A friend of mine jibed, “Kicks isn’t the name of a car. That’s the name of a breakfast cereal!” Perhaps, but that is coming from a man who drives a RAV4. Which sounds like the name of a desktop computer, not one of the most successful-selling vehicles of the 2020s.
So let’s ignore a name that, to me, is no more or less enticing than, say, “Model 3,” and instead ask: What exactly is the 2026 Nissan Kicks SR AWD? Simply put, it’s a tremendous value, small CUV. Partly, that’s down to Nissan’s pricing structure. The SR AWD will set you back a mere $28,160. But Nissan’s a la carte pricing of extras is a secret sauce that means you don’t get dinged with something like a $5,000 jump to nab features you want.
Related – Nissan SUV Models Up Close: Smallest to Biggest
For instance, for $1,600 you can get a 10-speaker Bose sound system with speakers in the headrests (which sounds terrific) and a panoramic moonroof. The winter package is a killer deal at just $300, which includes heated front seats, mirrors, and steering wheel.
The Mini bests the Nissan on cargo capacity, but shockingly, not by that much, and the Kicks proved a capable ski car, hauling two dudes’ cargo for the weekend, no sweat.
Compare this car with another AWD rival, the Mini Countryman S ALL4, and you’re saving $10,000 off the bat. Sure, that Mini has 241 horsepower to the Nissan’s mere 140 horses, but the little Nissan doesn’t feel pokey where it counts—gunning from a stoplight or when you need power for passing. Partly that’s down to an improved CVT that’s just quicker to rev and smoother than Nissan’s past efforts.
Related – 2018 Nissan Kicks First Drive Review
The Kicks also bests the Mini on fuel economy (27/34 vs 24/32, City/Highway), is reasonably fun to drive, and corners well. And besides some IP quirks where I’d prefer the Mini’s cartoonishly huge interface and real switches to Nissan’s touch-sensitive buttons, you can adjust to Nissan’s menu logic a lot more rapidly than some of the confusing tech in BMWs/Minis. Bonus points to Nissan for getting the ergonomics right, too. The seats are comfy, even for longer miles, and outward sightlines are excellent. A lot of small CUVs screw this up, with too-steeply canted windshields or peep-hole-sized hatch glass.
A major bonus is that I’ve been testing this Nissan through relentless snow and winter cold, and even in some fairly deep fluff and on iced-over roads (and even though Nissan lent this car sans dedicated snow tires), its AWD system has performed admirably, and stability control has stepped in more than once to keep the Kicks on course.
Bottom Line: The Mini bests the Nissan on cargo capacity, but shockingly, not by that much, and the Kicks proved a capable ski car, hauling two dudes’ cargo for the weekend, no sweat. It may not have the swag of a Mini or other near-luxe crossovers but this little Nissan won’t kick you nearly as hard in the wallet, either.
