My 2024 started off with a bang, literally. My 2018 BMW 740e COAL was rear ended at a red light in January.
The damage doesn’t look too bad, but he hit me pretty hard. It is difficult to see in this picture, but the bumper cover is torn, and the exhaust finisher pushed up and inwards from where it should be. The bumper cover had also popped out from the retainer clips on the driver rear quarter panel, and didn’t want to stay in.
I was sitting at an angle, waiting to turn right when an Audi A4 made contact with his passenger front corner. His car was damaged more, with the passenger headlight and leading edge of the hood sitting about an inch higher than they should be. I called 911 and we waited in a cold rain somewhere in Middlesex County, New Jersey along U.S. Route 1 for an officer to come take a report.
When I was able to download the accident report about 48 hours later, I went online to begin the process of a claim with the other driver’s insurer. To my pleasant surprise, he had already reported the accident to his insurer, so that made the whole process easier.
The accident was on a Monday. By that Friday, the car was in a body shop at home in North Carolina, chosen by the insurer. I never imagined it would be that quick or easy! It’s a chain with a nationwide warranty on the repairs for the life of the car, so I figured I would just go with them and not take the check and try to choose a shop on my own.
The insurer paid for a rental car through Enterprise, and they picked me up at the body shop. Back at the Enterprise office, a 2024 Nissan Kicks was wheeled up for me. They asked me (repeatedly) if I wanted to pay for an upgrade over what the insurer covered, and I said no, I would take whatever was covered.
I was actually excited to get this vehicle. Someone at my office has a new one, and I have always thought it looked like a good choice for someone wanting a new, inexpensive car.
I really like the pastel gray paint, a color that seems popular with a number of makes these days. The interior is black cloth.
This Kicks was built in October 2023, so it is quite new though it has over 5,500 miles already. First impressions were of an awkward driving position, though that improved with seat adjustments and steering wheel adjustments, using the manual tilt and telescope function.
I had to pull over on a side street to find the right combination of adjustments. There’s still an “Italian” vibe overall to the relationship between seat, steering wheel and pedals. Google tells me this same general platform is used for the Versa and many other Nissans and Renaults. Indeed, many pieces under the hood have the Renault symbol and not the Nissan one.
The accelerator pedal is very sensitive, like an old school Detroit sedan. I guess this is to give an impression of more power. It took several stoplights to get used to this and be able to make a smooth getaway from a complete stop. It has a 122 horsepower 1.6 liter engine, and certainly feels peppier than that from a standing stop.
I immediately knew this car had a CVT, due to the engine noise under about any acceleration. It is an odd sensation at first, to have the engine make so much noise out of proportion to the work it is being asked to do. It is not a dealbreaker if I was shopping for a car, just something you notice right off if you are not used to it.
The ride seems a little harsh given that it has modest 17 inch wheels and 55 series tires with some decent sidewall, but is a smaller, lighter car than I am used to.
The controls fell easily at hand and everything seemed intuitive. I did not like the squared off steering wheel at first, though I have to say I got used to it.
There is lots of hard plastic everywhere, which we all have different opinions on, but that is expected at this price point. The overall fit and finish gave off a quality vibe. It does not show well in the picture, but there are nice details such as a carbon fiber pattern effect across the dash, and piano black trim down the center console. Despite all the hard plastic, the car was completely rattle and squeak-free.
I found the FM tuner and sound controls right away. Throughout my time with the car, the wireless Apple CarPlay would pair up about 33% of the time, revert to just Bluetooth 33% of the time, and refuse to do either 33% of the time. That’s an issue I oddly don’t have in my older BMW, which always wirelessly pairs Apple CarPlay.
There is a nice multifunction display occupying half the instrument cluster, where you can have a digital tachometer or a number of other readouts. The SV is well loaded as standard with the wireless Apple CarPlay, radar cruise control, blind spot, lane keeping, pedestrian detection, power windows, mirrors and locks, A/C, 17 inch alloys, and roof rails.
I liked the manual single zone climate controls. Sometimes simpler is better. The gear shifter and steering column control stalks seemed smooth and “hefty” if that makes sense, and would not be out of place in a more expensive car.
