WE LIKE Strong value, clever interior, kickin’ stereo
WE DON’T LIKE No AWD, seat comfort, noisy at speed
With only 125 hp under its hood, the Nissan Kicks is deceptively quick on the road and on the track. Its low curb weight makes it nimble, but it lacks the performance and speed to make it a budget Mini Countryman. Still, it makes a strong value play.
Its CVT behaves better than those in previous Nissans we’ve driven, but it still struggles to respond quickly to throttle commands and suffers from sluggish simulated shifts.
With a price tag of just over $23,000, the Kicks SR with the Premium package comes with cool details such as orange stitching throughout the cabin and a terrific Bose sound system with two speakers located in the driver’s headrest. However, there were complaints about the seating position and uncomfortable lumbar support.
Our biggest complaint? The fact that the Kicks is marketed as an SUV but lacks AWD. Although it surprisingly didn’t get stuck on the sand of the Power Sports track, it struggled to go up the sand hill.
On-road, the amount of wind noise, road noise, and tire noise is nearly deafening, Mark Rechtin noted. “But that’s OK—you just crank up the awesome Bose stereo, and everything is cool.”
It’s a great deal for Sun Belters looking to buy a first new car that doesn’t feel cheap. With a stylish design, smartphone-friendly technology, and an affordable price, Nissan has come up with the right formula to market to millennial buyers.
“It’s not quick, but it’s good enough, and it goes off-road better than some of the AWD cars here,” Scott Evans said. “It has tons of rear-seat and cargo space for the class. This is a really solid pick.”
READ ABOUT 2019 SUV OF THE YEAR CONTENDERS:
Source: Read Full Article