First introduced to the world in 2020, the Nissan Magnite has quickly found its niche with more than 150 000 vehicles being across the globe. The latest model, which launched to great acclaim globally in India last year, recently made its South African debut with a two-day test series for local motoring journalists and influencers in Cape Town.
While Nissan did bill the Magnite as all-new, it is still based on the previous generation with most of the changes coming in the design and features department. It is one of the most affordable offerings in the segment it competes in, which includes the likes of the Suzuki Fronx, Toyota Starlet Cross, Mahindra XUV 3XO, Hyundai Exter and Citroën C3 Aircross.
At the local launch, the MD of Nissan South Africa and Independent Markets Africa, Maciej Klenkiewicz, said that plenty of work went into the model. "Our engineers have taken an incredible design and made it even better to the benefit of our legions of local Magnite fans, and I have no doubt that a whole new generation of motorists will make full use of the Magnite’s potential to allow them to go their own way with all the latest technology that they will need."
Grade walk
On offer are three trim levels: Visia, Acenta and Acenta Plus, all of which come with a particular fixed set of standard features. The Visia comes with 6-airbags (front, side and curtain), rear parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring sensors and electrically adjustable and foldable side mirrors.
The Acenta gets an 8-inch touch-screen infotainment system, front LED fog lights, LED headlights, Keyless Start/Stop, 7-inch TFT information screen and 16-inch alloy wheels with two-tone design. In addition to the above trims, the flagship Acenta Plus adds two-tone leather seats with heat-resistant coatings, an around view monitor, remote starting (on the CVT model only) and cruise control with speed limiter (CVT only).
Other features include a TFT driver display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and adjustable four-colour ambient lighting.
There are naturally aspirated and turbocharged versions of the same 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine. The former has outputs of 53kW and 96Nm with a combined fuel consumption figure of 5.9-litres/100km.
The turbo unit makes 74kW and 152Nm and has a combined fuel consumption of 5.27-litres/100km. Channelling power to the front wheels is either a five-speed manual, automated manual (AMT) or continuously variable transmission (CVT).
The drive
Nothing has changed mechanically and there’s no difference in how the SUV drives when compared to the version it replaced. The turbocharged engine is definitely the more powerful of the two and you can feel the extra torque during the drive.
The derivatives we drove at launch were the Acenta Turbo and Acenta Plus, as well as the naturally aspirated Visa, so we were able to draw an accurate comparison between the models. We feel that the naturally aspirated version is better suited to inner city driving where there is no urgent need for extra power. Overall, the Magnite is a very easy car to drive and comes with all the modern niceties that buyers would possibly need, for the price.
Majority of the driving was done in the Cape Town city centre, and at the end of the launch we recorded a final fuel consumption figure of 6.0-litre/100km. It must be said that no consideration was made towards fuel conservation, with the aircon being active most of the drive.
The Magnite is currently Nissan’s best-selling model, along with the Navara.
Pricing
Magnite 1.0 Visia (MT) - R246 200
Magnite 1.0 Acenta (MT) - R277 300
Magnite 1.0 Visia (AMT) - R263 200
Magnite 1.0 Acenta (AMT) - R294 400
Magnite 1.0 Acenta Plus (AMT) - R323 900
Magnite Turbo
Magnite 1.0T Visia (MT) - R309 700
Magnite 1.0 Acenta (MT) - R340 100
Magnite 1.0 Acenta (CVT) - R370 500
Magnite 1.0 Acenta Plus (CVT) - R410 700
Included as standard across the range are a 6-year / 150 000km mechanical warranty and a 3-year / 30 000km.
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