The first “road test” was a couple of days into our time together. We drove about 250 miles round trip to our mountain house. This was a good mix of city streets, interstate, four lane divided highway, and a steep, twisty two lane road the final 20 miles to the house. On this trip, overall I was quite impressed. The Kicks comported itself well, though there was a lot of road, engine and wind noise at interstate speeds. Conversation with rear seat passengers would have been difficult.
It was odd to see 4,000 rpm or more just going up a moderate incline on the interstate at 80+mph (I was barely keeping up with traffic). Maybe the Kicks would get better mpg with a larger engine that worked less hard?
It is rated at 31 city, 36 highway. The overall mpg for that trip was 33mpg. Not bad, but not real impressive either for a small car.
The Kicks did seem to like “city duty” better, and returned about 34 mpg just driving around town.
Our third “test” was a drive to our house on the South Carolina coast for a weekend, 350 miles round trip. This is mostly two lane highways and divided four lane highways. 55 or 60 mph is the speed limit most of the way. The Kicks liked this the best, posting an impressive 41.7 mpg.
The rear seat room looks OK. I’m an average 5’10” so I don’t have the seat way back, and could easily sit behind the driver seat. The cargo area is large for such a small vehicle.
In building it on the Nissan site, this is a Kicks SV, the middle of the three trims (S, SV and SR). The SV adds a larger radio screen, a digital instrument panel, nicer upholstery with a pattern, a center console storage armrest, functional roof rails, and alloy wheels over the S for about $1,800.00 more.
This SV stickers for $24,932.00 on the configurator, including destination, with the few options I can see it has (carpeted mats and a dimming mirror with garage opener, and the paint color is extra charge). My local large Nissan dealer has about 30 Kicks SV’s in stock, and shows them all as $1000 off before you go in and dicker with them. They have just a few S’s and SR’s, so the SV must be the volume seller.
If you skipped the extra cost paint color(s), auto dimming mirror, and picked up your own carpet mats at Walmart for $25, you could surely get a Kicks SV for $22,000.00 and change, which seems like an amazing deal to me for a new car with a decent warranty (3/36 bumper to bumper, 6/60 powertrain) and so many standard features that until recently were limited to much more expensive cars.
Dislikes? The rubber steering wheel seemed slippery, and a lack of front heated seats would bother me on long trips when my back hurts. There is also no lumber adjustment at all, which seemed strange (I thought that all new cars had a manual lumber adjustment). It does have a useful manual height adjustment on the driver’s seat, which you don’t always see.
There is also no “stop/start” function at stop lights. I don’t like “stop/start” myself, but it seemed like a strange omission on an economy-minded car. Some might see that absence as a real plus.
Heated seats and a heated steering wheel are optional on the SR, but not available on the S or SV, so you would need to walk up to the SR for $700.00 more to be able to spec those extra cost options. Along the way you would pick up SR specific LED headlights, LED foglights, upholstered dash and door panels with orange stitching, automatic climate control, and “black chrome” exterior trim with the SR trim. I don’t see any mention of lumbar support on an SR, though.
I wondered what else out there might price out the same as a Kicks SV, and there are some compelling options. A Jetta “SE” looks like a viable candidate for a cheap new car if one were in the market.
It would have similar equipment to this Kicks SV, and a stick shift as the base transmission, which I think I would prefer to the CVT. A Jetta “S” comes in even lower, but it gives up some equipment to the Kicks SV.
Kia will sell you a Soul “S” for as low as $24,065.00 and it would have more equipment than this Kicks SV: “rearview mirror” camera, power driver seat, wireless charging and dual zone auto climate control among other things.
A Kia Rio 5 “S” comes in at only $20,790.00 including destination. On paper it seems very close spec-wise to the Kicks SV (including the CVT unfortunately) but for less money adds automatic climate control, LED headlights, rear disc brakes, and achieves 41 mpg highway, has a 5 year/60,000 mile bumper to bumper and 10 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty.
