Nissan SA unveiled the facelift of their popular Nissan Magnite in Cape Town this week. Featuring subtle exterior updates, and more substantial interior updates, Nissan hopes to maintain the success of its small crossover SUV amidst heavy competition from Chinese rivals.
The 2024 Nissan Magnite features an updated grille and LED headlights upfront, while the rear bumper is treated to a new bumper. A rather classy Copper metallic colour is now available, making doubly sure that it won’t be missed on the road.
According to Nissan, Magnite owners mostly sought improvements in interior quality and tech amenities. As such, most big changes are found inside the Magnite. New quilted PVC leatherette covers the comfier seats and certain touch points around the cabin. Fit and finish seems par for the segment for the most part, but longevity of the materials remains to be seen.
An 20.3cm touch screen dominates the cabin and forms the command centre of the Magnite’s infotainment system which has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay well integrated. The new Arkamys 6–speaker sound system punches far above its weight and is arguably the highlight of the Magnite’s interior tech upgrades.
Keyless walk-away lock/approach unlock, remote start and a 360-degree parking camera are available on higher trims. On the safety front, 6 airbags are now standard across all trim levels along with 3-point seat belts for all occupants.
The new Magnite is available in four powertrain combinations, ranging from a 53kW and 96Nm naturally aspirated 1.0-litre 3-cylinder that can be paired to either a manual or automated-manual transmission, to a 74kW and 160Nm turbocharged 1.0-litre mated to a manual or CVT transmission. It must be noted that selecting the CVT will reduce that torque figure to 152Nm.
On the brief drive around Cape Town city centre in the 1.0T Acenta CVT unit, the peppy engine and smooth transmission stood out. Normal driving is fuss-free and the little Magnite had no issues scaling the hills around Camps Bay with four occupants and the air conditioning on. The CVT isn’t fond of sudden changes in acceleration however.
Ride comfort over longer undulations is surprisingly plush, but the suspension struggles to iron out small bumps and cracks in the road, which make up the majority of city tarmac. While steering effort is comfortably light, the steering ratio is on the slow side and requires more turns than most cars and makes maneuvering cumbersome.
The entry level models of the Magnite remain a compelling entry into car ownership but aren’t equipped with many of the new headline features. On the other hand, higher spec models are priced into competition with more polished rivals such as the Chery Tiggo 4, VW T-Cross and Kia Sonet. Time will tell whether Nissan has done enough to keep the Magnite near the top of the sales charts.
Nissan Magnite 1.0-litre
Visia 5MT – R246 200
Visia AMT – R263 200
Acenta 5MT – R277 300
Acenta AMT – R294 400
Acenta Plus AMT – R323 900
Nissan Magnite 1.0-litre Turbo
Visia 5MT – R309 700
Acenta 5MT – R340 100
Acenta CVT – R370 500
Acenta Plus CVT – R410 700
