2021 Nissan Magnite 1.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol review, first drive

It’s been just more than a 12 months since the Nissan Magnite was launched in India and shook up the compact SUV segment. We have currently driven the fully loaded turbo-petrol model, and it remaining us pretty amazed. But now we get to experience the more economical, naturally aspirated model for the very first time. Is it as quick to recommend as its costlier turbocharged counterpart? That is what we are below to discover out.

Nissan Magnite one. B4D: engine and general performance

Let’s start with the engine, which is the major change on this variation of the Magnite. Under the hood lies a one.-litre, a few-cylinder naturally aspirated (NA) petrol engine, codenamed B4D. As you would hope, at 72hp and 96Nm, it is drastically down on both of those the power and torque of the turbo-petrol engine (by 28hp and 64Nm). Having said that, to Nissan’s credit, the Magnite one. feels pretty easy when you pull absent from a standstill and the power is shipped in a linear method.

That mentioned, this engine is not the punchiest unit out there, in particular presented that peak power and torque arrive in pretty high in the rev vary. This outcomes in the Magnite sensation pretty lethargic when caught in the mid vary, and in buy to get the most effective out of the engine you have to get the job done the gearbox a reasonable bit. Revving it far too high also has minor effect, resulting in a whole lot of sound devoid of far too a lot progress. Keep within the engine’s convenience zone, however, and you will discover there is enough general performance on supply for the everyday commute. At highway speeds, however, the Magnite one. NA feels strained and a bit out of its aspect.

Talking of the gearbox, we drove the five-velocity guide model. This unit is not the slickest in operation and what doesn’t also help is the biting issue of the clutch, which usually takes some getting used to. Furthermore, when the Magnite does share its powertrains with its sibling – the Renault Kiger – it misses out on the AMT automatic gearbox that’s provided with the one.-litre NA in the Kiger. This hampers its attractiveness as a metropolis vehicle to an extent, as more and more purchasers are opting for the comfort of an automatic in the urban environment. 

Nissan Magnite one. B4D: ride and managing

In the ride department, this iteration of the Magnite is pretty identical to the turbo-petrol variant. There is a business edge to the ride, which will work nicely when travelling at velocity as it smoothens out just about all the imperfections that arrive its way and feels pretty steady. However, on the flip aspect, at decrease speeds the ride is a touch on the choppy aspect, many thanks to this fundamental firmness, and larger sized potholes do filter in. Cabin insulation is also not great, and on negative patches of road, aside from a reasonable sum of tyre roar, you can listen to the suspension doing the job absent. This gives a sense that the suspension is not as sturdy as it essentially is.

There is another favourable to the a little business established-up, and that is the managing. The Magnite’s human body roll is pretty properly contained and it handles the twisty roads nicely. The steering doesn’t provide a whole lot of feedback, nor is it really speedy, even though it feels nice and light-weight at small speeds.

Nissan Magnite one. B4D: exterior, inside and attributes

Design and style sensible, Nissan has kept both of those variants of the Magnite identical, with their badging staying the only way of discerning them visually. This is a really fantastic point, looking at the Magnite appears to be like really intelligent and nicely-proportioned. The sleek headlight, hexagonal grille and ‘L’ shaped DRLs give it a unique and really recognisable identification. In profile, you can also see the sharp creases and pronounced cladding about the wheel arches that insert character to the Magnite. The rear appears to be like really neat and I fairly like the clean lines of the sculpted tail-lights and boot lid.

Phase within the cabin and you’ll be greeted by a nicely laid-out dashboard with a present day seem. There are some neat design and style touches like the hexagonal AC vents that seem like they could belong in a Lamborghini, the local climate command screens that are nicely incorporated into the rotary adjustment dials, the seven.-inch digital instrument cluster and the free of charge-standing eight.-inch infotainment (which by the way is pretty responsive and quick to use).

There are also some nice attributes on supply like keyless entry and go, automatic local climate command, the 360-diploma camera (which is not the clearest), and wi-fi Android Vehicle and Apple CarPlay connectivity (which is a bit temperamental to use). There are also a selection of easy storage areas about the cabin, which includes a massive glovebox and substantial cup holders, even though the preset entrance centre armrest feels like a missed opportunity for another storage room. The way the dash is recessed and the central console is positioned small also give a great sense of room for a vehicle of this dimension.

An region the place the Magnite is lacking is quality of resources. When they are for the most section suitable for the value, there are rivals in the marketplace that not only sense superior appointed but also superior screwed collectively. Points like the exposed steering rack in the driver’s footwell also don’t help the perceived quality. One significant exception below is the denim-like cloth Nissan has used on the various elbow rests about the cabin – it is a quality sensation touch in an usually boring and lacklustre cabin.

 

The entrance seats supply a fantastic look at out and are nicely cushioned, providing fantastic amounts of convenience. Rear seats are also pretty relaxed, providing lots of room (even for taller passengers) and fantastic amounts of below thigh assist. 

Nissan Magnite one. B4D: value and verdict

One of the major appeals of the Magnite one. NA has to be its value. Setting up at Rs five.71 lakh for the base XE trim and going up to Rs seven.85 lakh for the prime-spec XV Top quality trim (ex-showroom, Delhi), this iteration of the Magnite offers some genuine bang for your buck. There are couple of hatchbacks that can provide this stage of package and room for the identical value, enable by itself compact SUVs. Having said that, this naturally aspirated engine really struggles to supply powerful general performance. This doesn’t make a difference as a lot when wanting for a everyday commuter to use in the metropolis, however, as an SUV to use for very long length travelling, it is a limitation. The lack of an automatic gearbox possibility with this engine does also harm its prospective as an urban runabout, but if it is sheer worth you are following, the Magnite B4D is difficult to conquer.