We take Nissan’s latest compact SUV for a spin
This crossover might be just the thing to replace your hatchback or sedan
THE compact SUV/crossover B segment, which includes Kia’s Sonet, Ford’s EcoSport, the Honda WR-V, Toyota Urban Cruiser and the Suzuki Vitara Brezza, has just become a bit more competitive with the introduction of Nissan’s Magnite.
And that’s not a bad thing as the world swings more towards SUVs and budgets and disposal income are squeezed ever tighter.
There’s no mistaking the Magnite’s compact SUV lines with square wheel arches, front and rear silver skidplates, integrated sculpted bodyside cladding, 16-inch alloys, roof rails that can hold 50kg and 205mm of ground clearance.
From the front, the cascading grille, LED L-shaped daytime running lights, LED bi-projector headlamps, light sabre-style indicators and LED fog lamps show that the designers put a lot of thought into first impressions.
A first for the segment inside is an around view monitor that gives the driver a virtual bird’s eye view from above the car, a 17.8cm TFT instrument cluster that allows different views and settings that you can toggle on the steering wheel including a tyre pressure monitor, a 20cm touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as well as a smartphone tray.
Under the bonnet there’s a 1.0three-cylinder turbo-charged petrol engine that’s good for 74kW and 160Nm in the five-speed manual option, and 152Nm in the variant fitted with a CVT. Getting in behind the wheel I was impressed by the cream and black colour-coded interior in the car that I was assigned to with
the dashboard one of the more unique shapes in the segment resembling a futuristic design accentuated by the air vents.
The switchgear too felt solid and is likely to stand the test of time.
The first drive was with the fivespeed manual on a route that included both city and some freeway driving.
Acceleration was crisp with the by now familiar three-cylinder thrum present as you switch easily through the gears. It cruises comfortably at
the national speed limit with hardly any road noise even over some rough terrain and slight wind noise coming from the side mirrors.
I suspect though that loaded with the children’s school kit or luggage piled into the 336-litre boot space there’s likely to be a lot of gear changes.
Sampling the CVT driven version I was pleasantly surprised with little or no whining throughout the rev range. It takes a while to get up to speed, but once the Magnite is cruising along it holds its speed well.I never thought I’d say this but if I had to choose I’d go for the CVT.
Cruising through suburbia with its traffic circles and speed bumps, the suspension coped admirably and when someone ignored traffic circle rules, the brakes quickly had me at a standstill.
Despite the Magnite slotting into the B segment it’s still loaded with safety features such as dual airbags, vehicle dynamics control, hill-start assist, traction control and ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution.
Nissan’s Magnite has been a long time coming but the wait has certainly been worth it. It’s a decent vehicle that comes in a classy package, loaded with technology and safety features, and it has to be on your list when shopping in this segment.
It comes with a three-year/30 000km service plan and a six-year/150 000km warranty.