Automatic for all

The Nissan Magnite was launched in 2020 and at that time it created quite a sensation with its sharp looks and a potent turbo engine with a CVT transmission. It was also the first in its segment to offer features like wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It became quite the sensation. Fast forward to 2023, when Nissan wanted to make automatic transmissions more…er…democratic. Enter the Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) variant of the Magnite, available in all variants with the non-turbo3-cylinder 1.0-litre, producing a modest 72 horses with 96Nm of torque.

The Magnite has been covered in detail before, so I am just going to stick with the new AMT version. The engine did not have much grunt earlier so adding an AMT means that you need to work on your mathematical skills to do any overtaking on the road. Power is just about adequate, but you have to really work the accelerator pedal hard and make the engine go past 1,500rpm to make decent progress. That said, you can always toggle the transmission in manual mode, which is quite fun because there is no tedious clutch here. However, for most city commutes, the AMT is indeed a boon, given the way traffic is growing everywhere. Once you get used to driving any two pedal car, any other drawback seems totally worth it. You do get a ‘Hill start assist’ feature, which means that the car will not roll back on a slope and hold for a few seconds – a nifty thing.

Is the new Magnite EZ-Shift value for money? Definitely. Should you get one? Well, depends on your trip in life.

Price starts from INR 6.50 lakhs, ex-showroom