The upside and downside of Nissan Magnite 1.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol
The Hindu
For the price, you do get a sleek design, yet the car falls out when it comes to engine power
The Nissan Magnite’s entry into our market, which was launched in India over a year ago, it shook up the compact SUV segment. While we previously reviewed the rather-impressive turbo-petrol version, we now experience the more affordable, naturally aspirated version. Is it as easy to recommend it as its costlier turbocharged counterpart? Read on to discover.
Let us start with the engine, which is the biggest change in this variation of the Magnite. Under the hood lies a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder naturally aspirated (NA) petrol engine, codenamed B4D. As expected, at 72hp and 96Nm, it significantly goes down on both the power and torque of the turbo-petrol engine (by 28hp and 64Nm). However, the Magnite 1.0 feels smooth when you pull away from standstill and the power is delivered in a linear manner.
The engine is not the punchiest unit out there, especially given that peak power and torque come in quite high in the rev range. This results in the Magnite feeling quite lethargic when caught in the mid-range, and in order to get the best out of the engine you have to work the gearbox a fair bit. Revving it too high also has little effect, resulting in noise without much progress. At highway speeds, the Magnite 1.0 NA feels strained and slightly out of its element.