[viXit]

I'm an enthusiast, you're an enthusiast, but the buyer is not.

Friend wanted to upgrade from a Maruti 800 with a 10L budget it mind. Asked me for help choosing the best option. We finalized on the Punch AMT and Magnite CVT thanks to the good safety ratings. Took a TD of the Punch creative (top end) MT today. AMT will arrive mid week for TD.





The 3 cylinder engine felt absolutely fine during idle and even while driving. I didn’t find any issue with NVH considering it’s a 3 pot motor. And I drive an ultra refined 4cyl Kappa 1.2 liter. I think that says something. Engine definitely gets throaty after 3k rpm though Anti stall works well to keep you moving without throttle input on slopes and while starting off from standstill. I expected that I will stall the car several times given my experience with 1.2 Ivtec amaze that I drive regularly. The low end didn’t disappoint. Perfectly useable for city driving and sedate highway travel, in fact I liked the tuning at low rpms. Revving the engine up was in vain though. Absolutely useless. It definitely is a slow car. Even launching from high revs feels slow.
Manual Variant of the car comes with Auto Start Stop (ESS-Engine Start Stop) Worked well, but the starts and stops are quite apparent. It shudders a little and I think the missing 4th cylinder is to blame. The only other car I’ve seen this start stop tech in, is Kalyan_hyd’s Tiguan TSI. You just don’t know when that engine shuts off or turns back on. Warned of AMT jerkiness, shall wait for TD before we make a call.
Verdict: Good Driveability but only at city speeds.

Interior was definitely good looking, but then it struck me. I absolutely love the fit and finish in my grand i10. And that’s a 6 Lakh car!! I was definitely underwhelmed by the interiors on offer on the 10 Lakh punch. It didn’t seem all that bad until I compared it to my i10.
Visibility was bad from the driver’s seat. I’m used to the Safari’s watchtower seat so I’ll give this a free pass.

Rear seat was fabulous. Fairly upright seating position, great under thigh support even for my 6 foot self. Leg room to spare with front seats unreasonably close to the rear pax too.

Really liked the horn pad design where you don’t need to reach for the hornpad, the bezel around the steering wheel controls also acts as a hornpad. Very useful, except, I found myself changing the track or volume while trying to honk. The TFT instrument cluster was definitely low grade. Didn’t like the resolution or implementation much, but it definitely was a versatile piece of kit . I’m gonna chalk this up to me being old school thanks to the old cars I drive. I’m sure other buyers appreciate the digital cluster.



Want to know why I'm skeptical with such tech on a Tata? My Safari's AC temp knob is a very simple electronic component that Tata keeps replacing but can't fix. Oh and look what I saw in the Showroom today on a Nexon





Punch comes with Android Auto and CarPlay albeit with wired interface only. For both AA and CP. I have seen fellow BHPians struggle with Android auto wired. Have observed it personally too. USB C has a defect that causes Android Auto to disconnect whenever the wire moves a bit. Magnite here comes out ahead since it has Wireless option for both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.



Following the Punch TD, we went to have a look at the Magnite CVT Turbo XV Premium (top end Automatic).




It breached our budget at 11,75,000 OTR but felt worth the premium over the Punch thanks to it’s much higher quality interiors and better kit. Looks are subjective but IMO the Magnite will definitely please more eyes than the fugly rear of the Punch. The Magnite Turbo makes much more power and torque at a lower rpm vis a vis the Punch, but it remains to be seen how the CVT handles it. Didn’t get to TD the Magnite. Nissan Dealer was pushing the gold maintenance package. 17k for 5 years full maintenance. Not a penny spared from our pocket he says.



Interiors of the Magnite were decidedly more premium in comparison. The Infotainment system was fabulous. Pairing was a breeze. Android Auto Wireless worked without a hitch. Speakers sound like trash. Rear AC vent and a second Dome light in the back are massively useful additions. 360 cam will be useful for the lady of the house. She plans to start driving with the purchase of an automatic car.

The Digital Cluster of the Magnite was of much better quality, although the animations felt a little tacky. Overall classy build and feels better than the Punch inside the cabin.



Mind and heart both say Magnite. But Nissan ASC seems to be a bigger gamble than Tata ASC.

