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    2021 Nissan Kicks makes value a virtue

    The 2021 Kicks seems to be sharper than its predecessor.
    Steven Ewing/Roadshow
    As far as inexpensive small automobiles go, you can positively do worse than the Nissan Kicks. It’s an environment friendly, feature-rich little factor, and for brand spanking new automotive customers on a price range, the Kicks is without doubt one of the finest general values out there right this moment.

    LikeExcellent gas economyLots of driver-assistance featuresExcellent general worth

    Don’t LikeAll trims want LED headlightsInterior may use extra personaNo all-wheel drive choice

    The Kicks will get a much-needed glow-up for 2021, with styling that is manner much less frumpy than earlier than. It’s a very good look, and whereas I personally favor the extra extroverted designs of opponents just like the Kia Soul or Hyundai Venue, I feel the Kicks is altogether extra refined than the wacky Hyundai Kona or Toyota C-HR. You get 16-inch wheels on the bottom Kicks S, however SV and SR trims improve to bigger 17s. My SV take a look at automotive has the non-obligatory black-painted alloys, which price $495 and would most likely look higher alongside one of many out there two-tone paint schemes — one with a black roof, for instance.The Kicks’ inside performs it down the center with a no-nonsense design. The controls are precisely the place you count on them to be and not one of the buttons or stalks really feel flimsy. Sure, the doorways are lined with exhausting plastic and the piano black trim across the gear shifter won’t ever, ever look clear, however the stuff you will contact most frequently — the steering wheel, window switches, infotainment controls, and so forth. — are all good. I do want the cup holders weren’t one massive rectangle with a partition within the center, although. Smaller drinks like, oh, I do not know, a grande vanilla nonfat latte from Starbucks can simply tip over whereas making a flip. Ask me how I do know.

    2021 Nissan Kicks packs quite a lot of options in a small footprint
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    Nissan’s superior Zero Gravity seats aren’t out there within the Kicks, however the material chairs in my SV tester are however comfy, and so they even have an fascinating diamond sample for just a little visible aptitude. You sit excessive up within the Kicks, too, and the seating place is sweet and comfy for a 5-foot, 8-inch common dude like myself. Plus, this larger seat top provides you a pleasant, commanding view out the entrance and aspect home windows — and it is higher on your posture, too.The again seats are serviceable, however higher suited to smaller adults or youngsters, and there is sufficient room behind them to schlep a few carry-on luggage or a purchasing cart’s price of groceries. The Kicks affords 25.3 cubic ft of area with the rear seats upright, which bests the Ford EcoSport, Hyundai Kona and Kia Soul. However, fold the bench flat and also you solely get 32.3 cubic ft, which is sort of half the max capability of the Soul and worse than the aforementioned Ford and Hyundai. If it’s essential haul on the common, the Kicks may not be for you. But since most individuals will use the hatch with out folding the again bench, I’m glad Nissan selected to err on the aspect of seat-up spaciousness.

    The inside seems to be plain, but it surely’s quiet and the seats are comfy.
    Steven Ewing/Roadshow
    Every Kicks makes use of the NissanJoin multimedia system, with each Apple CarPlay and Android Auto commonplace. The base Kicks S has a 7-inch touchscreen however the SV and SR use a barely bigger, 8-inch head unit; these higher trims get a further 7-inch show contained in the gauge cluster, too. NissanJoin’s graphics are dated and the menu construction is type of bizarre, but it surely’s simple sufficient to plug your telephone into one of many USB ports and let the Apple or Android software program do the heavy lifting. SV and SR trims include each USB-A and USB-C retailers, by the best way.

