excellently scored a 4-star rating from the Global NCAP crash test. The Magnite is expected to take the leaf out of the book of the Kicks sibling.

Speaking of which, Nissan has equipped the Magnite with a bunch of safety features which include dual airbags, seatbelts with pretensioner & load limiter for all passengers, ABS with EBD, anti-roll bar, rear parking sensors, engine immobilizer, child lock, automatic warning hazard on heavy braking, driver and passenger seatbelt reminder and rear window defogger as standard across the variants.

Besides, the Magnite also offers a plethora of additional safety kits for the three top trims, including speed sensing lock, centre door lock driver side switch, impact sensing unlock, rear camera with projector guide. The turbocharged variant of the Magnite even features vehicle dynamic control, hill start assist, traction control and hydraulic brake assist.

5. Nissan Magnite Engine and Transmission

Engine Specs

The all-new Nissan Magnite employs two different engine options under the bonnet, namely a 1.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine and a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol unit. While the former is capable of generating 71 BHP of power and 96 Nm of peak torque, the latter is more powerful with 99 BHP and 152/ 160 Nm of (for the CVT and MT variant, respectively). Transmission duties are handled by a 5-speed Mt and a CVT unit.

Nissan Magnite Turbo-Petrol Performance

As for the turbocharged version, the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine on the Magnite offers a sheer good level of refinement but it’s obviously not the best in the segment. There’s some certain amount of turbo lag in the engine but as soon as the torque figure crosses 1,800 rpm, it picks up the speed rapidly. However, once exceeding the 4,000 rpm of torque, one can clearly feel the vibrations through the pedals. Still, it is undeniable that the turbo-petrol engine of the Magnite manages to make it exciting enough to enjoy the daily drives.

The CVT variant of the Magnit is not very interesting, as per our own experience. It is true that the variant appeals to those looking for a comfortable automatic SUV for daily commutes. The transmission seems a bit listless and the rubber band effect seems apparent. Good thing is, it turns out to be better in the ‘Sport’ mode which makes the turbo-petrol CVT variant of the Magnite more responsive.

However, when it comes to the manual transmission option, the Nissan Magnite manages to spice up things around. The manual variant of the Magnite feels a lot more responsive and lively that the CVT counterpart. It offers smoother operation when shifting the gears and driving in the city traffics, despite the fact that you may find some hiccups when shifting the gear quickly. In brief, the performance of the Nissan Magnite Turbo is awe-inspiring but it could have been improved compared to other models in the segment.

We haven’t got a chance to drive the 1.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine of the Magnite. Stay tuned for our upcoming review soon.

6. Nissan Magnite Mileage: Is Nissan Magnite Fuel Efficient?

With two petrol engine options onboard, the all-new Nissan Magnite is quite fuel-efficient. It comes as no surprise that the Magnite Turbo-CVT is the least frugal variant of the lot with the ARAI-rated mileage figure of 17.7 kmpl. The naturally-aspirated petrol engine mated to a 5-speed MT of the Magnite gets a claimed fuel efficiency figure of 18.75 kmpl while the Turbo-MT trim sits at top of the pile with the ARAI-rated fuel economy rating of 20 kmpl.

7. Nissan Magnite Price: Is Nissan Magnite affordable to buy?

The official launch of Nissan Magnite has taken place on December 2 and the prices of the all-new sub-compact-SUV range from Rs 4.99 - 9.59 lakh (ex-showroom). From this, Nissan has priced the Magnite very aggressively, especially for the base trim, making it one of the most affordable cars in the category. The Magnite might become an attractive pick for those who are looking for a good compact SUV but are on a constrained budget. Let's wait to see how the all-new Nissan Magnite fights against the Maruti Vitara Brezza, Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Mahindra XUV300, Ford Ecosport among many others in the coming months.