Please pour in with your opinions, what should I look out for during the test drives, what did you think of the punch? Existing CVT Turbo owners, How has Nissan ASC been? It will greatly help our decision making.
Redline till you flatline,
Prithvi

[CarNerd]

If heart and mind say Magnite, you should ask your friend to go with it and not be bothered about after sales service. Otherwise you should look at Maruti or Hyundai if you're worried about service.

[IshaanIan]

An S-Cross Delta AT ought to also be tested as it is a very good representative of a bigger, better car for not that much more money. Also being a Maruti Suzuki works well in favor for someone who is not inclined towards cars. I believe they are running massive discounts on the car as well (over 75k) so you may not have to breach the budget by too much

[GTO]

It's not even a discussion. On the one hand, you have the smoothest AT in the segment and on the other, the worst. In bumper-to-bumper traffic, the Punch AMT is terrible...a painful experience.

I like the Magnite for what it offers and at that price point. Go for it.

[Shreyans_Jain]

The Nissan is simply a better car overall. The turbo engine and the nicely implemented CVT just seal the deal. Well worth the premium. Do check out the otherwise identical Renault Kiger. Brand Renault has better street cred and the car itself looks smashing.

[fiat_tarun]

Originally Posted by GTO

It's not even a discussion.
.
.
.
I like the Magnite for what it offers and at that price point. Go for it.

Completely agree. Having driven both, it's the Magnite all the way. That 1L Turbo is a nice peppy engine and with the CVT its super smooth.

Additionally since safety is a huge factor in your shortlist, the Magnite also gets ESP which is missing in the Punch.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by viXit

Interior was definitely good looking, but then it struck me. I absolutely love the fit and finish in my grand i10. And that’s a 6 Lakh car!! I was definitely underwhelmed by the interiors on offer on the 10 Lakh punch. It didn’t seem all that bad until I compared it to my i10.

I happened to tell my friend that his very well used Verna has far less squeaks and rattles than a 40+ L German crossover with half the number of kms!!

Magnite VS Punch - I have no affinity towards either brands but Nissan Magnite in white color with alloys look premium, there is no obvious attempt to cut something to size from the outside. Good design overall.

[abhishek46]

The Magnite is from a segment above, for a little more money.

The Space on the inside is better, the Engine/CVT combination is better.

[Rajeevraj]

From the post I understand that the TD of Punch was on a manual and the AMT is expected. Considering there is a preference towards the Magnite already, once you drive an AMT and a CVT back to back , that in my opinion will seal the deal for the Magnite. An AMT cannot get anywhere close to a conventional AT. Once you TD the AMT, if there still exists a confusion, then it would be worthwhile to discuss further.

[Turbokick]

While I have not driven the Punch, I have two issues with Magnite CVT.

1. the CVT whine
2. the overall NVH of the car

Rest. CVT + Turbo combination is extremely responsive to drive. AMTs from Tata wont be as sorted for sure.


Magnite CVT is the choice here.

[Maverick1977]

I have been test driving cars in the same segment and will definitely suggest that you take a TD of the Kiger. It has the same engine and misses on some of the features but has much much better space management including a humongous boot (on paper at least). The instrument cluster also looks much more premium than the Magnite and the LED headlamps are much more powerful.

[Simhi]

Given the choice, it would be Magnite CVT.

My preference with automatics - 1) TC 2) CVT 3) Others (DSG, AMT etc)

In the opening post, you mentioned that you finalized on these two options. You have not mentioned what other options were considered and whether you are open to other options and hence will refrain from suggesting other models.

[starke]

Would you buy an overpriced Punch which is a segment below the Magnite ?

Magnite/Kiger twins offer the best value for money offering in its segment.

While ASC of TATA except for the number of available centres, the quality of service is also a hit or miss.

Superior engine, Bigger car, Proper smooth Automatic, more bells and whistles and more active safety additions (ESP, 360 deg cam etc.)

[swiftvxi06]

Punch is not at all a rival of Magnite, Nexon is. Magnite belongs to a higher segment.
Its got better space management and the turbo engine+CVT is a gem of a combo.
You can go ahead with Magnite. Nothing can beat its value for money quotient.

[JJ1991]

Go for Magnite/Kiger as punch is not worth the asking price as as many had said in the above posts Magnite competes with Nexon and the likes not with punch.