Can the Nissan Magnite rewrite the Japanese brand’s fortunes in the country?

First things first, let me make one thing straight, ‘introductory prices’, as well as extremely low prices of the base version of new cars, are nothing more than a ploy to get prospective car buyers into a showroom. Both of these things have a catch, for example, introductory prices usually apply for a certain number of units or have a limited time-frame. And as for the very low prices of base specification models, you get almost no features. Yes, you will get four wheels and the engine, but reading the specifications for base models you often realise just how featureless those cars are.

This isn’t true with all manufacturers but this is a major reason that base models rarely contribute more than 10 per cent of overall unit sales of most cars. It is also a fact that during media drives, we auto reviewers always get the fully-loaded variants, which in the case of some cars cost a substantial bit more, sometimes even 60-70 per cent more than the entry-level model. But it is also true that Indian car buyers like having features such as automatic transmissions, smartphone connectivity and automatic air conditioning, so much so that nowadays, across all car brands, fully loaded models contribute almost a third of all units sold.

This brings us to the Nissan Magnite, now you would have read about the fantastic entry-price of this car at Rs 4.99 lakh. However, I didn’t drive this bargain basement priced car, I drove the top-end XV Premium with the 1.0 litre turbocharged engine coupled to a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) gearbox. This variant had all the bells and whistles and cost a much more substantial `9.35 lakh ex-showroom. Personally speaking, I drove this variant because this is the one that I would consider. That said, I do believe that it will be the variant one level below the top-end, the XV that might be the best-seller. That loses things like the fabric inlays, a bit of chrome garnish and the reversing camera, but on the whole is pretty well-specced, although I really appreciate reversing cameras. Also, several electronic driving aids alike the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) and Traction Control System (TCS) are only available on the variant with the Turbo engine.

Now let me explore the negatives and positives of this car, and there are many to talk about. Let me start with the exteriors, the Magnite certainly has presence, even though it gets the Datsun open radiator grille instead of the traditional Nissan ‘V’ grille. The headlights and dropdown LED daytime running lights along with the high ground clearance do give the car a road presence that honestly is more imposing than some of its major rivals like the Maruti Brezza and Tata Nexon. One thing I really liked the most was the fact that roof rails on the Magnite are actually functional, you can fit cross members and suitcases on top as well. While it has an average boot for its class, this additional storage area will make life a lot easier during fully-packed long holiday drives.

My issues are more to do with the interiors, where you do get a feeling that the Magnite is built to a cost when you touch the plastics and the steering wheel feel felt a bit off in my opinion. While the overall interior look is very modern with the hexagonal airconditioning vents, the feel could be better. That said, the eight-inch floating touchscreen on the top models, particularly the seven-inch digital display in the instrument cluster with its very large and nice font size and changing displays is definitely a major plus. On the top models, you have a wireless charger and ambient lighting at night, which does give a better feel to the car.

But let us get to the driving, and Nissan’s turbopetrol engine. I drove the four-cylinder variant of this engine on the Kicks, but this 999cc three-cylinder unit produces an impressive 100PS of power and it is very smooth indeed. The CVT gearbox delivers that power seamlessly. On the highway and in the city you never feel wanting for power. At cruising speeds on the highway, I got an impressive 16 kilometres per litre (kmpl), and on the crowded streets of Gurugram, the car gave an impressive 13+ kmpl. This has a lovely engine and the gearbox, the Magnite, unlike its bigger and older sibling, the Kicks, also handles very well indeed. Issues? Well, the Magnite has some noise, vibration and harshness problems. Of course, you can listen to music to drown it out, but there was a bit of rattle and hum about the car. Nothing disconcerting though.

The car was a joyride. Yes, there is a price warrior feel to the interiors although not to the exteriors. The engine and gearbox are brilliant and if you keep the Korean cars in this segment aside, it is very good. With its aggressive pricing, introductory or not, the Magnite might even attract small hatchback buyers, folks looking at the Santro or WagonR, let alone small SUV buyers. Nissan’s sales and service has been inconsistent till today, and that, and not the car will be the brand’s biggest challenge.