Nissan Magnite vs Renault Kiger vs Toyota Urban Cruiser: Here's our winner

Compact crossovers are slowly overtaking the humble hatchback as the vehicle of choice for consumers in the crucial R250 000-R400 000 price bracket locally. The Nissan Magnite finds itself in a tough segment then, but it has the styling, efficiency and price point to make it worthy of consideration. The Renault Kiger and the Toyota Urban Cruiser are both popular options and are available at the same price point, so we will be comparing the Nissan with these key rivals to determine which is best.

Related: Everything you need to know about the Nissan Magnite

Nissan Magnite

Powertrain and performance

Powering the Magnite is a 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine that produces 74kW and 152Nm of torque. The engine is paired with a CVT gearbox that sends power to the front wheels, allowing for a 0-100km/h time of 13.4 seconds and a claimed fuel consumption figure of 6.0 L/100km.

Standard equipment

The Magnite, in Acenta guise,  gets 16-inch alloy wheels, 2 airbags, outer rear ISOFIX child seat anchor points, airconditioning, a multifunction steering wheel, a colour screen infotainment system with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, multiple USB ports, front and rear electric windows, keyless entry/start, front and rear electric windows, cruise control, traction and stability control, cloth-covered seats, cruise control, LED headlights, rear PDC with a reverse camera and silver roof rails.

Safety

The Magnite was crash tested by the ASEAN NCAP in 2020, achieving a 5-Star rating.

Practicality

The Magnite boasts a 336-litre boot and an impressive 205mm of ground clearance, making it more practical than a similarly-sized hatchback.

Price and value proposition

The Nissan is the most affordable of the trio, and comes with a solid set of standard features, making it good value versus key rivals.

The competition

Renault Kiger

The Kiger shares its 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged engine with the Magnite, meaning that it too produces 74kW, but has more torque at 160Nm. It also has a CVT that sends power to the front wheels, meaning similar accelerative performance, but a lower claimed fuel consumption figure of 5.4 L/100km.

The Renault is similarly specified to the Nissan, but gets 4 airbags but lacks stability control and cruise control. On the safety front, the Kiger was evaluated by Global NCAP, where it received a 4-Star rating.

The Kiger is very similar to the Magnite in terms of dimensions but offers a bigger boot at 405-litres and the same 205mm of ground clearance. From a value perspective, the Renault is only R2 499 more expensive, making it negligibly more expensive and therefore also good value amongst the trio.

Toyota Urban Cruiser

The Toyota features a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that produces 77kW and 138Nm of torque and is paired with a 4-speed automatic gearbox that sends power to the front wheels. The Urban Cruiser will sprint from 0-100km/h in around 11.8 seconds and will sip fuel at a claimed rate of 6.2 L/100km.

In the specification department, the Urban Cruiser is nearly identical to the Magnite but loses out on cruise control. The Toyota was crash-tested by Global NCAP, where it achieved a 4-Star rating. Looking at the Toyota from a value perspective, it is the priciest, but only by a small margin, however, it has the smallest boot among the three but does offer an official braked towing capacity of 1 100kg.

Facts and figures:

	Nissan Magnite 1.0 Turbo Acenta auto	Renault Kiger 1.0 Turbo Intens auto	Toyota Urban Cruiser 1.5 XS auto
Engine size (cyl/size)	3-cyl, 1.0-litre turbo petrol	3-cyl, 1.0-litre turbo petrol	4-cyl, 1.5-litre petrol
Power/Torque	74 kW/154 Nm	74 kW/160 Nm	77 kW/138 Nm
CO2 emissions	142 g/km	129 g/km	140 g/km
Service plan	3 yr / 30 000km	3 yr/ 45 000km	3 yr/45 000km
Airbag count	2	4	2
Fuel tank capacity	40 litres	40 litres	48 litres
Ave Consumption *	6.0 L/100 km	5.4 L/100 km	6.2 L/100 km
Driven wheels	Front	Front	Front
Boot volume	336-litres	405-litres	328-litres
Price	R317 500	R319 999	R323 900

* Manufacturer's claimed figures.

Pricing was all-inclusive at the time of writing but may change without prior notice.

Verdict

Having looked at the figures, we would be confident recommending any of these models to prospective buyers, however, there can only be one winner, and that is the Nissan Magnite on account of its solid performance across the board.