Nissan Kicks: Get your kicks on

Compact SUVs have generated a lot of hype in our market with products being launched by nearly every auto manufacturer in India. While the Terrano has proved to be a stylish alternative to the Duster, it still isn’t considered a compact SUV, which meant Nissan had been out of the ring for quite some time. But with the Kicks having been launched in 2019, the brand finally has a reason to be an important player in the market. The made-for-India Kicks brings with it a strong chassis, improved ground clearance over the international model, a proper SUV stance and a revised cabin particularly to appeal to the tastes of the Indian buyer. Also, it comes loaded with features. Based on an updated version of the M0 platform that also underpins the Renault Captur, it is rugged, stylish and a very practical product by the Japanese brand.

Specifications

The Kicks definitely comes across as a very stylish looking SUV. Up-front, it gets stylistic projector headlamps that are flanked by the signature V-shaped grille. The aggressive bumper design looks cool and the high-set bonnet adds some character to the design. Viewed from the side, the Kicks boasts of two creases on the doors that sweep upwards and the wheel arches that are highlighted in black house 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels. Giving it the proper crossover look, are those black door pillars and roof rails. The rear end reveals a raised bootlid and boomerang-shaped tail lamps. In terms of dimensions, the Kicks is 4384mm in length, 1813mm in width and 1651mm in height. The wheelbase stretches across at 2673mm. At idle and high RPMs, the diesel engine does get noisy. There is barely any turbo lag and the mid-range is nice and strong. The petrol engine, in comparison, is smoother and power delivery is impressive. The clutch is light and the gearshifts are effortless. Ride quality over rough patches is good, and the SUV handles pretty well too. In terms of specifications, it gets a 1498cc, 4-cylinder petrol engine that produces 105bhp and 142Nm of torque and a 1461cc, 4-cylinder diesel engine that makes 109bhp and 240Nm of torque . Paired to the petrol engine is a 5-speed gearbox, while the diesel engine is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. The engine is BSIV compliant. Also, the base-spec trim weighs in at 1295kgs.

Mileage

The Nissan Kicks has a fuel tank capacity of 50 litres. In terms of mileage, the petrol manual model is capable of returning 14.23kmpl by ARAI and 20.45kmpl for the diesel manual model, in BSIV guise.
Features

The cabin of the Kicks is equally stylish as the exterior. On the dashboard sits an 8.0-inch floating touchscreen that works well. It gets a choco-brown leather theme for the dashboard. The steering feels nice and sporty to hold. Visibility out-front is good, thanks to the high-set front seats that are very comfortable as well. There’s also sufficient room at the rear. Features include an 8-inch touchscreen system, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, cruise control, climate control, rear AC vents, steering-mounted audio controls, LED projector headlamps, automatic wipers, auto headlamps with follow-me-home function, leather-wrapped steering, rear wiper, keyless entry, hill-start assist, fog lamps with cornering function and electrically-adjustable wing mirrors with integrated turn indicators. In terms of safety, it comes with ABS with EBD, 360-degree camera and display, reverse camera, Vehicle Dynamic Control, rear parking sensors, four air bags and brake assist.

Colours

The Nissan Kicks is sold in seven single shades and four dual-tone shades: Pearl White, Bronze Grey, Deep Blue Pearl, Fire Red, Blade Silver, Amber Orange, Night Shade, Bronze Grey/Amber Orange, Pearl White/Amber Orange, Pearl White/Onyx Black and Fire Red/Onyx Black . The paint quality and finish for all the shades is excellent. We particularly found the Deep Blue Pearl to be the most striking of all colours, but the one that’s sure to be a hit among Indian car buyers is Bronze Grey.

Brochure

All the details regarding the Nissan Kicks – namely, the engine, specifications, variant-wise equipment, colours, dimensions, interiors and exterior details are extensively covered in the company’s model brochure.

Variants and Prices

As of early 2020, the Nissan Kicks is available in six variants: The price for the base XL 1.5 variant is ₹ 9.55 lakh, the price for the XE 1.5 D variant is ₹ 9.89 lakh, the price for the XV 1.5 variant is ₹ 10.95 lakh, the price for the XL 1.5 D variant is ₹ 11.09 lakh, the price for the XV 1.5 D variant is 12.51 lakh, and the price for the XV Pre 1.5 D variant is ₹ 13.69 lakh (all prices ex-showroom, Delhi). The variant-wise on-road prices are available at autoX.

For more on the Nissan Kicks, be sure to tune into autoX.