    An enormous promoting level for the 2021 Kicks is the sheer quantity of ordinary driver-assistance tech. Automatic emergency braking (entrance and rear), blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, parking sensors and rear cross-traffic alert are commonplace throughout the board, even on the bottom, $20,000 mannequin, and SV and SR trims add adaptive cruise management. No, you’ll be able to’t get Nissan’s cool ProPilot Assist freeway driving assistant, however that is not a complete deal-breaker. You can, nevertheless, get a 360-degree digicam on this little man, although it is solely out there on the top-level SR.There is not a lot to get enthusiastic about below the hood, however the Kicks’ powertrain is however satisfactory and environment friendly. The 1.6-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine produces 122 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque, which sound fairly dismal on paper, however on the highway, it’s very advantageous. Remember, the Kicks solely weighs 2,744 kilos in its heaviest spec, in order that engine does not have a ton of automotive to lug round. The Kicks solely comes with front-wheel drive, nevertheless, so should you’re in search of a tiny CUV with AWD capabilities, strive the Honda HR-V or Mazda CX-3.SV and SR fashions get an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
    Steven Ewing/Roadshow
    You can solely get the Kicks with a repeatedly variable transmission. And earlier than you balk on the concept of CVT, remember that Nissan’s been providing this transmission kind for years, that means the corporate’s had quite a lot of time to fine-tune its so-called Xtronic setup. Seriously, the Kicks has among the best CVTs round, quietly working within the background with out the high-revving drone that individuals are likely to affiliate with these transmissions.Plus, that CVT helps the Kicks return bangin’ gas financial system. Official EPA rankings aren’t out there simply but, however Nissan estimates you will see 31 miles per gallon within the metropolis, 36 mpg freeway and 33 mpg mixed — numbers proper in keeping with what I noticed in the actual world. That makes the Kicks extra environment friendly than quite a lot of different small crossovers, beating the Ford EcoSport, Hyundai Venue, Kia Soul and extra.The Kicks handles every day driving duties admirably, and it is truly fairly enjoyable to drive. The suspension is properly tuned for each metropolis and freeway driving and the brakes are sturdy with strong pedal really feel. The steering is mild, similar to each different small crossover, but it surely rapidly responds to inputs, and extra importantly, the Kicks is simple to maneuver and park. No one is anticipating the Kicks to be a thrill, but it surely’s a superbly nice little runabout. Yeah, it is pokey, but it surely may shock you on a winding highway.These black-painted 17-inch wheels are a $495 choice.
    Steven Ewing/Roadshow
    You can get right into a Kicks for as little as $20,595, together with $1,095 for vacation spot. The midgrade SV provides quite a lot of the niceties you will truly need, and it begins at a still-affordable $22,395. The loaded SR is available in at $23,035, and its solely big-ticket choice is the $1,200 Premium Package, which brings the value to $24,235 delivered.The SV grade ought to make up the majority of Kicks gross sales, however I truly assume a loaded SR is the perfect worth. The SR will get you all the perfect driver-assistance tech and it additionally comes commonplace with LED headlights (and foglights). That final bit is very vital — the halogen lamps on my SV take a look at automotive are so boring that, at one level, I truly pulled over to ensure I had the low-beams on and wasn’t simply counting on the working lights (like so many different oblivious Los Angeles drivers). LED headlights are brighter and due to this fact safer. Why they don’t seem to be commonplace on each automotive at this level is type of past me.It’s exhausting to beat the Kicks’ general worth.
    Steven Ewing/Roadshow
    But the loaded SR’s virtues prolong past illumination. Add the Premium Package and also you get heated seats, a heated steering wheel and that premium Bose audio system you have most likely heard — you recognize, the one with audio system within the driver’s headrest. Nothing makes an affordable automotive really feel premium fairly like heated seats and a kickin’ (get it?) stereo. All that and extra for lower than $25Ok? I do know it isn’t at all times simple to swing a pair thousand further once you’re on a good price range, however you will even be exhausting pressed to seek out this many facilities for this little money.The Kicks performs in a super-crowded class, alongside the whole lot from the dumpy Chevrolet Trax to the dumpier Ford EcoSport to engaging and compelling hatchbacks from Korea just like the Hyundai Kona, Venue and Kia Soul. Personally, I’d most likely go together with the Soul if it have been my cash; the Kia has a greater inside and it is nicer to drive, as effectively. Even so, the Nissan nonetheless affords extra options, and it is extra environment friendly than anything in its section. Any manner you slice it, the Kicks affords nice worth and it is exhausting to argue with that.

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