Nissan India has taken another leap (after the slow-moving Terrano) in the booming crossover segment with the all-new Kicks. The Kicks is an international model but the one we got here is tailor-made for Indian condition. Prices start at Rs 9.55 lakhs and are calculated to rival the segment leader, Hyundai Creta. Now, take a look why you should consider buying the all-new Kicks.
What’s good about it?
The Kicks has good presence owing to its slightly larger dimension. Spanning over 4.3m the Kicks is longer and wider than the current benchmark, the Hyundai Creta. The Kicks looks imposing owing to its muscular proportions and new Nissan V-Motion design language.
The cabin is adequately loaded with all the features that one may expect from a mid-range crossover. It gets features like auto headlamps, automatic wipers, cruise control and a useful new feature which is a 360-degree surround view (which is a segment first).
The Kicks comes with standard features like dual front airbags, driver’s seat height adjustment, power windows, power mirrors with integrated indicators, and climate control with rear AC vents. Moreover, on expensive variants, there are four airbags, hill start assist, rear fog lamps, button start and an eight-inch display for the Apple CarPlay/Android Auto compatible system.
What’s not so good?
No Automatic. The Kicks is available with 1.5-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel. The former is mated to a five-speed manual and the latter gets a six-speed manual. There was no mention of an optional automatic transmission at the time of the launch and Nissan will only bring in the X-Tronic CVT transmission (from the Duster and Terrano) sometime later.
Some elements are borrowed from the older Nissan models which take away the charm of the all-new Kicks. For example, the stalks behind the steering wheel, centre-console mounted switches for hazard light and centre locking and many such small bits are carried forward from the Duster/Terrano.
Best variant to buy?
The XV (O). It is the top-spec fully loaded trim and comes with all the bells and whistles you’ll ever need in a sub-15 lakh crossover.
Specification
Petrol – 1.5-litre, four-cylinder
105bhp/142Nm, five-speed manual.
Diesel – 1.5-litre, four-cylinder
108bhp/240Nm, six-speed manual.
Did you know?
The original Kicks was introduced in 2016 to promote the Summer Olympics in Brazil. The India-spec Kicks is built on Dacia B0 platform to reduce production costs. However, it is a larger car that bears styling similar to the original Kicks.
