Ahead of its public debut at the opening round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament and before it heads to the New York International Auto, we got a sneak peek and some quality photo time with new Nissan Kicks. For the 2025 model year, the compact crossover shifts in style from a funky outward design with lots of edges and creases to something more mature and self-assured. The interior is all-new as well, as is an option to add an all-wheel-drive system. As always with Nissan, technology and safety is key.
The Concept: Hard Yet Padded - Like A Helmet
Behind every new design is a concept. For the new Kicks, the design team was thinking of football helmets, and more specifically, of how they are tough on the outside, designed to protect, and cushioned on the inside. The exterior now has a more functional and simplified look compared to the outgoing version, coming much more inline with current design trends towards simpler, stronger lines and a more confident looking stance. Safety comes from Nissan's physical design and the Nissan Safety Shield 360 suite of technology. Inside, Nissan has worked to create a more upscale interior, particularly with soft-touch material.
First Impressions: An Evolution
In a studio tucked away out of sight in Los Angeles, we were introduced to the maturest version of the small crossover yet. Our immediate thought on seeing it, is that Nissan is looking to broaden the age demographic for the Kicks. It is a more sophisticated and confident looking crossover rather than something clearly designed for a specifically young demographic. We're pleased to see that the two-tone option with a different color roof is still there, and that interior space has increased - almost an inch extra of knee-room in the back and more shoulder room for everyone. Cargo space is great for a small crossover, 30 cubic feet, but the flexible luggage board (SV and SR trims) offering two levels for the trunk floor means there is no spare tire - just a rescue kit. In the photos, you're seeing a pre-production version of the top SR trim.
Interior Impressions: An Upgrade
We didn't dislike the Kicks' interior before at its price point, but, at least in the top SR trim, the interior is surprisingly plush. We like the patterned seats and the soft-touch material across the dashboard with aluminum textured plastics in the center where so many brands are still trying to convince people that Piano Black plastic is a premium material. It feels roomier in the front of the new Kicks, but, more importantly, with the seat set for a six-foot person in the front, there was still comfortable legroom in the back for another six-footer.
Powertrain: More Power, plus All-Wheel-Drive Now Available
For 2025, the 1.6-liter engine is replaced with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder unit making more power - 141 horsepower and 140 lb-feet of torque versus the previous engine's 122 ponies and 114 lb-ft. The drivetrain includes Nissan's latest version of its Xtronic continuously variable transmission, and, for the first time on a Kicks, all-wheel drive is available. That seems like a smart move as the Kicks being marketed as a city car is limiting, but stepping away from the more youth-aimed funky body styling and adding all-wheel-drive puts it in a broader light to attract people looking for something that will handle extreme weather conditions.
Our Take: A New Contender
The affordable sub-compact crossover market is full of great choices, and the Kicks was already a great city crossover, but small crossovers do need a wider appeal if they want to crack into the best-selling lists and the Kicks should be up there with the likes of Toyota's HR-V, Toyota's CH-R, and the Mazda CX-30. From what we've seen, it looks promising for Nissan, and we're already looking forward to spending some time driving it to find out if it lives up to the promise.
Nissan tells us that the new Kicks' pricing won't be out of line with the current version, and will come in the already familiar three trim levels and with the all-wheel-drive system available as an option.
