Nissan Kicks review

The Kicks seats four in relative comfort, five at a pinch, and all will be enveloped by the charcoal-colored surfaces that surround them. Opting for the SR trim at least nets you some red stitching and other highlights to break things up, and it goes a long way to give the car a bit more of the attitude it’s attempting to convey.

Nissan says its 3D-shaped rocker panels were inspired by sneaker soles, just in case the whole ‘Kicks’ thing was too subtle. The company also touts a ‘Zero Gravity’ seat design, meant to distribute weight in a way that makes long stretches bearable. We can’t say we felt wafted along by the zero-g seating, but they felt solid and secure, at least up front. 

In terms of space, there’s 30 cu ft of space behind the second row, opening up to 60 cu ft with the seats folded. That’s double the cubes! Not bad, though that’s just for the FWD Kicks. All-wheel-drive versions lose 7 cu ft due to the hardware packaging. You had too many cubes, anyway. 

What kind of tech is included?

S and SV trims get a 7-inch nav screen while the SR trim comes supplied with dual 12.3-inch digital displays, one for driver info and the other for infotainment, the latter being compatible with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Your Kicks can be fitted with an optional 10-speaker Bose audio system which includes stuffing a few within the driver and passenger headrests. 

In terms of safety tech, standard equipment includes pedestrian detection and emergency braking in their favor, lane departure warning, rear cross traffic alerts and blind spot warnings. The SR trim throw in lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition and dynamic cruise control.