Nissan Kicks

The redesigned Nissan Kicks is larger and more powerful than the original version, and for the first time, it’s being offered with all-wheel drive. Further, Nissan has beefed up the subcompact SUV’s suite of active safety and driver assistance features—always a good thing, in our book.

The Kicks essentially replaces both the previous Kicks and the subcompact Rogue Sport (discontinued since 2023), a role made possible by the tougher-looking visage, a tall 8.4 inches of ground clearance, and the newly available all-wheel drive. Its length has increased by about 3 inches; wheelbase is up about 2 inches; height gained an inch, and the new Kicks is wider by almost two inches. These changes benefit passengers and cargo space, making the cabin a bit more hospitable than before.

In other words, the versatile hatchback has grown up and is “kicking” higher. It has a broader appeal than the last version, and it’s a nice enough option as a local runabout. It also doesn’t hurt that the cabin’s level of fit and finish is better than expected, imparting a feeling that you’re getting a fair amount for your money. The little Nissan also proved to be a willing companion to take through corners, due to its nimble handling.

Unfortunately, meager power, a loud engine, elevated wind noise on the highway, a rough ride, and some awkward aspects of the driving position make the Kicks unpleasant on longer trips. Those demerits keep its road-test score from being high enough to earn a CR recommendation. Still, some of our testers preferred to focus on the Kicks’ positive aspects, especially in light of its reasonable price.

“This is a good, basic car for a lot of people,” said one of our testers. “There’s nothing that really stands out as amazing, but also nothing that’s awful. It’s on the louder side, it rides a little harshly, and it feels underpowered. But it’s also easy to use, simple to get into and out of, handles pretty well, and it has some style, both inside and out.”

We bought a 2025 Nissan Kicks SV AWD for $27,160—anonymously from an area dealer, as we do with every vehicle we test—for the purpose of this road test review. The Kicks is assembled in Aguascalientes, Mexico. We also borrowed a Kicks SR AWD from Nissan to get a feel for that higher trim.

The humble 141 horsepower that the Kicks’ 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine produces is adequate enough for around-town driving. We like that the powertrain isn’t hampered by any delays when getting going, and that the continuously variable transmission (CVT) simulates upshifts in a way that makes it feel more similar to a conventional automatic transmission.

But the engine’s lack of grunt forces the driver to step hard on the gas pedal to find any kind of real speed, or in situations where you’re climbing a long, steep hill or merging onto the highway. The extra 19 horsepower its new 2.0-liter four-cylinder produces over the original Kicks can’t overcome the weight gains (about 600 pounds more with our tested all-wheel-drive model), leaving tepid acceleration as a notable shortcoming. As such, our tested SV AWD only managed to amble from 0 to 60 mph in 9.5 seconds, which is okay for the class, but pretty slow compared to most vehicles on the road. In light of that, we think it would be fair to expect fuel economy that’s better than the 27 mpg overall the Kicks managed in our testing, given its small size and modest powertrain performance.

The grumbly-sounding engine contributes to the cacophony within the cabin, which includes a constant drone of road and wind noise on the highway, together making longer drives a tiring affair.

On a more positive note, the Kicks proved responsive and fun to take through turns, thanks to its quick steering and stiff suspension, the latter of which keeps the body from leaning over very far through corners. It posted a commendable speed of 54 mph through our avoidance maneuver exercise. Its small size also helps to make it maneuverable and easy to park in tight city spots. Unfortunately, the ride quality isn’t great. The suspension feels brittle, and pavement flaws punch through to passengers. In some cases, the body bounces up and down quite noticeably in a choppy fashion, as if you were on a pogo stick.

Braking performance was a high point. The Kicks exhibited good grip and delivered short stopping distances on both our dry and wet surfaces. Our drivers also found the brake pedal easy to modulate on the road.

The Kicks’ cabin is nicely dressed for the price, including a multitude of padded surfaces, contrasting color stitching, and textured plastic trim. It’s easy to get into the cabin thanks to the elevated height off the road. Considering the Kicks’ small size, there’s decent space for the driver, including lots of headroom. But the center console intrudes on the driver’s right knee space, the armrests are under-padded, and the steering wheel lacks enough tilt-down ability for some testers. We found the front seats are fine for short drives, but their narrow shape and lack of lumbar adjustments hurt long-haul comfort.

It’s a tighter squeeze to get into the rear seat due to the narrow door opening, slightly sloping roof, taller seat height, and snug knee space, although it’s still not terribly difficult. Just a bit of ducking is required to miss the roof on the way in, along with some contorting to get around the rear wheel well on the way out. Once you’re in, the rear seat is reasonably comfortable, but headroom is tight.

Cargo space is among the Kicks’ virtues, with a wide, square opening and a roomy compartment for a vehicle this size. We were able to fit three large suitcases behind the rear seat, which is pretty good for the segment. Plus, there’s some useful storage under the cargo floor.

Most controls are easy to figure out, due to the use of conventional knobs, buttons, and steering wheel stalks for many common functions. We particularly appreciate that the climate controls use simple physical dials and buttons, harking back to simpler designs that can be used without looking, once learned. Two negatives, though: First, the climate controls are tucked down a bit low below the dashboard air vents, forcing the driver to look away from the road to adjust them. And here in New England, where you can experience four seasons of weather in a day, we missed the convenience of automatic climate control in our midlevel SV. It’s standard on the top-level SR.

Large text and icons make the infotainment touchscreen easy to interpret at a glance. It also has a “home” button and customizable shortcuts that help make the system pretty straightforward. Other big pluses are that the midlevel Kicks SV comes with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, plus a pad for wireless phone charging.

All Kicks trims come standard with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, reverse automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams.

The top SR trim offers ProPilot Assist 1.0, which includes a more advanced adaptive cruise control system with stop-and-go ability, plus lane centering assistance to help the vehicle stay in its lane on highways. ProPilot Assist 1.0 can ease driver stress in traffic jams by bringing the vehicle to a stop, holding it in place, and then proceeding when traffic advances.

A rear occupant alert system comes standard on the Kicks. It’s designed to remind the driver—based on rear-door logic—to check the rear seat when the Kicks is turned off to help prevent children and pets from suffering heatstroke or hypothermia if unintentionally left behind in the vehicle. Unfortunately, the rear occupant alert system doesn’t come factory-enabled (unlike in most vehicles), and some parents may not even realize the Kicks has this feature available to them. There’s also a rear belt minder, which alerts the driver if a rear passenger unbuckles their seat belt during the trip.