Nissan Magnite Engine and Performance

The Magnite is comes with two petrol engine options  –a  1.0 litre 3- cylinder Naturally Aspirated engine churning out 72 horsepower and 96Nm torque (also seen in the Renault Triber). This comes mated to only a 5-Speed Manual Transmission. The other option is the 1.0 Litre 3-cylinder turbo petrol, which churns out 100 horsepower. It comes with the option of a 5 speed manual and CVT automatic gearboxes and torque figures of 160 Nm and 152 Nm respectively. We drove the turbo CVT variant for this review. The 3 pot engine does reveal its identity at idling with vibrations being felt. That said, the refinement is better once you start driving. There is a very slight lag in the initial revs, post which the performance builds up in a linear fashion. Mind you, the lag is negligible thanks to great work done by Nissan to tune this CVT box and this makes it a great car to drive especially in the city.  However, push the pedal harder and there is the familiar rubber band effect. Overtaking in urban traffic won’t be difficult. A slight tap to the accelerator will get you an immediate response. There is also a Sport mode that sharpens throttle responses and the CVT holds a ratio for a longer period of time.  The L mode should help in engine braking and while going up steep inclines.  However there are no paddle shifters or manual mode. That said we will bring you a review of the 5 speed manual variant soon.