Nissan has had trouble selling its electric vehicles — the Leaf and Ariya (the latter was just recently canceled). Sales are down 94%. Probably because EVs are too expensive and too impractical for most people.
The Kicks is neither.
Which probably explains why it does sell.
What It Is
The Kicks is Nissan's smallest — and most affordable — crossover. It's also pretty much the most affordable crossover in its class, now that Kia has canceled the Soul. Only the Hyundai Venue underprices it.
Just barely.
And the Venue is not available with all-wheel drive.
Prices start at $23,925 for the base S trim, which comes standard with a digital dashboard and a 7-inch touchscreen, a four-speaker stereo, 16-inch wheels and remote/keyless entry. Front-wheel drive is standard; AWD is available optionally.
The mid-trim SV — which stickers for $25,665 — gets a larger (12.3-inch) LCD touch screen, 17-inch wheels and a wireless smartphone charger. FWD is also standard with this trim, and AWD is available as a standalone option.
The top-of-the-line SR — which stickers for $28,155 — gets 19-inch wheels, a 12.3-inch main gauge display, an upgraded six-speaker audio system, synthetic leather seat covers and adaptive cruise control. Once again, FWD is standard, and AWD is optional.
Every Kicks trim is powered by a 2.0-liter, 140-horsepower, four-cylinder engine paired up with a continuously variable transmission.
What's New for 2026
The big news is that the Kick has a larger (2.0-liter) standard engine. The previously standard — and less powerful — 1.6-liter four has been dropped.
What's Good
— Just about the most affordable subcompact crossover you can buy new.
— Larger standard engine is a big improvement over the previously standard underpowered engine.
— Colorful personality.
What's Not So Good
— No optional engine.
— No option other than CVT.
— A slew of peremptory and pestering "driver assistance technology" is standard.
Under the Hood
The Kicks has a new — larger and stronger — engine. It's a 2.0-liter four, and it touts 141 horsepower. It's a pretty decent kick up from the previously standard 1.6-liter four that touted just 122 horsepower. The power uptick enables the new Kicks to get to 60 mph in about nine seconds, which isn't neck-snapping acceleration — but it's better acceleration than you got with the 1.6-liter engine.
There is a slight reduction in gas mileage, which is 28 mpg city/35 mpg highway now versus 31 mpg city, 36 mpg highway for the previous Kicks with the smaller engine.
As before the standard — and only available — transmission is a CVT, driving either the front wheels or all four, if you order the optionally available AWD system.
CVTs have some advantages, chiefly increased fuel economy (a 3-4 mpg overall uptick is typical versus the same vehicle with a conventional automatic that shifts up and down as opposed to varying through ranges, as a CVT does) and smooth acceleration, because there are no up or downshifts. You can hold a cup of coffee with the accelerator pedal floored and not risk spilling it.
The disadvantages are — chiefly — increased drivetrain noise, especially when you floor the accelerator pedal (because the CVT will keep the engine revving higher/longer than an automatic that upshifts as you accelerate), and an increased likelihood of having to buy a new CVT sooner than you might need to buy a new automatic that shifts up and down.
On the Road
The Kick's main weakness — which was just that it took too long to get going — has mostly been addressed.
The real main weakness was how weak it felt getting going.
No one buys a little runabout like this to get to 60 mph as quickly as a Mustang does. They buy it because it's inexpensive and economical. But most of us also like to drive a vehicle that doesn't feel — and sound — like the engine's going to blow up when we're trying to get up to speed to merge with traffic or pulling out from a side road into traffic.
The old Kicks with the 1.6-liter engine often felt — and sounded — that way because 1.6 liters and just 122 horses isn't enough to get nearly 2,700 pounds of Kicks going without struggling.
The new Kicks hasn't just got more horsepower. It also has about 30 foot-pounds more torque — and that's important, in terms of getting going without it feeling like a struggle.
Unfortunately, the standard (and take-it-or-leave-it) CVT is still on the noisy side. More finely, it enhances the noise made by the engine as the Kicks accelerates, because the CVT lets the engine rev to the upper reaches of its powerband and holds it there until you ease off the accelerator pedal a bit. A transmission that shifts would shift up to higher gears as you accelerate, and each upshift results in a decrease in engine RPM as you accelerate.
Fundamentally, the CVT is about economy rather than performance. Kicks rivals such as the Hyundai Venue also come standard with CVTs. To get a transmission that shifts through gears, you'll have to spend more on something like a Volkswagen Taos (which stickers for several thousand more to start).
Even so, the Kicks is a fine little runabout with adequate power/performance for most urban/suburban driving purposes. It'll hold 70-75 mph on the highway without feeling like it's about to blow up. If you need to go faster or more quickly, you probably need a different kind of vehicle.
At the Curb
The Kicks is smaller than it looks — an interesting duality. It is only 171.9 inches long, which for reference is more than a foot less long than a Honda Civic (184.9 inches long).
The Civic is considered compact. The Kicks is substantially more compact. Yet it doesn't look small because of its shape. It is tall and husky looking, with muscular fender arches and a front end that is stacked and imposing. Two-tone paint palettes add visual interest to the mix.
And it isn't small — on the inside — which is where size really does matter. It has 29 cubic feet of space for your stuff behind its second row, and if you need more space, you can lower the second row and open up the space to 59 cubic feet. The more-than-a-foot longer Civic has 14.8 cubic feet of trunk space — and that's all there is.
If you decide to opt for AWD, the space for stuff decreases to 24 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 50 cubic feet with them folded down. It's still much more space than you've got to work with in a compact sedan such as the Civic. This is not to slam the Civic and other small sedans. It is to point out that they are too small for families, while an even smaller crossover like this Kicks can serve as family transportation.
Nissan's "zero gravity" seats are another attraction. They are designed to take the load off your backside so that you don't feel sore after a couple hours of driving. They are excellent and set the Kicks apart because rival small crossovers do not have this feature.
Other worthy-of-note features include the speakers built into the headrests — with the optional 10-speaker Bose audio system.
Especially interesting is that this little crossover — which might cost you $30,000 if you buy the top-of-the-line SR trim, with every option and pay full MSRP — has an interior layout and look that could pass for the layout and look of a $100,000 Mercedes or BMW from about 10 years ago. The digital dash integrated with the secondary LCD display in one big sheet of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" interface looks almost exactly like the displays that were first available only in $100,000 Mercedes, BMW and Audi vehicles. Now they're available in sub-$30,000 Nissan models like the Kicks. This isn't good for Mercedes, BMW and Audi — since they're still charging six figures. But it's good for people who want what you used to have to spend $100,000 to get but only want to spend around $30,000 to get.
The mid-trim SV also comes standard with a wireless phone charger and proximity-sensing keyless entry — meaning the doors automatically unlock (and lock) as you approach or leave the vehicle.
The Rest
This small crossover would be much more fun — and cost less — if Nissan offered it with a manual transmission (as used to be available in many low-cost Nissan models, such as the recently discontinued Versa). It's a shame Nissan can't realistically offer a manual — because of compliance pressure — with federal gas mileage (and emissions) requirements. Manuals can't be programmed to optimize gas mileage (and emissions), and that's why it's become so difficult — nigh impossible — to find a new vehicle of any type that even offers a manual transmission.
The Bottom Line
A little car with a big inside — and some personality to go with it — is hard not to like.
Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
View the Nissan Kicks this week.
View Comments