#Nissan Magnite - In this package, you’d get a spacious cabin which is decently decked up with features, attractive styling with compact dimension, and an engine which is easy to drive and live with, even in the three-pedal setup.

Nissan claims that the HRA0 engine adopts the “mirror bore cylinder coating” technology borrowed from their flagship – the GT-R. This technology reduces resistance inside the engine thus helping with better acceleration and fuel efficiency, says Nissan. The other engine option is the 1.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol which also does its duties in the Renault Triber.

Off the mark, the motor needs a constant throttle input to keep going and there’s considerable lag below the 1800rpm mark. You’d need to work past it and that’s when you are welcomed by a strong mid-range where the throttle response sharpens up and the engine feels more eager to drive. At city speeds, pottering around at 2000rpm mark should do the trick as the motor feels very usable with little to no dawdling. Crank up the motor and it settles into a silent idle, but there are prominent vibrations that are felt filtering inside the cabin.

A good chunk of power is available in the mid-range so there’s barely any need to rev the engine all the way to its 6000rpm redline. So for highway speeds, it’s better to ride the strong mid-range torque where it would easily keep up three-digit speeds and not feel like wanting for more.

That said, it is quite livable at slow speeds and when the speed increases there’s a good amount of weight added to it as well. As for the brakes, they do a good job for city usage. As for the ride quality, the Nissan seems to have tuned the Magnite for urban habitation. On the upside, the 205mm of ground clearance is on par with the rivals and won’t bother you even in the trickiest of urban off-roading. The steering – going almost three turns lock-to-lock – is slightly vague off the centre and there’s not much feedback either.

The dashboard has a honeycomb mesh pattern running across but some black-glossy elements would have elevated the cabin feel to a great extent. There’s more than sufficient shoulder room upfront making the cabin feel airier. There’s large space all around to shove in stuff including cup holders both fore and aft and a 10 litre glove box. Good visibility with a commanding driving position is further helped by thin A-pillars and large ORVMs. I liked the clutter-free, two-tier centre console with large, usable space and a wireless charging tray. Even the fabric seat covers with synthetic leather accents used here feel nice to touch. As for the seats, they offer soft cushioning with good support at all the necessary points, especially on the side bolsters and under the thigh. There’s a nice tactile feel to the buttons and toggle switches.