GET YOUR KICKS, OR A QASHQAI?
Down to nitty-gritty of which Nissan subcompact crossover is your best buy, writes Nadine Filion.
Nissan has not one, but two subcompact crossovers — the originally-intended-for-europe Qashqai, and the Mexico-built Kicks. Both are in the top three of subcompact CUV sales in Canada, behind the Hyundai Kona. So if you’re cross-shopping the two Nissans, we’re going to help you decide which you should choose, and which one offers the biggest bang for your buck.
OVERVIEW
Sold in Europe for 15 years, the Nissan Qashqai only came to Canada two years ago — and in the U.S., it’s called the Rogue Sport. Its $20,198 price tag (for 2019) made it the most inexpensive utility vehicle Nissan offers, and was also lowest priced in the segment — that is, until the Kicks arrived last year, with an even lower starting price of $18,298. Freight adds another $1,815 to the Kicks, and $1,950 to the Qashqai, before other fees and taxes.
Although there’s a $2,000 gap between the base models, the two are as different as the Rio Carnival (the Kicks draws design inspiration from Brazil, says Nissan) and the Iranian nomad tribe after which the Qashqai was named.
Both are offered in three trims — S, SV and SR for the Kicks, and S, SV, and SL for the Qashqai — but the Kicks is front-wheel drive only. For the Qashqai, all-wheel drive is optional on the S and SV versions, and standard on the
SL. The Nissan Kicks also lacks a manual transmission, and there’s less horsepower (122, compared to 141 for the Qashqai) delivered by a smaller four-cylinder engine (1.6 litres for the Kicks, versus the Qashqai’s 2.0-L in-line four).
WHY CHOOSE THE KICKS?
The interior space is quite competitive. We compared the numbers, and there’s no mistake: The Kicks gives more front head and legroom than the Qashqai, and about the same space for the rear passengers. Even the Kicks’ cargo area, with 1,500 L when the rear seats are folded, is on par with a Qashqai equipped with a sunroof — something else the Kicks doesn’t offer, by the way. And thanks to the deeper and lower cargo floor, the Kicks has up to 25 per cent more cargo space behind its upright banquette. As far as the drive goes, the Kicks is more nimble and pleasant to handle in the city, but also surprisingly stable and comfortable on the highway, where we were mightily impressed by the comfort, thanks to the Zero-gravity seats derived from NASA tech — something missing from the Qashqai.
The ground clearance, only 10 mm lower than for the Qashqai, gives a high command view of the road, and surprisingly well-disciplined suspension and well-connected steering hide its archaic rear architecture well. Finally, the two-tone floating roof ($450) earned appreciative looks, while the cabin as a whole combined easy-to-use technology, upscale design touches and surprising material quality for the price.
THE TRIM TO CHOOSE
The fully loaded Kicks SR, for $23,398. This is a $3,000 step up from the SV trim, with which it shares heated front seats and mirrors, and 17-inch wheels. But this SR brings the extra security of blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, as well as a 360-degree camera system that Nissan calls the Intelligent Around View Monitor.
WHY CHOOSE THE QASHQAI?
Choose the Qashqai over the Kicks if you want AWD — it’s available on all models, but it’ll cost you at least $25,498 for a base trim. You’ll benefit from an all-wheel-drive system that can lock its torque split to 50/50 front/rear, important when the road gets rough. If you want a manual transmission, the Qashqai offers one — but only on the base, front-wheel-drive model. But know that Nissan’s CVT disguises itself better than others out there, and that applies to the Kicks as well. Finally, if you really want adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, power-adjustable front seats or a sunroof (sadly not a panoramic-one), the Qashqai is what you want.
THE TRIM TO CHOOSE
The loaded Qashqai SL. Below this $31,398 trim, not only will you not get some of the Kicks SR features, you also won’t get most of those listed just above. And because a refreshed Qashqai is about to hit dealerships, you may want to negotiate a good deal for this “old” model.
CONCLUSION
Unless one of the Qashqai-only features is essential, you’re better off buying the top-of-the-line Kicks SR. But this might change when the 2020 models come out, and prices and trims change.