Worth the Kicks

The Nissan Kicks, which made its global appearance about three years ago, was recently introduced in the domestic car market. However, its Indian version has been redesigned and re-engineered to suit our car owners. The ‘floating roof’ concept that is popular with carmakers nowadays is particularly well-executed on the Kicks. But how is it to drive, given that the Kicks is Nissan’s version of the Renault Captur? The former is a very important product for the company as it has introduced an all-new mass-market car after a long time in India. We recently got a chance to drive the vehicle in the city as well as highway roads to find out if it is a viable option in the compact SUV segment.

Design
The internationally-sold variant of the Kicks is 4.3m long. The Indian version, however, has been groomed and made larger. It also gets the frills — LED headlights, LED DRLs, a blacked-out D-pillar for the floating roof look, butch plastic body cladding and 17-inch wheels that fill the arches well enough. The roofline drops quite low towards the rear, into a steeply raked rear windscreen. Overall, this new crossover is a handsome and smart-looking SUV with just the right mix of curves, an upright stance, and modern design elements with a ground clearance of 210mm.

Interiors
From inside, the Kicks manages to get right all the contents that gives it a premium feel. It also gets a leather-covered panel on the face of the dash, making your first impression excellent. The new ‘wing’ design and floating eight-inch touchscreen help too. Instead of plain-black plastic or gloss, the touch points have a carbon-fibre weave, which we all know means good things.

Performance
The new Kicks rides on the M0-platform, and it is only offered with a manual gearbox and two-wheel drive. Powering it is the 1.5-litre K9K diesel engine with its 110PS of power along with 240Nm of torque. The familiar 1.5-litre petrol engine (and five-speed manual gearbox) is also on offer. The diesel sounds, however, are slightly more refined from the outside, and it’s a similar feeling inside as well. On the move, there are still a few vibrations that come in through the gear lever, but shifts themselves are smooth. The big question of lag, as associated with this engine, is thankfully absent. It will pick up from under 2,000rpm but really prefers moving above it, especially from low momentum scenarios, like from over speed breakers. Its diesel engine can revs all the way to 5,000rpm, without sounding like something dreadful is about to happen under the bonnet. So, when a gap in traffic opens out on the highway, you can happily squeeze every last horsepower from its engine.

Verdict
So whom does it compete against? Its top contenders are Kia Seltos (Rs 9.69 lakh), Hyundai Creta (Rs 9.99 lakh) and MG Hector (Rs 12.48 lakh); all prices are ex-showroom. Pricing for the Kicks, on the other hand, starts at Rs 9.55 lakh, ex-showroom, and the top-end diesel model will cost you Rs 13.69 lakh, ex-showroom — so it still undercuts its competition, but not by much. So, if you value being different, the Kicks is worth a look. It’s good looking, fresh and premium inside. It also offers a solid drive, but doesn't break new grounds here, and that perhaps is its biggest problem.