Ritesh Madhok
In October this year Nissan unveiled the exteriors of the all-new India specific Kicks at an event held in Mumbai. In December 2018, Nissan finally showcased the yet to be launched all-new Kicks in Bhuj, Gujarat. We drove the car in the remotest parts of Kutch.
Exterior & styling
The Nissan Kicks looks stunning from the word go. It is quite different from other compact SUVs currently on offer. Kicks is based on the Micra’s platform, which is smaller. But the India specific Kicks is based on the bigger, better and more robust platform, of the Terrano. The front of the car is dominated by the Nissan signature V-motion chrome grille. The smoked headlight cluster houses the LED projector headlamps (low-beam) and a multi-reflector halogen bulb (high-beam) and also the LED DRL’s. The dual-tone front bumper features a silver-coloured skid plate and above it sits the massive chrome finished twin slat air-dam for the intercooler. The flared wheel arches give the Kicks a muscular stance. The 17-inch dual-tone diamond cut wheels come shod with 215/60 R17 tyres. The Kicks also features a floating roof-line perfectly in-sync with the current trend. The roof gets a roof rail which is actually functional and can support loads of up to 100 kilograms. The rear of the Kicks is one of the best we’ve seen on a compact SUV. Be it the rakish rear windscreen, or the boomerang-shaped tail-lamps.
Interior & safety
Step inside the Kicks and the first thing you’ll notice is the massive 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system and the dual-tone brown and black interior theme with carbon fibre finish. The instrument cluster is simple with all the tell-tale lights, yet sporty with an analogue tachometer and a digital speedometer. The dashboard is a mix of soft-touch plastic and leather. The front and rear seats are quilted and perforated with the same brown and black coloured leather. There are aircon vents to cool the rear passengers. The Kicks offers first-in-class automatic climate control across all variants. The floating 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system supports Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and NissanConnect with SmartWatch connectivity. On the safety and technology front, the Kicks comes equipped with Brake Assist and ABS with EBD, four airbags, Hill start assist, Vehicle dynamic control, Smart vision with Auto headlamps, front & rear fog lamps, rain sensing wipers and the first-in-class main highlight; Around View Monitor 360-degree Camera. All these cameras give you a 360-degree view of the surrounding area on the 8-inch touchscreen display which in our opinion is extremely helpful not only while reversing, but also while maneuvering the car through tight spaces.
Engine, transmission & drive
The all-new Nissan Kicks comes with two engine options; the 1498cc H4K petrol in-line 4 cylinders which develops 106 PS @ 5600 RPM and churns out 142 NM of torque @ 4000 RPM and the same tried and trusted 1461cc K9K dCi diesel in-line 4 cylinders, which pushes out 110 PS @ 3850 RPM and churns out a healthy 240 NM of torque @ 1750 RPM. The petrol motor is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission while the diesel motor gets a 6-speed manual transmission. The Kicks offers adequate performance from the tiny 1.5L diesel engine. It is smooth to drive and there is very little engine noise within the cabin. The Kicks handled the worst of roads with ease without unsettling the passengers and thanks to its 210mm of ground clearance, handling the mountainous speed breakers without breaking a sweat. There is minimal turbo lag. The steering weighs up well at high speeds and the feedback is good. The Kicks had no issues handling high speeds of over 150 kph on flat surfaces. The brakes on the Kicks are good and help bring the car down to sane speeds in no time. The projector LED low-beam is bright enough and has a good spread covering the entire road.
Verdict
The Kicks is loaded to the brim with a lot of first-in-class set of features. Dimensionally, it’s the largest SUV in the segment, even bigger than the Hyundai Creta. Nissan has come up with a worthy competitor in already crowded compact SUV segment.
