The automobile marketplace was flooded with expensive cars during the pandemic, and it took years for affordable vehicles to hit dealerships again. Now, with the market on a bit of a downswing, I’m pleased to say that the world has some great entry-level offerings, with the new Chevy Trax (and Equinox EV) being among our favorites. Nissan has updated its cheapest SUV, the Kicks, and it looks damn good. But how does it drive?
[Full Disclosure: Nissan lent me a Nissan Kicks for review. I used it mostly to commute, pick people up from the airport, do errands, etc. Coming from a broken Pontiac Aztek that I was sleeping in that week, the Kicks felt like a damn Rolls Royce. Thank you Nissan, though sorry, again, for the big gash in the wheel. -DT].
We’re getting toward the end of the year, and I have a few reviews to finish up. This first one, a Nissan Kicks, was a vehicle I specifically asked for because I love the idea of a dirt-cheap all-wheel drive SUV for the masses.
The old Nissan Kicks was a good value, but it didn’t offer all-wheel drive and it looked a bit … plain. The new car, with 141 horsepower and 140 lb.-ft. of torque (up 19 and 26, respectively), adds drive to the rear wheels and a really gorgeous overall design. Seriously, in person, the red paint and that handsome front end just work:
And the overall shape is just nice:
The car I was driving was the SR all-wheel drive model, which starts around $29,000 after delivery charge. This trim comes with big 19-inch wheels (one of which I scratched up quite a bit on a curb — sorry Nissan!), a 12.3-inch display with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, adaptive cruise control, wireless charging, “sport leatherette” seats with red/black cloth inserts, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Plus it was equipped with the Premium Package, which adds the Panoramic moonroof, Bose 10-speaker audio, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, Front Central Seat-Mounted Air Bag, Remote Engine Start, and rain-sensing wipers.
All in, this car cost somewhere in the low $30,000 range, It’s an expensive version of a cheap car, which is not really a combination I usually recommend. Here’s why:
All Nissan Kicks come equipped with the same 2.0-liter direct-injected naturally aspirated inline-four, transversely mounted, and hooked to an “Xtronic” continuously variable transmission. That setup, along with a rather modest 3,252 pound curb weight for even the top-dog SR AWD model, help contribute to a decent EPA fuel economy rating of 27 MPG city, 34 MPG highway, 30 MPG combined.
For an all-wheel drive vehicle with 8.4 inches of ground clearance, that’s not bad. That’s right there with the Subaru Crosstrek. The issue is that the Kicks faces the same problem the Crosstrek does now that it no longer offers a stickshift: The CVT makes the modestly-powered engine work hard.
[reel]
You can look at the nice alloy wheels, the handsome overall design, the big interior screens, the decent quality leatherette covering much of the interior, and think to yourself: “Wow, that doesn’t look like a cheap car at all!” Nissan did a good job on that front. But the dead giveaway is the way that powertrain behaves; it feels loud and sluggish. To pay $32-ish grand for a car with this powertrain would be tough for me personally, but I’d love to give the cheaper trims a chance.
Driving the car around town, I thought the ride quality was decent, if a bit bumpy. I didn’t find the road noise too bad for a car in this segment, though it is worth mentioning that Car and Driver found it to be significantly worse on the freeway than the Chevy Trax. From C&D:
In every case, the Trax is monumentally quieter. At 70 mph, the reading inside the Kicks is three decibels higher, a vast and instantly noticeable difference. To give you a sense of the significance of that gap, the disparity is the same between a Ram TRX and a Mercedes E-class. The gulf between the Trax and the Kicks widens on rougher surfaces, where the former is four decibels quieter and the latter’s clattering suspension and ponging tires quickly become grating.
So this is something you’ll have to try out yourself during a test drive.
[Writer’s note: Having driven both the new Kicks and the current Chevrolet Trax, I can confirm that the Trax is noticeably quieter than the Kicks almost all the time. The difference is especially noticeable during acceleration, but also hugely appreciable at a cruise. Come to think of it, the previous generation Kicks also seemed quieter than the new one at a cruise, especially after Nissan redesigned the door seal as part of a facelift. It’s also worth noting that the Trax is nearly half a second quicker to 60 mph and features a normal six-speed automatic transmission instead of a CVT, so it’s simply a snappier experience out on the road. -TH]
I quite like the car’s overall driving position and visibility. Sure, the C-pillars are huge, but the hood is low and the rear window is nice and wide:
The interior is roomy, I like how deep the cupholders are, I dig the big door pockets, and overall I just enjoyed the Kicks’ size for whipping around LA. The trunk is sizeable, the legroom and headroom are both ample, and the car looks good both on the inside and out.
