2021 Nissan Kicks review | Car Reviews

Auto123 opinions the 2021 Nissan Kicks.

Nissan’s tiny SUV has settled perfectly into its function as a mainstay in a category that as developed steadily in the earlier few many years in Canada, both equally in terms of size and market place share. The Kicks is incredibly agile and specially perfectly-suited for lifetime in the town, but it’s also a very serviceable weekend adventurer suit for partners or tiny households.

I had a great celebration to test those people capabilities out with a 7 days spent at the wheel of the 2021 version of the product, with a reward of two mountain bikes generously presented by the automaker, gesture conceived as a pleasant incentive to get me out of town restrictions for some new air and exercising. While as a relative beginner, my to start with real descent had me wanting to know what Nissan had in opposition to me to want my neck damaged. Usually, that comes about After a much less-than-pleasant assessment, not just before. Exciting strategy…

In any party, most of my Kicks time was however spent navigating city and suburban roadways and thoroughfares, the pure habitat for the tiny crossover. And for the most part, I seasoned the very same form of knowledgeable, unassuming functionality I’d seasoned formerly at the wheel of prior editions. Which is not astonishing presented that the variations for the 2021 product-year are somewhat minor.

Some of those people are visual, in point, together with a sportier bumper, thinner headlights and a a little meaner-searching grille. The two-tone end technique is back again, and so my tester arrived in a sharp pink-system-black-roof outfit that pleased me just fantastic.

Shopicar.com, 100% online, store for your following vehicle, purchase online and get it shipped to you wherever in Quebec!

2021 Nissan Kicks, profile

Normally, the centre console has been redesigned, there are new upholstery alternatives, some variations get new rear disc brakes and adaptive cruise manage is now part of the offering.

The merchandise variety seems to be like as a result: The foundation product starts off the ball rolling at $21,843, and will come with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. It is followed by the SV ($24,843), which will get 17-inch alloy wheels, distant starter and leather-wrapped heated steering wheel and that smart cruise. The SR starts off at $26,043 and it adds black roof rails, a dark chrome grille and LED headlights and accents. At the best sits the SR Quality ($26,943) with its smart 360-diploma keep track of, high quality Bose audio (with headrest speakers), seats appointed in what’s referred to as Prima-Tex and black alloy wheels. This final is the variant we drove.

Now, $21,843 for a vehicle indicates that you simply cannot expect every single very little bit of tech to be included, and the Kicks doesn’t include things like it. The priority, alternatively, was to produce the essential stuff the model’s target viewers desires and requires, but at an reasonably priced price tag. Our SR Quality is considerably a lot more outfitted with goodies, but it’s up to you to decide what’s essential for you, and decide on the trim and solutions that you’re snug spending for.

2021 Nissan Kicks, inside

Whatever you settle on, you are going to get a entrance-wheel-generate vehicle (there’s no selection for AWD) that operates through a 1.6L four-cylinder motor delivering 122 hp and 114 lb-ft of torque, managed by a CVT transmission. Sure, THAT CVT transmission, which Nissan has taken a few knocks on the chin for above the many years. Actually while, listed here it is effective competently ample, and though it can tend to get the motor screaming if you drive items much too a lot, it does the occupation. Just don’t drive items much too a lot, just after all this is a Kicks, not a Beemer.

We could usually desire for a lot more than the motor and its mere 122 horses produce, but this is superior ample, specially presented the price tag stage. You won’t be tearing off from lights, or at the very least you are going to seem absurd if you do, but acceleration is appropriate ample to make freeway entry and passing tension-totally free. Again, superior ample.

I talked about the tech, but you should really know that if there’s not a huge amount of it within the 2021 Kicks (there’s no navigation for occasion), the high quality of what’s there is respectable-to-superb. Specifically in the best-line SR, with its pleasant-sounding high quality audio process and headrest speakers. From the SR edition on up, the touchscreen is eight-inch and fairly consumer-pleasant, and the multimedia process is generous ample to go away most of the essential controls (like local weather manage, audio degree, and so forth.) to bodily buttons, every perfectly inside of access. In entrance of the driver sits a pleasant seven-inch information display screen screen.

On the street, as talked about the Kicks is excellent in the town, thanks to its tiny size, restricted turning radius and general nimbleness that belies its absence of straight-forward raw pace. It is also superior on the freeway, while, which we ended up equipped to confirm on a lot more than just one day-lengthy outing. Convenience ranges are fantastic, specially in the entrance row, and the suspension proved fairly equipped, aided alongside by the even larger tires on our tester’s 17-inch wheels. Visibility is superb all about in this kind-of-squarish SUV, so you are going to not really feel swallowed up even surrounded by even larger motor vehicles on the freeway or in visitors gridlock.

If I ended up driving in wintertime, the absence of all-wheel generate would be a lot more of a concern than it was as we gallivanted about on our street trips in the warmth of summertime. Possible prospective buyers will have to make a choice about the relevance to them of that operate, since there are rivals in the phase that provide it (hello Subaru Crosstrek). On the other hand, with no it the Kicks delivers an enticing seven.2L/100 km blended formal fuel usage rating.

1 a lot more matter: don’t expect the form of cargo space you’d get from a compact SUV. If you system on lugging significant amounts of stuff, you are going to have to go for the Rogue (the Qashqai sits in between in the Nissan lineup, but it really presents much less cargo space than its a little smaller sibling). With rear seats in spot, you get 716 litres, and that climbs to 1,503 with the seats down. That’s of training course noticeably much less than the Rogue with its 934 and 1,828 litres. Again, this is just one of those people aspects to take into consideration beforehand as you weigh what you’re snug spending for.

Overall, the Nissan Kicks occupies a specific space in the tiny crossover phase, along with the Kia Niro and Hyundai Kona. The a few versions are virtually interchangeable with their very same essential form and dimensions and very similar driving encounters (albeit with some variances). Above in yet another corner of the category sit the freakier Toyota C-HR and Kia Soul, and in nonetheless yet another the a lot more-dynamic but very small Mazda CX-three. But I routinely listen to even automobile journalists mistakenly refer to the Kona when they mean the Kicks, and vice versa.

At which stage it’s up to purchasers to test generate every, and compare the characteristics included and out there with every. The superior news is there’s no negative preference among them, and that surely includes the Nissan Kicks. I say this despite my narrow escape from catastrophe on just one of those people mountain bikes…

2021 Nissan Kicks, badging

We like

Awesome if unassuming seems to be (which get a lot more assuming with the two-tone end)
Comfy entrance row
Person-pleasant tech, superior ergonomics within
Good town driver
Decent freeway driver

We like much less

No all-wheel generate
Cargo space is Ok, but no a lot more
Meek motor, CVT nevertheless could be enhanced

The opposition

Chevrolet Trailblazer
Ford EcoSport
Honda HR-V
Hyundai Venue / Hyundai Kona
Kia Niro / Kia Seltos
Mazda CX-three / CX-thirty
Subaru Crosstrek
Toyota C-HR