Need to choose: Nissan Magnite CVT vs Tata Punch AMT

It breached our budget at Rs. 11,75,000 lakhs 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.

BHPian viXit recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

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

Friend wanted to upgrade from a Maruti 800 with a 10 lakh 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 4 cylinder 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 the 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 rupee car!! I was definitely underwhelmed by the interiors on offer on the 10 lakh rupee 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.

The Punch comes with Android Auto and Apple 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. The Magnite here comes out ahead since it has the 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 Rs. 11,75,000 lakhs 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 camera 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 Magnite CVT Turbo owners, How has Nissan ASC been? It will greatly help our decision making.

Redline till you flatline,

Prithv

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

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.

Here's what BHPian IshaanIan to say on the matter:

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.

Here's what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say about the matter:

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.

Here's what BHPian Maverick1977 had to say on the matter:

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.

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