The Magnite continues to impress even on humdrum daily commutes
With India witnessing an unprecedented heatwave, common sense dictated that I switch my choice of commute from two wheels to four. While I loathe driving in rush hour morning traffic, I will make an exception for the Nissan Magnite. It really does justify the ‘compact’ in its compact SUV tag.
While the Magnite has good road presence, it also has quite the compact footprint which makes it easy to weave in and out of traffic. The quick and light steering helps in this regard as does the powertrain. The 1.0-litre turbo petrol mill offers quick responses while the CVT gearbox shifts quickly enough to ensure you are in the right gear to overtake the slow moving tempo ahead of you. Then there is the convenience of the automatic gearbox that ensures my left leg is spared the workout in bumper to bumper traffic. The gearbox even gets a creep function so all it takes is to get my foot off the brake for the car to inch forward. It is quite the useful feature to have in an automatic if you encounter crawling traffic on your daily commute.
The other highlight is how easy it is to turn in and park in tight spaces. The tight turning radius and short bumper overhangs help while the 360-degree camera is crisp and lets you gauge and place the SUV exactly where you want it.
As much as I love two wheelers, they cannot offer the comfort of a four wheeler especially in the midst of a heat wave and right now I’d rather be stuck in traffic, soaking in the cool breeze from the Magnite’s AC and listening to music, than be roasting outside. Stay safe folks.