So the Nissan Kicks is a bit loud and a bit slow, but it’s not bad. I think, if you want a front-wheel drive, attractive small SUV on a budget, it’s going to have a tough time standing out against the Chevy Trax, because even though Nissan nailed the new Kicks’ styling, so did Chevy nail the Trax’s. Check it out:
What’s more, the $1,330-cheaper Trax offers Apple CarPlay as standard, and let’s be honest: Lots of people in this segment just want an SUV with CarPlay, a decently-sized screen, and good looks. The Trax has that on the inside and out, even on the base car:
The Kicks’ base interior, it’s worth noting, looks a little more spartan, largely because of the screen.
Yes, that’s a big plastic bezel with a relatively small seven-inch screen in the center:
The Trax I think does a nicer job of hiding its eight-inch screen in its bezel, even if I do dig the Nissan’s physical switches.
So I could see the base Kicks being a hard sell over the Trax, but If you want an all-wheel drive SUV and you don’t really care about Apple Carplay, the base Nissan Kicks S with with Intelligent AWD could be a good option at $24,720 plus tax.
Spring up to the SV AWD model at about $27,000 and you get Carplay, decent fuel economy, and an all-wheel drive SUV with an 18 degree approach angle, 27 degree departure angle, and 19 degree breakover angle. Those are right there with the Subaru Crosstrek, which starts at around the same price for the base model, which — while equipped with Apple CarPlay — comes with dual seven-inch screens and not the single 12.3-incher in the Kicks SV.
[Writer’s note: Two other small crossovers in close contention with the Nissan Kicks SV AWD on price are the $26,415 Mazda CX-30 2.5 S and the $25,965 Kia Seltos LX, both of which come standard with AWD. The Mazda looks fabulous, features a substantially more powerful 191-horsepower engine and refined six-speed automatic transmission, two more speakers in its audio system, but a smaller 8.8-inch infotainment screen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It feels leagues more expensive than the Kicks, but isn’t as spacious or as economical. The Kia features a smaller eight-inch touchscreen, matches the Nissan with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, features well-placed rear seat A/C vents, lets you lock the front-to-rear torque split in the all-wheel-drive system to 50:50 at low speeds, and offers an extra 2.7 cu.-ft. of cargo space with the rear seats up. However, it’s not quite as well-equipped on the whole. -TH]
The $27,000 Kicks SV AWD is also priced right there with the Toyota Corolla Cross L, though that car makes do with an eight-inch screen and hubcaps/steel wheels, and neither it nor the base Crosstrek offer a cool two-tone color scheme like the $27,000 AWD Kicks does:
So it’s a bit of a mixed bag, the Kicks. The front-drive models have stiff competition from Chevy, the base all-wheel drive models are a good deal but don’t offer Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and the mid-level all-wheel drive is starting to get up to Toyota/Subaru pricing, though it offers more features for less. Overall, I think the little Kicks is a totally competent and pleasant-to-drive small SUV, and especially if you can get a deal on one, an all-wheel drive model with CarPlay could offer lots of value to those who want an efficient vehicle that should be able to handle a few light trails.
“Get your Kicks…on Route 66!”
That front end is atrocious…not that I like anything else on it either
You completely lost me at CVT.
Exactly – words can not describe how horrible the Nissan CVT is especially with an underpowered engine. It just motorboats all the time…add to that the historical dismal reliability of the Jatco CVT that Nissan uses and it’s a hard no.
This thing seems like a hard sell to anyone with a brain, like most Nissans. At MSRP it just doesn’t compete for all the reasons mentioned in the review. If I were shopping for a compact SUV, I would heavily consider the Corolla Cross hybrid. Also, I understand it is a different segment, but the 200hp Civic hybrid seems like a more enjoyable vehicle in every way. No AWD tho : /
Anyone else notice the apparent size difference between the new Kicks and the older PT Cruiser?!
This vehicle doesn’t appeal to me.
It might appeal to me if they made a version with FWD and a manual or FWD with a hybrid or plug-in hybrid.
And let’s be honest… the type of driving most buyers of this thing will do won’t need AWD.
The vast majority of the time, the AWD is just dead weight that reduces performance and efficiency.
