Nissan Kicks

Overview

The 2017 model of the Nissan Kicks was named as the SUV of the Year by American Federation of Automotive Journalists and the legacy is sure to continue in 2018 as well. It is ranked among the best crossovers of the contemporary time, thanks to the amazing features and styling.

In the UAE market, the 2018 Nissan Kicks is a replacement for the Tiida hatchback and the Juke crossover. However, it is slightly bigger in size than both the outgoing models.

Nissan Kicks is a nicely designed subcompact crossover, suitable mainly for the people who love going on long drives while cruising at the freeways. Belonging to the premium crossover family, it is rugged in appearance, but the lack of an AWD drivetrain might indicate that it isn’t the best option for adventure lovers.

Interior

The Nissan Kicks is a delight once you have stepped in. Barring the hard plastic cover at every corner of the cabin, the company leaves behind no reasons to complain. The dashboard is clean and has good quality bits and buttons. The all-black colour scheme looks classy and entices the layout further. The 7-inch head-up touchscreen infotainment system is centrally-mounted and is accompanied by some buttons bits on its sides. The flat-bottom, 3-spoke steering wheel holds standard controls of the car.

However, there are many features in the car that are restricted to the top-end models only. As for an example, Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility, MOD (Moving Object Detection) system, and bird-view camera are elusive from the base. The standard fitments like keyless entry, dual airbags, two stereo speakers, and Bluetooth are offered across all the variants.

The 2018 Nissan Kicks is spacious with ample amount of legroom, headroom and cargo space. The rear seat is 60:40 foldable, which increases the boot space if needed.

Exterior

In terms of the designing, the Nissan Kicks stand out. There aren’t many things better than the floating roof design. The floating roof is obtained from the blacked out pillars, which gives the illusion that the roof is detached from the body of the car.

Get to the front of the car and you will witness a distinctive sleek headlamps design. Plus, the V-motion front grille border reminds us of the Nissan GT-R, one of the most envious cars from the Nissan lineup. The ORVMs are stylishly designed and are foldable too, just to keep it protected from knocks in tight traffic situations.

The Nissan Kicks rides on 17-inch tyres which exhibit the best shape with the striking aluminium alloy wheels. However, the base model misses out on many features like LED running lamps, fog lamps, and auto headlamps. And one can imagine how incomplete a car would look without fog lamps donning the front bumper.

Engine Performance

The Nissan Kicks has a very upbeat engine under the hood. The crossover feels nimble and agile on the road, thanks to the dynamic design incorporated on the body. And not to forget, the 1.6-litre engine, which produces a good power of 118 bhp along with a peak torque of 149 Nm. There isn’t a lot of torque on offer, which is visible when you try to accelerate rapidly to overtake the car ahead of you on the highway. However, cruising at a stable high speed is a delight.

The Nissan Kicks is a front-wheel driven crossover. Hence, the drive is far away from being very bumpy. Moreover, the D-Step CVT gearbox is just the perfect match for the power transmission with utmost smoothness.

Also, the dynamic design of the Kicks helps it to be a thrilling car at corners, be it at the vacant highways or the busy marketplace.

Braking Safety

The Nissan Kicks is nothing short of abundance when it comes to the features. Features like dual airbags, ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Electronic Stability Programme, etc. are standard across trims. Moreover, unlike many other cars, Hill-start assist, which is one of the better features to have, is also offered in all the trims.

But the 2018 Nissan Kicks offer more than just these industry standards. The top grade model comes with AVM (Around View Monitor) which provides a bird-eye view of the surrounding. Also Moving Object Detection system and Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility are provided but are restricted to the top model only.

The connectivity option in the crossover touches a good level. The Nissan Navigation System provides perfect directions to the nearby places of interests including ATMs as well. Also, you can connect your smartphone to the car for hands-free calling while driving. All of these can be controlled with the buttons provided on the steering wheel.