The Indian passenger car market has seen a rapid rise of sub-compact SUV segment over the last few years. There are many strong players including the likes of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue and Ford Ecosport. The last few months have also seen introduction of two more cars in this space—the Kia Sonet and Toyota Urban Cruiser. But we’re not done yet; making the segment even more crowded will be the Nissan Magnite which in a sense is a make or break car for the Indian market. That’s why the Japanese carmaker has revealed the car to the world from India and very soon India will be the first market where the car will be launched.
LOOKS
There are many SUV-like cues on the Magnite something that buyers in the segment really like. So talk about plastic cladding all over the body, square-shaped wheel arches or roof rails that can carry a weight of 50 kg they are all there. Sixteen-inch diamond cut alloy wheels will come as standard, something that is not really seen in the segment and the SUV also gets a good ground clearance of 205 mm. The hexagonal chrome laden grille will remind you of cars from the Datsun brand but does not look out of place here. You’ll also find chrome on the window line and door handles, which adds to the premium appeal. And then there’s an overdose of LED elements here; you’ll find them on sleek headlamps, foglamps and split tail lamps. Special mention of the angular shaped turn indicator lights which also get LED treatment. The rear look is completed by an integrated spoiler and silver skid plates.
INTERIORS
You can see that Nissan has tried to do things the right way when it comes to offering a host of features in the cabin. It’s a modern design no doubt specially the AC vents and the 7 inch all-digital instrument cluster that gives you a lot of information. The dash is tilted slightly towards the driver, but there’s one thing that reminds you that the car is built to a cost which is the quality of plastics. The 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system is good to use and comes with a surround view camera, something not really seen on the segment till now. It connects with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in a wireless manner, again a segment first feature. Ergonomically the cabin works well and there’s a fair bit of storage space on offer. The steering wheel can be adjusted for tilt and the front seats are quite big and therefore comfortable. If you choose to buy an optional tech-pack with this car, you will also get premium features like a wireless charger, air purifier and ambient lighting.
SECOND ROW
The Magnite is a sub-4 metre SUV, which means the space should come as a premium, especially in the second row. Well not so much. In fact I was quite impressed with the shoulder room and leg room on offer. It car was a little bit taller, the headroom also would’ve been perfect. What you also get here are AC vents, 60:40 split seats and a centre armrest that comes with cup holders and a cleverly designed smartphone holder. 2 passengers here get adjustable headrests while the Magnite offers a boot space of 336 litres.
ENGINE
Nissan will launch the Magnite with a 1.0 litre petrol engine, while there will be a turbo variant as well that will come with a CVT gearbox. It remains to be seen if the company will also offer an AMT option just like its cousin the Renault Triber. So after the Kia Sonet and Hyundai Venue, we have another turbo offering in the popular segment. While we don’t know the fuel efficiency figures yet, the car does come with an Eco function that rates the driver style and assigns a score, which helps in achieving a more economical drive. Like many other cars in the segment, a Diesel engine option will not be available on the Magnite.
SAFETY & PRICE
In terms of safety the Magnite will get hill start assist, vehicle dynamics control and traction control. ABS with ABD and dual airbags will come as standard while the car will also get anti-roll bars for tight cornering at high speeds along with Isofix child seat mounts. To take on some credible rivals Nissan may launch the car at a really aggressive price that could be as low as Rs 6 lakh (ex-showroom). A car with great looks and impressive set of features if priced well and launched in the festive season could just do some magic for Nissan in India.
The writer is Senior Editor at carandbike.com.