Nissan Kicks essentials: The future of small cars looks a lot like this

What is it: The Kicks is Nissan's new subcompact crossover, a much more mainstream (if also much less interesting) kinda-sorta replacement for the oddball Nissan Juke. Nissan keeps it simple with just three trim levels and one powertrain: A 125 hp 1.6-liter inline-four paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) and front-wheel drive. There's not much for an enthusiast to embrace, but it's a solid and inoffensive entry-level vehicle.

Key Competitors: Honda HR-V, Toyota CH-R, Hyundai Kona

Base Price: $20,685 As-Tested Price: $21,445

Full review: 2018 Nissan Kicks first drive

Highlights: The Kicks does the "affordable small car" thing better than anything else in the Nissan lineup. The Kicks S starts at $19,585; this is an SV, which adds 17-inch wheels, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and more starting at $21,445. $21,915 gets you the range-topping SR, which gets LED headlights, a rear roof spoiler, Nissan's Intelligent Around View monitor and more.








Our Opinion: If you want to know why crossovers are taking over the world, look to cars like the Nissan Kicks. It's not that the Kicks is a mind-blower in any way whatsoever — kind of the opposite, really. But it does everything with a small-car competence that Nissan's other inexpensive offerings have been lacking lately, and if offers extra space and that coveted higher driving position without any huge price or fuel economy penalty over similar non-crossovers. What's not to like?

If you're an enthusiast, you could probably come up with a few things. Output, for one, is adequate at best at 125 hp, and it's processed by a mandatory CVT (a manual Kicks is available in other markets, but not here). Nor is the steering anything to get excited about — it's more than a little numb. I'd give the Mazda CX-3 and Hyundai Kona a major edge on the handling front.

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