Nissan Magnite Off To A Good Start With Impressive Numbers In The First Five Days

• The Magnite is available in five trims: XE, XL, XV, XV Premium and XV Premium (O).

• Over 60 percent of the bookings have been made for the XV and XV Premium trims.

• 30 percent of the bookings are for the CVT variants.

• 40 percent of the 5,000 bookings were made via digital platforms.

Nissan is all set to change its fortunes for the better with its latest offering, the sub-4m SUV Magnite. It is attractively priced from Rs 4.99 lakh to Rs 9.35 lakh (ex-showroom). Needless to say, that has received a lot of attention as is evident from the 50,000 enquiries and 5,000 bookings the Magnite has received in the first five days since its launch.

The Magnite is offered in five trims: XE, XL, XV, XV Premium, and XV Premium (O). Additionally, it gets an optional Tech Pack which includes an air purifier, wireless charging, ambient lighting, puddle lamps, and a JBL sound system. According to Nissan, over 60 percent of the bookings made are for the higher-spec trims, XV and XV Premium, and 30 percent are for the CVT variants. With most transactions going digital, it's no surprise that 40 percent of the bookings were made through Nissan’s digital platforms.

In terms of design, the Magnite gets full-frontal LED lighting and a large, bold grille. It comes laden with cladding, stands on 16-inch dual-tone alloy wheels, and emphasises its presence with a ground clearance of 205mm. It gets a rugged bumper at the rear and split tail lamps. Its interior layout is similar to that of the Triber, but the hexagonal AC vents look more Lamborghini-ish.

Entering the hotly contested segment, the Magnite does get a fairly loaded feature list. This includes an 8-inch infotainment system, 7-inch digital instrument cluster, climate control, cruise control, and keyless entry with push button start/stop. In addition to undercutting its competition in terms of pricing, the Japanese carmaker’s debut sub-4m SUV also offers a bunch of segment-first features such as 360-degree camera and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. 

Under the hood, the Magnite gets a choice between a 72PS 1.0-litre petrol engine and a 100PS 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine. Both engines come with a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard, but the turbo-petrol engine also gets the option of a CVT.

With the initial booking numbers, it looks like the Magnite may actually improve Nissan’s fortunes in the country. The Magnite seems to have created a niche for itself with its pricing but it faces competition from the likes of the Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Ford EcoSport, Toyota Urban Cruiser, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, and Tata Nexon.