The Original Nissan Kicks Lives On In Canada And It’s Unbelievably Cheap

With the announcement of the new, more grown-up 2025 Nissan Kicks, you’d think that the first-generation model would be dead in North America, right? It was a good little hatchback, but generations of cars die, and you’d think it’s time for this one to slip quietly into the inky twilight. Except it’s not. Not everywhere in North America, at least. See, the old Nissan Kicks lives on in Canada, and there are two extremely good reasons as to why Nissan should put it back on sale in America too.

This isn’t the first time an older model has stuck around for the sake of economy. In fact, Nissan did the exact same thing with the first-generation Rogue for a few years, as it was sold alongside the second-generation Rogue as the Rogue Select. Infiniti did the same thing selling the G37 as the Q40, so who’s to say the same trick won’t work a third time?

Cars often get decontented as they age into their continuation years, and the Kicks Play is no exception. There’s no more Bose audio system on offer, no more leatherette upholstery, no more two-tone paint. However, you still get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, and really, along with air conditioning, that’s all you need. Should you want more, a mildly upmarket SV trim with 17-inch alloy wheels, rear disc brakes, a heated steering wheel, heated seats, a slightly bigger eight-inch touchscreen, and a seven-inch partly digital instrument cluster, and a few other sundries, but when you’re in this segment, you’re probably still looking at the value menu, yeah?

Obviously, the 1.6-liter 122-horsepower four-cylinder engine and continuously variable transmission under the hood of the Kicks Play don’t make for the most inspiring combination on the market, but 31 mpg city is a little bit better than the 28 mpg the new Kicks gets, and over five years of ownership, those little savings at the pump could add up to a seriously tangible difference.

So, why would you buy a first-generation Kicks now that the second-generation car is on sale? Well, including freight, it stickers for $24,628 Canadian, which, at current exchange rates, worked out to $17,714.67 USD. That’s dirt freaking cheap, and cheap cars matter. Come January, there will only be one car left in America with a price tag of less than $20,000 — the Nissan Versa. Another option would be much appreciated, and especially one with a practical hatch. Part of the lack of other options is the fact that cheap cars are often expensive to put on sale, but that’s where the Mk1 Kicks has an ace in the hole.

See, the first-generation Kicks is already crash-tested. Its powertrain has already passed U.S. emissions homologation. It even has U.S.-spec lighting. It would be pretty damn cheap to put this thing back on sale in America, development costs are virtually nil, the parts supply is already built out, it’s essentially a way to print money.

We’re lucky that we live in an age where truly bad cars are few and far between, and that’s a good thing for automakers, as it means enterprising ones can continue selling their old wares to make a few extra bones. It’s high time for the value model to make a comeback, don’t you think?

(Photo credits: Nissan)

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