This is the first proper mid-life refresh for the Nissan Magnite since it was launched in 2020
The Nissan Magnite has chugged along as Nissan’s bread and butter model for India since it first showed up in 2020 at a starting price of Rs 4.99 lakh (ex-showroom) at the time, with the sub-four metre SUV getting continuous updates along the way. It’s also been exported to 65 countries from India over the years. But a proper facelift has been long overdue and it’s finally happened, with an identical starting price to the outgoing model at Rs 5.99 lakh (ex-showroom). Do note that this is an introductory offer as only for the first 10,000 deliveries. For a mid-life refresh, Nissan have gone fairly modest with the changes inside and out.
Starting with how it looks, most of the silhouette remains as is, but it now has a new front grille design, there is a new signature for the LED DRLs and there are chrome elements to keep things fresh and add a bit of bling to the Nissan Magnite. Moving on to the side and rear profile, the 16-inch alloy wheel design is new and the tail light design gets subtle tweaks.
Inside, the overall design is familiar but there’s now a new three-tone theme of black with orange hues and silver accents all over. Also, there’s a considerable increase in leatherette elements used inside with pretty much every touchpoint covered in leatherette. The steering wheel gets gloss black elements to make it look that little bit more premium and now there’s an updated set of graphics for the digitised driver’s display.
As far as features are concerned, the ones retained include an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system, four-colour ambient lighting, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a JBL sound system, keyless entry and a wireless phone charging pad. The facelift adds a new key fob with remote engine start ups from as far as 60 m, automatic headlights and auto-dimming IRVM to the mix. Safety is covered by things like six airbags as standard, a 360-degree camera, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control (ESC) and hill hold control.
What remains completely unchanged in the facelifted Nissan Magnite is the mechanicals. These include a 72-hp 1.0-litre naturally aspirated engine and a 100-hp 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine. Gearbox options continue to include a five-speed manual and a five-speed AMT for the naturally aspirated petrol unit, with the turbo-petrol option getting the choice of either a five-speed manual or a CVT gearbox.
With this mid-life refresh, the Nissan Magnite now gets additional ammo to keep itself competitive in the hotly contested sub-four metre segment. Rivals include the Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Renault Kiger, and the Mahindra XUV 3XO. Also, Nissan have announced a big commitment to its India operations by announcing three new models including an electric vehicle slate for a launch between FY 24-26.