Good fit for urbanites
Nissan’s entry in the rapidly growing compact crossover category offers the combination of utility, value and size suited to life in the confines of the city. Nissan’s product planners have given the Kicks the interior space and features suited to singles or young couples seeking style, safety, functionality and connectivity.
By concentrating on urban needs, Nissan was able omit expensive items like all-wheel drive, an independent rear suspension and rear disc brakes. The resultant cost savings have resulted in a valuepacked small car. Without these extras, weight has also been kept to a minimum. This allowed the team to utilize a smaller and less-powerful engine.
This focussed development has placed the Kicks firmly in the compact crossover segment. It trails only the Hyundai Venue on the sales charts and comfortably outsold the competition from Honda, Mazda, Toyota, Ford and Kia for the last quarter of 2019.
The Kicks is a well-appointed crossover. It is bigger inside than its shadow would lead you to believe. So much so that the government classifies it as midsize car. The presence of a tall roof and tailgate allow it to be considered a crossover, even though it lacks the all-wheel-drive offered by most competitors. It does however have a tall stance for a better view and 18 cm of ground clearance, useful for straddling curbs or snow piled at the end of the driveway. The tall roof and flat floor bring lots of headroom in both front and rear seats.
As the replacement for the Juke, the Kicks is more mainstream in appearance. The styling is a result of collaboration between studios in San Diego and Rio de Janeiro. Equipped to place it a solid step above basic transportation, it boasts a standard equipment list that includes an automatic transmission, power windows and locks, push-button start, remote keyless entry, rear view monitor, Bluetooth compatibility and USB charge ports, at the lowest trim level — the $19,298 S model.
The SV comes in at $21,998 bringing heated front seats, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and alloy wheels. The rangetopping SR at only $23,998 adds a Bose premium audio system with speakers built into the headrests, a 360-degree camera system and LED headlights.
The Kicks first appeared in 2018. There were a few detail changes for the 2019 model year. For 2020 Nissan has upped the value ante. Regardless of trim, all 2020
Kicks come with Nissan’s Safety Shield 360 technology. This includes Intelligent Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Rear Intelligent Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning, radar- based Blind Spot Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and High Beam Assist. Rear side impact airbags, Intelligent Driver Alert and Rear Door Alert are also now standard across all trim lines.
The 122-horsepower 1.6litre four cylinder offer decent go in the city, but strains when asked to pass or pull up long, steep grades. As a result, the continuously variable automatic transmission is forced to keep the engine revving at the top of its range much of the time. It copes well on long, flat highway runs but is happiest in the city. It is however, a thrifty little powerplant. I averaged 7.4 litres/100 for a mixture of city and highway driving.
The solid axle rear suspension
copes well with all but the roughest surfaces where things can get a little busy. Bumps encountered midcorner at speed can get your attention as well. None of this is of concern however, in an urban environment.
If you were to spend more than a few minutes behind the wheel, you’d quickly come to appreciate the comfort and support of the front bucket seats. These “Zero Gravity” units are based on NASA technology meant to eliminate pressure points.
Urban consumers looking to switch to crossovers would be well advised to check out the Kicks. It has the interior room and tall seating position they may seek. It offers a full array of safety features and a host of standard amenities. It does not however come with the winter weather traction and highway friendly power necessary for some lifestyles. The advantage — lower price and better fuel economy.