Also if you’re the type of person who keeps vehicles a long time, the Nissan Kicks might be better than the Trax because the Trax engine has a stupid wet timing belt design. It’s a design that doesn’t last.
AWD is necessary if you add steep roads/driveways to winter conditions, which is why I prefer AWD. Engineering Explained did a video last year that put some numbers to it (FFW to 9:08): https://youtu.be/1KGiVzNNW8Y?si=GGjPxdIqvrVGzOyg
Making some assumptions about the weight distribution of the cars, RWD and FWD cars with winter tires are good for up to 17%/18% grade in snow, while AWD with winter tires is good to about 32% grade in snow, a substantial difference. I’ve found this matches my experience on steep grades where my driveway is 25%, and the road to my girlfriend’s old house hits 30%, while her driveway is also about 25-30%. Yes, I’ve gotten stuck in all those places (and other steep roads) with FWD and winter tires (Prius), but am totally fine with AWD and winter tires on low-clearance Subaru Legacys. Even in places without steep roads, you’ll sometimes see steep driveways. Even if I stay out of the steep neighborhoods in my town, I have to be able to get out of my garage, LOL.
edit: The dirt road to my girlfriend’s new house is even steeper, maxing out at 39% grade.
“AWD is necessary if you add steep roads/driveways to winter conditions, “
Not really. You just have to be smart about your approach and have decent tires.
I’m speaking from personal 1st hand experience. I live in Toronto, Canada. I’ve driven in many snow storms.
AWD is nice to have for a minority of the time. And it’s performance/efficiency killing dead weight the vast majority of the time.
I already have winter tires. Watch that Engineering Explained video, or at least skip to 9:08 where he has the table of max grades for different tire/drive combinations. Do you drive steep grades in Toronto? I’ve driven past/not stopped there on road trips, and don’t know if there might be any steep topography within the city.
the seats remind me of the old Sentra SE-R Spec V
Re: the Trax lacking AWD… I know that AWD is a nice marketing bit on these (insert favorite acronym for this type of vehicles here), but is it really necessary? I drove an FWD Olds 88 in and around Cleveland, OH for a winter and the only thing that would stop me from going directly to where I wanted to get to was limited ground clearance on unplowed roads. And that was without dedicated snow tires.
AWD may do a slightly better job of getting you moving, but at some point, you still have to slow down or stop, and AWD does nothing to help in that department.
And if you live in Florida like I do…
I totally agree with you but from a sales standpoint do you want to be right or do you want to sell cars? People are walking away from the Trax bc of no AWD, whether that’s dumb or not.
I don’t disagree. I’m just saying I would be comfortable buying the Trax over the Kicks (or at least cross-shopping it) because of the quieter ride and transmission choice.
The problem is it has to hurt the lease/resale because in roughly half the country folks will want the AWD option on the secondary market.
I live in MN and yes you can get by with FWD- especially if you have winter tires but AWD is much more confidence inspiring going through the slush and snow.
Oh I’m with you, Trax all day.
“but is it really necessary?”
In my opinion, the answer is a firm “no” on that.
And I’m saying that as someone who lives in the Toronto area and has gotten by just fine over the past 25+ years with FWD vehicles equipped with decent tires.
AWD becomes necessary when you add steep roads and driveways to winter conditions. When it gets steep and slippery enough, FWD with winter tires will get stuck where AWD with winter tires will make it up. This is my from experience on 25%+ roads and driveways. Engineering Explained on YouTube had an episode that put numbers to that with some assumptions for weight distribution, steepness, etc. a few years back.
The biggest problem for me is once you get to the top of those 25% driveways, you have to get back down without over-shooting the base. And AWD offers no advantages there.
Looks like the engine in this thing has been around a while – anyone know how the reliability is? That’s the one thing that makes me nervous to recommend the Trax is the turbo I3 seems very new.
I like the Trax a lot but the wet timing belt concerns me.
The Trax engine [LIH/LBP] debuted in 2018 in Asia and 2020 in North America. People seem to be very concerned about this engine, but thus far I have not heard any reports about any systemic issues.
The “wet belt” design gives some people pause. Not only the oil pump, but there’s actually a wet timing belt. Per a mechanic’s overview I saw on YouTube, servicing the belt is labor-intensive because there is no direct access to the top of the belt where it meets the timing gears. However, the belt itself is a [supposedly] robust part sourced from Continental. So it’s not so much an issue of reliability, but serviceability.
Interestingly, this engine has an external water pump that is driven by the drive belt, so in that case they actually improved serviceability and [theoretically] reliability.
