Nissan Motor India has launched the much awaited Nissan Magnite CNG SUV. The retrofit kit, priced at ₹74,999, is available for the 1.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol variant equipped with a manual gearbox. Since the Magnite’s 1.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine is offered across six variants, the CNG retrofit kit will also be available for all six of these variants. The effective ex-showroom price would now start at 6.89 lakh and go up to 10.02 lakh, for the fully loaded variant. The Nissan Magnite CNG will be offered only with a 5-speed manual transmission, the 5-speed AMT will not be on offer.
The CNG kit has been developed and supplied to Nissan by Motozen, a third-party vendor. Installation of the CNG kit will be carried out at government-authorised fitment centres. The package includes a 3-year or 1,00,000 km warranty on the CNG components. Duly to be noted, the warranty on the components of the CNG kit will be provided by Motozen and not Nissan India.
Nissan Magnite CNG – Design
The design of the Nissan Magnite CNG stays the same as the facelift that was launched a few months ago. It still gets the large dual-tone front grille, which gives the car a bold look, along with the sharp-looking LED bi-projector headlamps and lightsaber-style turn indicators. The floating skid plate adds a bit of SUV character, even though it’s mostly for looks. On the sides, the 16-inch dual-tone diamond-cut alloy wheels remain unchanged, as do the functional roof rails. At the rear, the LED tail lamps with a 3D honeycomb effect continue to stand out. Overall, the design hasn’t been altered for the Nissan Magnite CNG, but it still looks modern and well-put-together for its segment.
As per the announcement, the retrofitment will initially be available across seven states: Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, and Karnataka. Nissan has stated that nationwide availability will follow in a phased rollout.
Nissan Magnite CNG – Engine & Performance
While official fuel efficiency figures for the Nissan Magnite CNG have not been disclosed by Nissan, CNG vehicles typically offer lower running costs and reduced emissions compared to petrol-only models. We cannot comment on the boot-space as those numbers have not been made official by Nissan. There are no mechanical changes to the petrol engine apart from the addition of the CNG system. It continues to put out 71hp and 96Nm of torque. The Magnite has an unladen ground clearance of 205mm. The other engine on offer is a 1.0 turbo-petrol unit which puts out 100hp and 160Nm of peak torque. The turbo-petrol can be paired with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a CVT.
Nissan Magnite CNG – Interior & Features
On the inside the Nissan Magnite CNG remains unchanged, you get a moderately sized 8-inch touchscreen full with wireless connectivity to Android Auto and Apple Carplay. The Magnite also offers leather seats and leather trim such as leather wrapped steering wheel and door-pads finished in leather on higher spec variants. Further complementing the interior is an option of multi-colour ambient lighting. From a safety standpoint, the Magnite is equipped with 6 airbags, traction control, electronic stability control, hydraulic brake assist, ABS, EBD and auto-dimming IRVM as safety features.
Nissan Magnite CNG – Segment Positioning & Rivals
The Nissan Magnite CNG will compete with factory-fitted CNG offerings from rivals such as the Tata Punch, Hyundai Exter and the recently launched Citroen C3 CNG, as well as retrofitted options in the compact SUV and hatchback segments. The Tata Punch CNG is priced from ₹7.29 lakh to ₹10.17 lakh ex-showroom, whereas the Hyundai Exter CNG and Citroen C3 CNG are priced between ₹7.50 lakh to ₹9.53 lakh and ₹6.23 lakh and ₹8.15 lakh ex-showroom, respectively. Bookings for the Nissan Magnite CNG are now open across all authorised Nissan dealerships in India. Interested customers can also reserve the car online through the company’s official website. Deliveries are expected to begin soon.