Nissan Kicks explained inside-out

Nissan launched the Kicks in the Middle East market to step up its game in the subcompact crossover SUV segment. Nissan’s another offering in this segment, the Juke, isn’t appreciated by everyone, mostly because of the way it looks. The Kicks, on the other hand, carries a brilliant exterior styling, with modern interior and tech features. It is based on the same platform as the Juke, but due to better space management offers a roomier cabin and boot. Here are some of its features that you should know about.

Floating roof design

It seems like Nissan has been sharpening its design skills. The Kicks comes with a very cool exterior feature - a floating roof. Nissan managed to pull this off flawlessly by blackening out the C-pillars. This, along with the black windows, makes the roof of the Kicks appears to be floating. It’s one of the best exterior features of this vehicle along with other few like the wraparound visor that evokes images of the Nissan GT-R, and the bold V-motion grille which makes it instantly recognizable as a Nissan.

Advanced full digital information display

Sitting behind the steering wheel, the advanced full digital information display on the Nissan Kicks shows various information like navigation, music info, engine temp, current fuel economy, fuel economy history, radio, trip meters, compass, chassis control, etc. Being full digital and color, this display is very informative, modern and is easily legible.

Around view monitor

Nissan has utilized the available tech brilliantly by providing the ‘Around View Monitor’ feature in the Kicks. This feature provides a clear 360-degree bird’s eye view of your vehicle with the help of four cameras located at the front, rear, and sides of the car. It’s a really great feature that allows you to carefully park your Kicks without getting a scratch. You can also select split-screen close-ups of the front, rear, and curbside views for more precision.

Moving object detection

This comes under the safety features of the Nissan Kicks. It uses the four cameras of the car to detect any movement around it and instantly notifies driver via visual and audio alerts.

The 7-inch color touchscreen display

This large touchscreen display is responsible for showing data related to navigation, music, Bluetooth calling, etc. It sits right in the center of the dash just below the front air-con vents. Its flat design is beautiful and makes it flush into the overall interior design.

Speed sensitive steering

The steering wheel of the Nissan Kicks is brilliantly done, not only because it looks and feels nice, but also because it's 'speed sensitive'. What this means is that it adjusts its assistance according to the speed you are traveling. So, it becomes more nimble at low speeds, making parking and reversing easier, while at high speeds the system becomes more rigid, increasing feel and response.

Efficient and powerful engine

Powering the Nissan Kicks is a 1.6-litre petrol engine that produces a max power of 118 hp and 149 Nm of peak torque. The power delivery is very smooth and linear. Nissan has done a special coating on the pistons to reduce friction, hence, the fuel efficiency has increased. This engine comes mated to Nissan’s XTRONIC CVT unit. It is quick enough to read driver’s inputs and change its character as per the requirements.

Premium and comfortable interior

Just like with the exterior, Nissan has done a great job with the interior of the Kicks as well. The cabin feels very premium thanks to the all-black color scheme and the use of high-quality material all around. It has a very clean and modern touch to it.

With a flat-floor design, Nissan has provided a good amount of space for all the passengers. Talking about space, the boot here is of 432 litres which can be further increased by folding the rear seats. Nissan calls the seats of the Kicks ‘Zero gravity seats’ that offer great support from pelvis to the chest, and the seat cushions flex in response to your unique pressure points, helping to reduce fatigue on longer drives.

Safety features

Apart from its advanced camera-based safety features that we’ve already mentioned, the Kicks come with six airbags, Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), Traction Control System (TCS), and an advanced body construction with impact-absorbing structures with a high-strength cabin.