The compact crossover segment is one of the hottest segments in the industry, as demand for such vehicles have never been higher. The new Nissan Kicks sits smack in the middle of this compact crossover buffet, and is one of the latest members in the carmaker’s lineup. It was jointly sketched by Nissan’s US and Rio design teams, and the end product is quite stylish to say the least.
Considering the kind of feisty zone it sits in, the 2019 Nissan Kicks faces tough competition from the likes of the Chevrolet Trax, Ford EcoSport, Hyundai Creta, and Renault Duster.
Exterior
Exterior design is one of the key attractions of the new Nissan Kicks, and it is abundantly clear that Nissan’s design team went all out on this one. The front of the Kicks comes adorned with Nissan’s signature V-Motion grille, along with huge yet stylish headlights that resemble a boomerang. The focus is not on making the front of the Kicks look aggressive, but rather to be more pleasant and cheerful.
Viewed from the side, the Kicks features black body cladding, flared fenders, upright stance, and a sloping roofline that has been given a ‘floating’ affect at the C-pillar. The rear of the Kicks is just as interesting, and gets the same, unique-looking boomerang-design taillights, plus a roof-mounted spoiler, and a stylish, steeply raked rear window.
Being a compact crossover, the Nissan Kicks isn’t really a big car. It measures in at 4.295 meters in length, 1.960 meters in width, 1.590 meters in height, and sports a wheelbase of 2.620 meters. Despite its modest proportions, the boot space of the Kicks is a respectable 432 liters.
Interior
The cabin design of the Nissan Kicks carries forward the contemporary yet stylish theme from the outside. The layout of all the switchgear and controls are smart and practical, while also being visually appealing. The quality of materials used in this cabin is good enough, and there are even some soft-touch plastics that feature stitching to add an extra touch of premium.
Despite being just over 4 meters long, the cabin of the Kicks can accommodate 5 passengers without any fuss. The front chairs are especially comfortable and Nissan calls them “zero gravity” seats. These seats offer good support and decent levels of cushioning too. The Kicks also get some nifty features such as a flat-bottom, leather-trimmed steering wheel, automatic climate control, a 7-inch digital driver’s display, leather seats, automatic headlamps, keyless entry with push-button start, a 7-inch infotainment system with navigation, and a 6-speaker sound rig.
Other notable features here include a surround-view camera system, parking sensors, 17-inch alloy wheels, plus front and rear fog lamps. Safety features come in the form of ABS with EBD and brake assist, 6 airbags, traction and stability control, a tire pressure monitoring system, and ISOFIX points.
Engine and performance
Under the hood, the Nissan Kicks gets a 1.6-liter four-popper without any kind of forced-induction, thus producing a modest 118 horses and 149 Nm of torque. As with many modern Nissan cars, a CVT takes care of transmission duties on the Kicks. This explains the rather slow 11.5-second run time of the Kicks to reach 100 km/h. All out, the Kicks will eventually hit a top speed of 180 km/h.
Nissan’s efficient drivetrain along with the low-drag design means that the Kicks is easily capable of achieving a respectable fuel economy figure of 6.5L/100 km.
Verdict
The 2019 Nissan Kicks range ‘kicks’ off at AED 61,900, while the top SL version costs AED 79,300. Insurance costs for the Kicks starts at AED 1,393, and goes up to AED 1,784 for the SL.
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