Mystery no more as Nissan removes wraps from facelift Magnite

Sporadically teased throughout the latter stages of September, Nissan officially debuted the facelift Magnite in India on Friday, 4 October, as part of its first refresh since premiering it four years ago.

Currently the sole Nissan-badged product made at the Chennai plant – the others being alliance partner Renault’s twin, the Kiger, as well as the Kwid and Triber – the Magnite mainly receives a series of exterior revisions, with more subtle alterations having taken place inside.

New on the outside

More than likely set to arrive in South Africa either towards the end of the year or early next year as part of a massive product expansion involving 65 countries in right-hand-drive and now left-hand-drive, the Magnite’s new aesthetics comprises a redesigned front bumper and grille, standard roof rails, a more prominent imitation front skidplate and added chrome detailing.

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While the L-shaped daytime running LEDs are retained, a new graphic has been included, while the actual headlights, available with LEDs on higher-end derivative, receive a new design element, complete with what Nissan calls a light saber motif for the indicators.

At the rear, the taillight clusters receive a blacked-out appearance, with new 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels on flagship models being the final addition.

Underneath, the extended version of the CMF-A platform that underpins the Kwid, called CMF-A+, has been retained, meaning no dimensional uptakes or added space.

As such, the Magnite’s boot still accommodates 366-litres or 540-litres with the rear seats folded down, while the claimed ground clearance stays put at 205 mm.

Inside

Inside, the biggest revision involves the infotainment system that now measures eight-inches as opposed to the previous seven, further bolstered by wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Likely to vary from market to market, is the new leatherette trim in a colour called brownish orange on the dashboard, doors, centre console glovebox and in combination with the black upholstery in a honeycomb pattern on the seats.

In India, a six trim grade line-up features; Visia, Visia+, Acenta, N-Connecta, Tekna, Tekna+, with specification items comprising a cooled glovebox, ambient lighting, type-A and C USB ports, push-button start and keyless entry, a seven-inch digital instrument cluster, a six-speaker Arkamys sound system, ambient lighting, folding electric mirrors and remote engine start.

On the safety side, and again depending on the trim grade, the Magnite comes equipped with cruise control, six airbags, a 360-degree surround-view camera system, tyre pressure monitor, vehicle dynamic and stability control, rear parking sensors and Hill Start Assist.

Now power change

Up front, the pair of 1.0-litre three-cylinder engines have both been kept without change. As such, the normally aspirated unit develops 53kW/96Nm and the turbo variant 74kW/160Nm.

As before, a five-speed manual gearbox is connected to both as standard, with the option for the former being the five-speed automated manual (AMT) called EZ Shift and a CVT for the latter.

Worth noting is that CVT models now produce the same torque as the manual – previously, selecting the self-shifter resulted in a drop of eight Newton Metres.

Approval awaited

Spanning 18 models spread over the mentioned six trim levels, two engines and four transmission choices in India, pricing for the Magnite kicks-off at Rs 599 000 (R124 621) for the Visia and ends at Rs 1 150 000 (R239 257) for the turbocharged Tekna+ CVT.

As mentioned, no mentioning was made as to when the facelift Magnite will become in South Africa as part of Nissan’s extended SUV roll-out soon to include two new models based on the Renault/Dacia Duster and incoming Dacia Bigster.

For reference, the now pre-facelift Magnite range spans 13 models priced from R240 000 to R377 800.

Additional information from autocarindia.com.

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