10 Things You Need to Know About the 2018 Nissan Kicks

2018 Nissan Kicks ・ Photo by Nissan

The all-new 2018 Nissan Kicks is the latest compact crossover to join the swelling ranks of vehicles designed to appeal to young buyers. It nestles in below the Nissan Rogue Sport as the smallest crossover in the Nissan lineup. The Kicks is compact, affordable, and an ideal choice for those who live in urban environments where streets are narrow and parking spaces are small.

Although it’s an affordable crossover, the Kicks comes with a substantial range of standard features and a wide variety of colors to have fun with. Here are 10 things you need to know about the 2018 Nissan Kicks.

1. The design was inspired by Brazil.

The Kicks Concept debuted at the 2014 São Paulo Motor Show and was the result of a collaboration between Nissan Design America in San Diego, and its satellite studio in Rio de Janeiro. The production version of the Kicks retains much of the styling we saw on the concept combined with more familiar Nissan design cues.

There’s the signature V-Motion grille, boomerang headlights and taillights, and an exaggerated floating roof. Designers gave the Kicks a more dramatic stance with big wheel arch fenders and dark lower body trim to make it look low and wide. The finishing touch is seven exterior colors and five two-tone color combinations to choose from, for added flair.

Photo by Nissan

2. It takes the place of the discontinued Nissan Juke — sort of.

The Kicks takes the place of the Nissan Juke as the smallest crossover in the Nissan lineup; however, it’s a very different crossover that targets a different buyer. The Juke had quirkier styling that made you love it or hate it, it was smaller and lacked significant cargo capacity, and it came at a higher price.

The Kicks still has unique styling, especially with the contrasting roof colors, but it’s not as bold as the Juke. It takes its cues from the Rogue Sport and fits better with the rest of Nissan’s offerings. Better styling, better cargo capacity, and a more affordable price make the Kicks a more compelling choice.

Photo by Nissan

3. Bose speakers in the driver's headrest are available.

Priced at $1,000, the option of an upgraded Bose Personal Plus audio system is available on the top SR trim with the SR Premium Package. It’s a part of the Bose small vehicle series, and it uses eight speakers to create what Bose calls “360 degrees of immersive sound.”

The system includes a 6.5-inch Bose Super65 speaker in each front door, cross-firing 1.0-inch tweeters in each of the A-pillars, and 5.25-inch wide-range speakers in each rear door. The last two speakers are built right into the driver’s seat headrest where you’ll find two 2.5-inch Bose UltraNearfield neodymium speakers. It’s all controlled by the Bose PersonalSpace Control center in the vehicle’s infotainment system.

Photo by Nissan

4. Pricing starts at just $17,990.

With a starting price of just $17,990 for the base model, the Nissan Kicks is an affordable crossover. Standard features include a large 7-inch infotainment screen, 3 USB ports, automatic emergency braking, and roof rails.

There are two additional models to choose from — the Kicks SV comes in at $19,690 with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, heated side mirrors, and automatic temperature control. At the top of the lineup is the Kicks SR with a price of $20,290. It adds LED low-beam headlights, fog lights, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter knob, SR seat fabric and trims, a rear roof-mounted spoiler, and an Intelligent Around View Monitor.

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5. The whole lineup has the same powertrain.

There’s a single powertrain across the Kicks lineup. All three trims have a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine with 125 horsepower and 115 lb-ft of torque paired to a continuously variable automatic transmission. There’s no option for anything more powerful, even on the highest trim level of the Kicks.

That’s not a tremendous amount of horsepower, but remember, this isn’t a full-size SUV. The Kicks is designed to be a small, peppy crossover and that’s precisely the drive experience it delivers. It’s not a sporty car because that’s not its intent. However, it’s an excellent vehicle for running around town.

Photo by Nissan

6. It gets great fuel economy.

That small engine might not win any races, but it comes with a perk: great fuel economy. As a vehicle that puts a priority on affordability, the Kicks continues to save you money over the long term by keeping you from stopping at the pump. Especially with gas prices on the rise, you get a break by not having to refuel quite as frequently.

The 2018 Nissan Kicks achieves an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 31 mpg in the city, 36 mpg on the highway, and 33 mpg combined. Those numbers put the Kicks slightly ahead of competitors like the Honda HR-V and Mazda CX-3.

Photo by Nissan

7. It's designed to be fun to drive.

Even with its modest horsepower, Nissan designed the Kicks to be a fun little crossover. Don’t expect an overly sporty ride, but that doesn't mean it will be a dull one either. The Kicks offers good handling with a strut front suspension with stabilizer bar, twist-beam rear suspension, and twin-tube shock absorbers.

It also features traction control, dynamic vehicle control, hill start assist, and electronic power steering with a 34.1-foot turning radius that’s ideal for cities. The top SR trim gets active engine braking, active trace control, and active ride control for even more refined handling.

Photo by Nissan

8. All-wheel drive is not available.

In addition to their flexibility to carry people or cargo, crossovers also offer more ground clearance than sedans. Even if they’re not rated for off-road driving, that extra clearance gives crossovers an edge during winter weather conditions when the roads have yet to be plowed and the snow is deep.

All-wheel drive also plays into the capability of a crossover, but it’s not available on the Kicks. This is strictly a front-wheel drive vehicle, which may be enough to turn some shoppers away. Competitors like the all-new Hyundai Kona and Ford EcoSport come standard with front-wheel drive but offer all-wheel drive as an option.

Photo by Nissan

9. Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) is standard on every Kicks.

There is an increasing number of autonomous driving technologies found on today’s cars to make driving more relaxing and to keep us all safer on the road. These technologies are still very new, but data shows that automatic emergency braking is making a huge difference in reducing accidents and injuries. It’s proven so effective, 20 automakers in the United States have pledged to make it a standard feature by 2022.

Nissan is on this list of automakers and is working toward that 2022 goal by adding automatic emergency braking (AEB) to more and more vehicles in its fleet. The 2018 Nissan Kicks includes this as a standard feature, even on the base Kicks S.

Photo by Nissan

10. Don't let its small size fool you - there's lots of room for cargo.

A compact crossover aims to offer the cargo flexibility of larger crossovers and SUVs with a smaller, more affordable footprint. The challenge is finding one that’s not so small that its cargo area isn’t up to the task.

The Nissan Kicks looks quite small on the outside but boasts a surprisingly large cargo capacity on the inside. Behind the 60/40 split-folding rear seat is 25.3 cubic feet for cargo with a low, wide cargo floor ideal for loading bulky items. That’s more room than you’ll find behind the second row of the Toyota C-HR or Mazda CX-3.

Photo by Nissan