Upon its launch last year, the Nissan Magnite immediately became a sales success for the automaker. Its combination of powerful engines, feature-loaded variants, and value-for-money pricing made it a hit amongst Indian consumers. Seeing its success, rival automakers have also started entering the segment, the Tata Punch and Citroen’s C3 the latest to arrive. Today we have a detailed comparison between the Nissan Magnite sub-compact SUV, Tata Punch Pseudo SUV and the Citroen C3 hatchback to check out which one is the best choice for you.
Tata Punch Vs Citroen C3 Vs Nissan Magnite: Exterior Design
From the outside all there cars offer varied proportions. While the Tata Punch and the citroen C3 offer high ground clearence and rigged cladding around the body, its only the Nissan Magnate that features proper SUV look. The Magnite’s front end is charecterised by large hexagonal grille flanked by LED headlights. The bumper houses the fog lamps and a faux skid plate, while the muscular lines on the bonnet complete the SUV look . The SUV gets a sloping roofline with blacked-out A-pillars that gives the overall car a floating effect. The rear end features a spoiler and new taillights.
Both the Punch and C3 have a split headlight setup for the front end. The Punch is inspired by its bigger siblings, the Harrier and the Safari, with its two-step grille arrangement. The side profile is chunky with the flared wheel arches, floating roof, and hidden handles for the rear doors. Moving to the rear, the Punch gets the best-looking taillights while the boot lid is heavily sculpted. Overall, the package works to mimic an SUV stance.
In comparison, the C3 looks quite simple even though it has a more aggressive front end than the Magnite. The side profile is a bit bland though the contrast panels and black cladding liven it up a little. The C3’s rear gets intricately designed rectangular taillights and contrast cladding.
Tata Punch Vs Citroen C3 Vs Nissan Magnite: Interior Design and Features
Moving to the interior, the Magnite gets a predominantly black setup with faux aluminium around the vents, doors, and steering wheel which gives it a sporty feeling. The dashboard gets an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with in-built Apple CarPlay and Android Auto while the climate control functions sit just beneath it. The driver gets a 7-inch digital instrument console with different themes for the 3 drive modes on offer. Other features include climate control, cruise control, push-button start/stop, rear AC vents, height-adjustable driver’s seat, and more.
In comparision, the Tata Punch get a dual-tone interior with contrasting elements horizontally across the dashboard. There’s a high-mounted 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system while the driver gets a semi-digital instrument cluster similar to the one seen on the likes of the Harrier. Tata has loaded this vehicle with features like a six-speaker Harman audio system, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control, electric ORVMs, climate control, a cooled glovebox, 16-inch alloys, fog lamps with cornering function, and more.
Read Also: Tata Safari Vs Hyundai Alcazar Vs Mahindra XUV700: Battle of The Three-Row SUVs
Coming to the last car in this comparision, the Citroen C3 feels the most bare-bones in terms of features. The interior feels the airiest of the three with its use of contrasting panels and a lighter colour palette. It does get a 10.2-inch touchscreen infotainment display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto but that is the only highlight. The digital instrument cluster is a small black-and-white unit that misses out on basic features like a tachometer and a trip meter. The rear power windows aren’t door mounted but are found on the central tunnel. You also miss out on features like a rear camera, lock/unlock button, and height-adjustable seatbelts. The C3 does come with a punchy 4-speaker audio setup that even sounds better than some setups with more speakers.
Tata Punch Vs Citroen C3 Vs Nissan Magnite: Pricing
Prices for the Nissan Magnite start from Rs 5.97 lakh for the entry-level XE variant, going up to Rs 10.79 lakh for the Magnite Turbo CVT XV Premium (O) Dual Tone model.
The Tata Punch is priced at Rs 5.93 lakh for the base Pure model while the top-spec Kaziranga Edition AMT IRA will set you back by Rs 9.49 lakh. Despite offering more tech, the Tata is close to Rs 5,000 cheaper at the lower end and Rs 1.3 lakhs cheaper at the top-end.
The Citroen C3 range starts from Rs 5.88 lakh for the Puretech 82 powertrain option, while the more powerful Puretech 110 Feel variant is priced at Rs 8.15 lakh, making it the cheapest flagship variant among the three.
Do note that all prices mentioned are ex-showroom only.
Tata Punch Vs Citroen C3 Vs Nissan Magnite: Powertrains
In terms of powertrain, the Magnite and C3 offer two engine options, while the Punch is available with only one engine option. The Magnite is offered with the familiar 1.0-litre NA petrol and another 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine option. Both engines are varied on power and torque producing 81 bhp and 96 Nm (1.0-litre NA) and 100 bhp and 160 Nm (1.0-litre turbo). The former engine option comes mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox option while the latter powertrain option is available only with a CVT gearbox.
The Citroen C3 again is offered with an all new 1.2-litre petrol engine in both NA and turbo configurations. The engines produce 80 bhp and 110 bhp respectively and come mated to a 5-speed manual and a 6-speed manual transmission option.
In contrast the Tata Punch offers only a 1.2-litre petrol motor. It produces peak figures of 86 bhp and 113 Nm and can be mated to either a 5-speed manual or an AMT transmission.
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Tata Punch Vs Citroen C3 Vs Nissan Magnite: Mileage
Nissan claims 20 kmpl for the petrol manual variants and 17.7 kmpl for the automatic models of the Magnite. The Tata Punch on the other hand has claimed figures of 18.97 kmpl for the manuals and 18.82 kmpl for the automatic-shod variants.
In comparison, the Citroen C3 has a claimed mileage figure of 19.8 kmpl. Do note that all economy figures mentioned are from ARAI, real-world mileage may vary.
