Driving Magnite and Navara
Both the Magnite and locally-produced Navara have eluded this writer until the recent event, which was a great opportunity to get a brief stint behind the wheel. We began the day in the Magnite, a product that looks enticing on paper and in the metal, with a solid spec sheet and an attractive exterior and interior design all offered at a reasonable price.
The Magnite was a bit of a disappointment when it comes to interior material and general build quality, an issue that appears to be prevalent in the budget crossover segment. The quality issues aside, the Magnite is efficient, well-specified, and spacious for a product in this segment, making it worth a test drive when shopping in this segment, although we would recommend the CVT transmission as the manual's clutch action paired with the lack of low-down engine grunt make it difficult to drive in low-speed scenarios.
Stepping into the Navara and things improved notably, and despite the prevalence of plastics inside, these are of a higher quality, while the fit and finish is more what we would expect from Nissan. Out on the road, the coil-spring rear suspension and surprisingly quiet 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine make the Navara one of the nicest bakkies in terms of ride and handling. We drove the double cab PRO-2X variant, which managed to negotiate the now difficult Breedtsnek pass near Magaliesberg, which is now a rocky and technical route, requiring the use of the diff-lock and a careful choice of line. As one of four mainstream bakkies to be built locally, the Navara is a solid bet, and one that deserves more success in the local market.
Datsun out, new Qashqai in
The big news at the event is that Nissan will be bringing the new Qashqai to local shores later in 2022, with the internal combustion-powered models being offered initially and then a hybrid version coming later.
The Japanese brand also alluded to the fact that the Datsun marque will be discontinued, leaving a perceived gap in the market where the popular Go model has become popular. While not officially confirmed at the event, there have been reports from other markets that the brand is developing a budget-friendly car in partnership with Renault.
