By Otsile Kadiege

Nissan South Africa has released the details of their new B-SUV called the Magnite. It’s a striking, feature packed SUV which has received a few accolades including ‘Top Gear India compact SUV of the year’ and Autocar India ‘Value for Money Car of the Year’ award. Competitors are the likes of Hyundai Venue, Suzuki Vitara Brezza and the soon to be launce Kia Sonet.

Compact and bold

The Magnite features the brand’s signature V-Motion grille and aggressive-looking LED bi-projector head lamps, L-shaped DRLs, LED fog lamps and LED lightsaber-style turn indicators. Notable styling features of its side profile include 16-inch alloy wheels, functional roof rails, which can carry up to 50 kg, and squared wheel arches. The rear-end features wide split tail lamps and silver skid plates.

Technology

In terms of in car technology, the Magnite features a 7-inch TFT instrument cluster, an 8-inch touchscreen with an infotainment system featuring Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, AVM (Around View Monitor) to give a bird’s eye view of the vehicle and Nissan Connect, to name a few.

Nissan promises comfortable sporty seats with ample knee room, and convenient a 10-litre illuminated glovebox, and 336-litre cargo space with flexible capacity thanks to the 60:40 split foldable rear seats.

Safety features

With high strength and impact absorbing efficient body structure, the Magnite is equipped with safety features such as Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA), Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), Traction Control System (TCS), Hill Start Assist (HSA), speed sensing door lock, central locking and SRS dual airbag system with pretension and load limiter seatbelt for driver and passenger.

Power

The Magnite is powered by an HRA0 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 74 kW and 160 Nm which and paired to either a 5-speed manual or the X-Tronic CVT transmission.

Model derivatives and pricing

• Acenta MT –                       R256,999
• Acenta CVT –                      R280,100
• Acenta Plus MT –              R282,600
• Acenta Plus CVT –             R305,700

Pricing include a 3-year/30,000 km (3 services) service plan and a 6 year/150,000km warranty. Whilst the warranty compares favourably to the 5-year/200,000km warranty offered on the Suzuki Vitara Brezza, it falls short of the 4-year/60,000 km service plan offered on that car.