Complaint from the past 20 years: Can’t get a manual transmission anymore. Fucking automatics!
Complaint for the next 20 years: Can’t get a real automatic transmission anymore. Fucking CVTs!
The receptionist got a new Trax recently – it’s been gone for a while now due to “computer issues” she tells me. She’s driving a relative’s Mazda CX-5 now (no loaner apparently), maybe she will regret her Trax decision…
I don’t see Nissan conquesting a lot of other buyers with this one. It’s nice looking, but seems to not quite hit the value play the right way. In the example you gave there’s too many conditions that just read as damning with faint praise.
Where the loaded trims in this segment seem to have appeal is if you’re coming out of a model a class above and want to keep some of the same features you had while keeping costs, size, or both down. A power driver’s seat or power liftgate are a couple of those, which I think every competitor now offers the former and a lot of them offer the latter, but a loaded Kicks offers neither. For loaded Kicks money you’re very close to a Rogue SV which gets you those for not much more (or the same with more Rogue incentives). Nissan will just be happy if you drive off with something of course.
Granted most Kicks sold are going to be SVs anyway. But like the Seltos, a Hyundai Kona is priced right on top of that, and the upper trims walk over the Kicks in content plus they have the warranty card to play. And the 1.6T so there’s actually some power to go with the sporty styling cues.
There is a horse I would like to beat a little bit more….
Are we all agreeing that this thing (or any of the other ones mentioned) are SUVs and not hatchbacks / tall sedans?
Nissan, GM, Toyota, and Kia can call them what they want; that is part of the marketing, I guess. I don’t have to like it or agree with it, though.
But, seriously? Discussing departure angle and max clearance? What hairs are we splitting to determine just how much gravel can be on the ‘off-road’ surface? Riprap will eat the thing alive, let alone actually variably sized rocks.
I am not complaining at you, David, just letting out my own steam that the world buys into this nonsense
I dunno. What do people consider the Crosstrek?
The wife has had one for 8 years now, for the most part we just refer to her “car”, I think maybe twice in all those years one of us may have called it a truck, but really if I were feeling pedantic I might call it, and all other cars mentioned in this article, crossovers or CUVs.
David and 10001010, I would not be hateful of ‘CUV’. I wouldn’t like it, because, at that point, isn’t any car a function of its ‘utility’? That is a lot like putting in a PIN number at the ATM machine when we talk about the ‘car’ utility ‘vehicle’.
I think I would call the Crosstrek, if it wasn’t just ‘car’, a wagon? Long hatchback?
I know people with marketing degrees have to get people to believe in some idea of what the product says about the people that buy it, so maybe my real frustration is that it works.
I want the world to be smarter.
*sigh*
To me a wagon conjures up images of a car at normal ride height. Since these are jacked up a few inches they need something to differentiate them from, say the Impreza wagon. I believe Crocodile Dundee might have been onto something calling the Outback the world’s first Sport Utility Wagon.
I wouldn’t hate that.
Hmmm.
Kind of okay with it.
The ‘wagon’ becomes a descriptor of the ‘utility’
a hatchback.
“What do people consider the Crosstrek?”
I consider it to be a hatchback with “CUV marketing”
The Crosstrek is an unusual case since it’s very literally a lifted hatchback, sharing its’ entire body with the Impreza.
“Are we all agreeing that this thing (or any of the other ones mentioned) are SUVs and not hatchbacks / tall sedans?”
We could call them TSFs — Today’s Standard Format.
Rather have a great car in a cheap suit…
“…Front Central Seat-Mounted Air Bag…”
Is that a crotch airbag?
Dirt-cheap = $27K? Damn I’m still living in 2010s
Surprisingly, adjusted for inflation (ignoring buying power differences), anything sub-30k is fairly cheap. A Chrysler Sebring was ~19k in 2007, which inflation adjusted is 29k. I’d argue while “cheap cars” today may not be as cheap as they were in the 90’s, we’re getting a LOT more for our money on the bottom end today than we even did in the middle of the market 15 years ago.
I hate these adjusted by inflation stats. My salary, and I bet most others too, have not been keeping up with inflation rates.
Both the new Trax and Kicks would have been marketed as mid-level in 2015. Cars like this are now slyly pitched as entry-level in 2025 but kept at a mid-level price.
The fact that Nissan quickly brought the old Kicks back as a cheaper model speaks volumes.