A base Subaru Impreza would be a candidate too, if you need AWD. It starts at about $24,115.00 after destination and prep fees, and includes LED headlights, auto climate control and some other niceties. The sedan has been dropped, so you would get a similar 5 door hatchback.
I was glad I pursued the accident report and claim even though the damage didn’t look that bad. It was over $4,000.00! $1,000.00 for paint and labor, and the rest for the bumper cover, a large plastic honeycomb structure that is the underlying bumper itself, and related parts. The honeycomb structure under the cover was crushed and broken, so that took the force of the hit.
The 740e came home after 14 days of rehab, and my enjoyable time with the Kicks ended after 900 or so miles.
Anyone out there have a Kicks? Or one of the other competitors (a base Jetta, Soul or Rio 5), and want to tell us how you like it?
Bummer about the 740, at least the repair was covered by someone else’s insurance…
I reviewed a Kicks a few years back, and found a lot to like as well for something priced so relatively reasonably. Glad to see you didn’t disagree and seemed to evaluate it on its own merits, I’m guessing after getting used to the long wheelbase and supple suspension of a 740 a Kicks would seem a bit dartier and choppier. My wife happened to be dealt a Kicks at the rental counter last year and also enjoyed her time with it as well over 500 or so miles.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/new-car-review/curbside-review-2021-nissan-kicks-sr-the-kids-might-say-it-slaps/
Similar story here, my TSX Sportwagon was rear ended during Thanksgiving. But it was pushed in to a F250 hitch and the car ended up being totaled. I ended up getting a 2021 Honda HR-V LX AWD which I’m guessing is the equivalent of the Kicks Another choice I sat in was a Corrola Cross.
The Honda has 141 hp and most find it inadequate. It’s lackluster for sure. I don’t mind the CVT. I can use the paddles to down shift when I like. It is noisy but not in a good way like the Acura’s VTEC roar. The only plastic I don’t like is the steering wheel. Seats don’t support me like I want. It’s my first car with Android Auto which I like. But it won’t play the music or podcasts I have stored on my sd card on the phone. I have to revert to Bluetooth. I did spend some time going thru all the options for the car. A complete waste of time. I am getting 31.5 mpg which isn’t bad for an AWD car. After my accident, I’m driving a lot slower, and going 80 mph in a hitch center of gravity vehicle spooks me.
I’d like to replace it sooner just to get better seats. Acura is going to make a HR-V clone, but I think I could get a used RDX or maybe forget the AWD and get a Integra. I’ll give it a year and see.
I have been looking at used RDX’s recently (don’t ask why) and they seem to be a great value. Lots of off-lease examples with 36,000 or fewer miles out there.
Sadly, the CVT that Honda put in the HRV’s also has a high failure rate.
Honda finally relented and issued a recall that included a firmware update and extended 7 year, 150,000 mile warranty on the CVT for the 2016-2020 HRV’s.
CVT’s are lame but they do deliver excellent fuel economy when they are working.
Nice review, Importamation, thanks. Refreshing to read someone who is accustomed to nicer vehicles recognizing how good entry level cars have become rather than slagging them.
The CVT is the only real downside for me with the Kicks. Given Nissan’s history here I would want to research how well this generation of Jatco is holding up before committing to anything beyond the powertrain warranty. Same with the Hyundai and Kia and their engines. My $24K would go to a base Corolla in either 170hp gas-only or hybrid form, or a base 158hp Civic. Either would be better suited to interstate speeds than the subcompact Kicks and less likely to have major issues as the miles accumulate, which really is Job One for a car in this price bracket.
A 2024 Chevy Trax LS starts at $21,495 and a completely loaded one crosses the line at $27,500.
They’re getting good reviews with the only real negative being the 1.2L turbo 3-cylinder engine. It’s not going to win any races but it’s adequate for the job.
“Sometimes simpler is better”
Almost always actually, and that is why a prime engineering directive is: KISS.
Something that a 6 yr old TOL BMW may prove to be the case in very sort order.
Interesting review. And as a basic point, I agree with what Jim noted about how it must have been quite the change to move into this from something like a 740. It reminds me of the time when my MINI was in for extended service, and Enterprise put me into an 4WD Ford 150 crew cab set up for plowing (thankfully, without the plow).
