From Alex on Autos.

This is Nissan’s newest SUV: the all-new and fully pumped-up Kicks. For 2025 it gets more power, AWD, a bigger cargo area and a MUCH more distinctive design. The one thing that didn’t increase as much as I had feared? The price tag. At $23,220 including MSRP, this is one of the few new vehicles in 2025 that you could get out the door for under $25k including sales tax in most of the USA.

So what’s new? Well, everything. Nissan re-designed the Kicks on their newest global platform, but they decided to keep the dimensions pretty close to the outgoing model. The 2025 version gains 2.3 inches in length, around 1.5 inches in width and the box on top got 1 inch taller. Some of the increased size is taken up by the newer and more capable crash structure up front and the rest mostly goes to the cargo area in the back which grows to a class leading 30 cubic feet, the same size as Mazda’s much larger CX-5 if you’re counting. The extra height mostly allows the inclusion of a panoramic moonroof, while the extra width does translate to a wider door-to-door measure in the rear of 54.5 inches. Legroom is a whisker higher than last year at a combined 77.2 inches, not bad for the segment but you’ll find more usable passenger room in the Trailblazer and Soul.

What you won’t find in the Chevy or Kia however is the huge screen bank in the dash. SR trims get twin 12.3 inch LCDs featuring wireless smartphone projection, but no factory mapping. SV (the middle trim) gets less screen real estate with the 12.3 inch cluster being swapped for a 7-inch LCD cluster / LED disco-dash combo that occupies the same large plastic housing. Drop down to that $23K base model and both screens get swapped for 7-inch units and sadly the CarPlay and Android Auto disappear altogether. On the other hand, you can now add AWD to any trim for $1,500 and all trims including the base S trim get adaptive cruise control standard.

Adding AWD to the 2.0L engine does add weight and therefore likely reduce performance, but it’s a logical addition to the lineup as Nissan noted that sales of the Kicks drop off sharply above the 37th parallel. (Snow-land for those that live in the south.) To compensate for that the 2.0L engine is new to the kicks, replacing the old 1.6, and it bumps power up to 141 ponies, not as snazzy as the 2.5L turbo in the Mazda CX-30, but remember that price tag.

Not a CVT fan? Well, you don’t have may options and this isn’t one of them, but Nissan has engineered a new CVT which promises better fuel economy, improved responsiveness and greater durability. Nissan also decided to kick in the first three oil changes for free (2 years, 24,000 miles).
As we see in a few other small SUVs, adding AWD to the Kicks does something else: it causes the rear twist-beam axle to get swapped for a fully independent multi-link suspension, something that no money can buy you in a CX-30 interestingly enough.

Priced solidly below the Kona and Trailblazer, the Kicks continues Nissan’s tradition of targeting shoppers looking for value. Aside from the oversight of the missing smartphone projection in the base model, there’s plenty to love. There are also three versions of the Kicks that are ~$25,000 or below. You can get the S, S with AWD or the SV with more gadgets (but no AWD) for under that magic number. Just keep in mind that as a value focused model there are plenty of areas were a $35,000 SUV will be snazzier. The carpet is more like 1990s trunk liner, not every version will have a spare tire, the rear seats don’t get air vents in any model, and even a fully-loaded SR won’t have power seats or adjustable lumbar support. On the other hand, the Kicks tops out just over $31K which is significantly less than just about anything remotely comparably equipped.

Kicks S: $23,220
Kicks S AWD: $24,720
Kicks SV: $25,070
Kicks SV AWD: $26,720
Kicks SR: $27,570
Kicks SR AWD: $29,070

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0:00 – Introduction
0:54 – Not a mini-Pathfinder anymore
2:00 – Standard active safety tech
4:18 – New engine and transmission
5:11 – Front seats
6:11 – Rear seat room
7:30 – Cargo capacity
9:10 – Interior design
16:01 – Road Test & 0-60
23:30 – Pricing & comparisons
27:18 – Conclusion