I must say though, having driven the Kicks and the Trax, both base trims feel like they should have an MSRP of $15,995. In a sane world, at least.
“we’re getting a LOT more for our money “
Only problem is some of that ‘more’ is undesirable crap and bullshit to a lot of us. AWD for example… 90+% of the time it’s just dead weight that hurts performance and efficiency.
And automatic transmissions as standard equipment… they get good numbers on EPA tests. But in the real world, a properly driven manual will perform better and get better fuel economy.
I hear your argument but the reality of the entry level car market is the more features, the better, for nearly all buyers. People buying these cars want as much as they can get for their dollar, some want AWD and some don’t, so it being an option here is great. Similarly, the people walking into a Nissan dealership, or really any, are almost never actually requesting a manual anymore.
I love a good manual as much as anyone, but the reality of the current new car market, especially from Nissans struggling eyes, is that you have to pick and choose some battle to sell as many cars as possible.
The Kicks is quite well-equipped in the more reasonably-priced lower trims. I think most buyers will be avoiding the maxxed-out version that David was given. Same goes with the Trax and Envista.
Driving a base Kicks now as a dealer loaner and I hate it. Eco mode makes starting and stopping jerky, no AA/CP, no heated seats/steering…. I’m spoiled, I know. Maybe I just miss my own car too much.
I talked a previous Kicks owner out of another one and into a CX-30. Your complaints were some of his, but the base model CX-30 also lacks heated seats/steering. I don’t know what trim he ultimately bought other than hearing “this is way nicer than my old car and didn’t cost much more.”
A depressing number of cars reserve heated steering wheels for the absolute highest trims — ask me how I know. I think it’s crazy that you can actually get radar cruise control as standard on some mass-market cars, but have to pay $5k over the base trim to get a heated wheel.
Hell, some makes don’t even offer a heated wheel in the top trim. (A hearty “F you” goes out to the US-market Honda Civic.)
Seriously? A Honda with no option for heated steering? Not at all what I would expect from them.
Yeah. I had an EX-L before it was totaled and I don’t miss it. The heated wheel on my 3 is wonderful and it’s the lowest trim turbo.
I’m already seeing these in person all over the place so I guess the deals for the credit challenged must be comparatively okay this time of year. I think they look halfway decent. The design is a little bit busy but I do like that you can get them in actual colors and two tones. They also look nice from the back.
That being said a Jatco CVT is an immediate no dice/no recommendation from me. They blow up like clockwork, usually within mere days of the warranty expiring. Last I heard a full replacement is something like $5,000, and if you’re someone who’s been forced into Nissan ownership there’s a pretty good chance that that’s a number that’s not doable…and then all of a sudden Kyle from sales has a $500 a month payment for you on a new one, just don’t ask for the details! Sign right here! The negative equity will roll right over!
I also hate the commercials for these for some reason. The way you move is probably my least favorite OutKast song and the two Kicks filled with attractive, happy looking people blasting music at each other is just so corny and unrealistic to me. The advertising would be more accurate if the car was missing a bumper, had multiple lights out, was on a donut spare, and was traveling at 90 MPH with expired temporary tags from a state that’s thousands of miles away.
Just buy the Trax. At least it doesn’t saddle you with a hateful CVT. Or buy an HRV…Hell maybe even consider one of the Korean offerings because this is a class of car they put a lot of effort into. The main reason why GM was forced to stop making shitboxes in this niche was because they couldn’t compete with Hyundai Kia…and now they’re competing with *checks notes* badge engineered Korean cars.
This sounds like a personal attack on one of our posters.
pfft, that expired temporary plate was never real in the first place.
I remember seeing an expired Montana temporary tag in DC and I was like “sure, okay”
As soon as a pumped up Kicks driver finds a gun in their dad’s closet, it’s Big Altima Energy from there on out.
Nissan juke says Nissan has no idea about this class.
The Kicks is the Juke do-over, so maybe they learned their lesson-ish? Heavy on the ish.
I love the Trax so much and I really wish they’d make an AWD version. I think they’re kicking themselves in the teeth by not offering it. I think they’re trying not to cannibalize sales from their own Trailblazer but they are just NOT the same vehicle.
Same! I think the TRAX is a fantastic looking car for that segment, but the lack of AWD is a bummer.
Whoa David, a scratched wheel? I’m not sure if Nissan will be able to financially recover from that much damage. (/s, but only barely)
cold.
First thing corporate will do is ask if they can hide the damage by flipping the wheel around.