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The much-awaited Nissan Magnite has finally been launched and it goes straight into the most competitive segment in the Indian market — the sub-four metre compact-SUV segment. The aggressive introductory prices make it the most affordable compact SUV on sale today but what do you get for the money? And how does it match up against rivals like the Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Mahindra XUV300, Tata Nexon and Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza? Let’s find out.
In this department, on paper at least, the Nissan Magnite does seem to be the most underpowered one here. But the Magnite is also one of the lightest in the segment with a weight of just 939kg (nat-asp petrol variant). The Sonet, the Venue and the Tata Nexon are evenly matched with the same power outputs. However, the Sonet and the Venue are offered with iMT whereas the Nexon is offered with a manual and an automatic gearbox.
A big drawback with the Nissan Magnite is that it does not get a diesel engine variant. It is a known fact that India still loves diesels and the lack of this option means that they will be missing out on many potential buyers who still prefer diesels.
Safety and crashworthiness of a car has moved up the priority list when it comes to buying a car today. The absolute safest car in India according to the Global NCAP ratings is the Mahindra XUV300 , bagging an adult safety rating of five stars and a child safety rating of four stars. The Nexon comes in third in the safest cars list, with a rating of five stars in adult safety and three stars in child occupant safety. While the crash test for the Magnite will take a couple of months to be conducted, here’s how it stands when it comes to safety features.
In terms of number of airbags, the Magnite is a bit of a let down as it comes equipped with just two airbags across the range, whereas the Sonet and Venue come with six airbags on the top-spec variants and the XUV300 comes with seven airbags in its top-spec variant. The Maruti Suzuki Brezza and the Tata Nexon have dual airbags just like the Magnite but the Nexon and Brezza fared well when it came to the crash test result, owing to overall build quality. Apart from that, just like its rivals, the Magnite gets all the other safety features like ISOFIX anchor points, ESP, ABS, traction control and so on.
While the Magnite is not quite the trendsetter when it comes to overall safety features, it may surprise us with its crash test results. However, the cars that perform well in a crash test are usually cars that are equipped well beyond the standard requirement the law prescribes. In that context, Nissan doesn’t seem to be showing initiative with the new Magnite.
The Nissan Magnite is well equipped when it comes to the features list. It gets cruise control, digital-instrument cluster, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and even 360-degree cameras, among many others. The optional ‘Tech Pack’ includes a wireless charger, air purifier, mood lighting, puddle lamps and JBL speakers.
The only feature that the Magnite misses out on is the ever-popular sunroof. It isn’t the most useful feature for India, in our opinion, but you guys seem to love them and that is probably going to cost Nissan some potential buyers. The Magnite also gets rear parking sensors, a tyre pressure monitor, and a 360-degree camera system which is a segment first feature. The XUV300 and Sonet are the only ones in this segment to get front parking sensors as well.
The Nissan Magnite gets an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, making it the second largest infotainment system in its segment. The Sonet has a (segment-best) 10.25-inch infotainment system whereas the rest of the SUVs on this list come with a 7-inch screen. The Magnite’s 7-inch digital instrument cluster is more useful and more legible than the ones on the Sonet and Nexon. The XUV300 and Brezza still get the old-school analogue dials. Overall, the Magnite is slightly better equipped than the Nexon and the Vitara Brezza, if you consider some of the optional extras available with the Tech pack.
Pricing is where the Magnite's strong point really lies. Nissan has waged a price war in the compact SUV segment by introducing the Magnite at a starting price of just Rs 4.99 lakh. It has a punchy engine with ample performance, it is packed with features and it even has a couple of segment first features. Of course, these are introductory prices and are valid till 31st of December. After that, the price range will go up by about Rs 50k and the base variant will be available at Rs 5.54 lakh.
Below is a small breakdown of the price range of the SUVs. All prices are ex-showroom, New Delhi.
This clearly indicates what Nissan wants to do with the Magnite — give more for less. The Magnite is better equipped than the Brezza, Nexon and XUV300 in most aspects and is also significantly cheaper. To put it in better words, the Magnite’s base variant is Rs 1.72 lakh cheaper than the base variant of the Kia Sonet, which was the most affordable compact SUV till today.
We cannot stress enough on how much more interesting the compact SUV segment has become with the arrival of the Nissan Magnite. Stay tuned to our social media handles and YouTube channel to stay notified when we pit the Nissan Magnite against its rivals.