There’s much about this Kicks that reminds me of the no longer available (in the US) Honda Fit. It’s virtually the same size, has the CVT, and I’ve always felt that the Fit is very choppy. Lots of plastic too. That said, it has great interior space utilization. It’s funny that Nissan calls the Kicks a “Subcompact Crossover”. I guess that makes it more attractive to buyers than “small car”. I guess I wonder what the Kicks is crossing over into. No matter what you call it, the Kicks does seem to be a decent amount of vehicle for a pretty rock-bottom price. It’s good to see something like this at that end of the market.
One thing though that I absolutely could not live with is the name. There’s just something about the plural “kickS” that really bothers me. If I lived with one, it’d be called either the Kick (singular) or probably just “the Nissan”.
My wife called it “that Nissan thing” so she also had a problem with the name. I thought “Kicks” was endearing.
Good point on the name, but I’m just glad that Nissan didn’t spell it “Kixx” or something like that instead.
Versa Note was the equivalent of the Fit at Nissan and the current Kick does nothing better than this old Note. Bonus : the manual gearbox was also available.
It’s always interesting to read reviews of ordinary cars – so thanks for taking the time to write up this temporary addition to your fleet.
I’m surprised that even a relatively affordable car these days would transmit a lot of road, engine and wind noise at highway speeds. It’s been quite a while since I’ve driven a car that’s had distractingly loud highway behavior. Other than that, it seems that the Kicks is a decent car for the price.
I’m glad the mishap with your 740e wasn’t any worse, seeing that it happened pretty far from home. And it sure is odd to think that your BMW bumper repair probably cost about 20% of a new Kicks’ total cost!
The level of noise at 80+ mph interstate speeds was unpleasant, but in about any other situation it was just fine. City, country roads, etc. were pleasant. It depends on the owner and what their needs are. If you mostly drive around town and hit the interstate for a once a year trip somewhere else, the Kicks would be great. If you hit the interstate 2,000 miles a month as I usually do, the Kicks would wear out it’s welcome quickly.
I have still not made peace with the CVT, and would probably avoid this car for that reason, but it is interesting to get an idea of how these present through several days of use – especially for someone used to something nicer.
One little-understood fact about insurance and rental cars. At least in my state (and I suspect in most others), a rental from the other guy’s company when the other guy is at fault is a quick and easy substitute for an item of damage called “loss of use”. If you need a large car like your BMW for ferrying multiple clients or because you spend long hours on the road, a Nissan Kicks is not compensating you for loss of the use of your car. I have been in that situation a time or two and got them to pay for a minivan when it was a minivan that got wrecked. The adjuster will argue, but will most likely give in if you can make a decent case that you need something close to what their insured wrecked. (Note – When it is your own insurance paying, then you get whatever coverage you chose and paid for, and it has nothing to do with what you normally drive.)
Good point! I pondered arguing over what “level” of car the other guy’s insurer would cover, but I opted for the path of least resistance. I was perfectly content with the Kicks for two weeks.
I too have rented a Kicks, twice in fact, and found the vehicle to be unobjectionable other than being noisy on the highway. In both instances, however, I only put about 200 miles on the car, mostly in typical suburban driving, so noise levels were not much of an issue. I too am accustomed to driving something larger and nicer, so the Kicks was something of a change, but not an unwelcome one.
If I were buying something new at the entry level, I think I’d be tempted by one of the remaining sedans in the category, particularly the Corolla hybrid or Jetta mentioned above. They are more refined than their respective manufacturers’ entry level crossovers and, as a quick browse of local dealer inventories reveals, usually 5%-10% cheaper, too.
Sorry, but I can’t see one of these without thinking of the song by Paul Revere and the Raiders.
“And don’t it seem like
Kicks just keep gettin’ harder to find
And all your kicks ain’t bringin’ you peace of mind
Before you find out it’s too late, girl, you better get straight
No, you don’t need kicks”
Apparently an anti-drugs song, but as a 10 year old at the time that was way over my head.