The Nissan Magnite entered the carandbike long term garage a couple of weeks back. Now, I have always seen the subcompact SUV as a capable workhorse, and that is what it was being used as. From commuting to the office to performing support car duty for our shoots, the Magnite has performed all kinds of roles, traversing through city traffic and occasional highway drives. So, how has it performed and what are the pros and cons? Let’s sum them up.
Nissan Magnite CVT: Pros
Smooth and powerful
The Magnite in our long-term fleet is the top-end XV Premium (O) that is powered by the 1.0-litre turbocharged engine, which is mated to a CVT automatic. The car has already racked up more than 16,000 km on the odometer, and the motor still offers decent performance. Even with a total of four occupants on board, it doesn’t struggle during overtakes. It's good for city commute and cruising.
The CVT is good and does its job well with minimal rubber-band effect. Having said that, it's not the most exciting gearbox out there.
Easy-to-use features
The Magnite is one of the most competitively priced offerings in the segment. Despite that, the feature set is quite modern and no-nonsense. You get an 8-inch touchscreen, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto along with wireless charging and a digital driver display. And it all works seamlessly which helps when you are driving it on a daily basis.
The 360-degree parking camera also comes in quite handy in tight spots, especially in metro cities.
Good Ergonomics
The Magnite has a good amount of storage space and everything falls easily at hand. The boot space is quite uniform and the 336 litres capacity is enough for a weekend’s worth of luggage for a small family’s trip.
Also Read: Nissan Magnite AMT India Launch On October 10
Ride and Handling
Despite its lightweight, the Magnite seems pretty confident at highway speeds and while cruising. It even clears bad roads quite effectively and you don’t really have to slow down if there are slightly broken roads.
Cons
Camera quality
The 360-degree camera is a boon but the quality could’ve been better. The visibility at times is quite bad, especially in the dark which makes parking a little stressful.
Also Read: Nissan Launches The Magnite KURO Edition At Rs 8.27 lakh
Little issues
Usually, the phone connects wirelessly to the car as soon as you’re sat in it but sometimes when the car is getting on and off, it refuses to connect altogether. Additionally, the car doesn’t automatically unlock once the engine has been shut down. It's a small issue but becomes a major annoyance when multiple people are trying to open the doors.
Driving Experience Could Have Been Better
The Magnite is a pretty sorted car to drive in almost all scenarios. However, the steering doesn’t easily self centre after taking a slow speed turn. The front suspension makes a noise when you approach bad potholes which can be unnerving. The bright side is that its just noise and the car is actually quite capable of taking a beating. Also, the throttle needs deft modulations in parking spots to get the necessary movement.
Also Read: Nissan Magnite EZ-Shift Review: A More Affordable 'Automatic' Option
