Here’s How the 2025 Nissan Kicks Crossover Is Bolder, Bigger, Better

• Nissan is completely revamping its subcompact Kicks crossover for 2025 with a bigger and bolder road presence.

• With a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder, more power and improved technology could make the Kicks a stronger competitor against more popular rivals.

• Following in the vein of its name, the 2025 Nissan Kicks was revealed at Brooklyn's Barclays Center earlier today, ahead of the New York International Auto Show.

It wasn't originally related to sneakers at all, a product planner at Nissan tells me standing beside the all-new 2025 Nissan Kicks, but the Japanese manufacturer is happy to play into it now. Launched back in 2016, the subcompact crossover known as the Kicks was initially born out of a shared platform with the Versa and other Nissan models overseas.

In an ever-competitive segment, however, launching a model out of platform convenience can only go so far. In 2023, Nissan sold 66,823 units of the current-generation Kicks, trailing more popular small crossover rivals such as the Subaru Crosstrek (159,193 sales), Ford Bronco Sport (127,476), Honda HR-V (122,206), Chevy Trax (109,382), and Jeep Compass (96,173), according to Wards Intelligence data.

The 2025 Nissan Kicks shows a serious attempt to make up ground, as the genuinely all-new model builds on its playful name while ridding the title of just-another-affordable-crossover.

For starters, the 2025 Kicks is built on an all-new platform and one that is slightly larger, too. Nissan has yet to provide specific details on just how much the Kicks has grown, but its enhanced dimensions are even apparent in photos. Ground clearance is up significantly (from 7.0 inches), with Nissan quoting 8.4 inches of safe travel.

Notably, that's nearly as much ground clearance as available on a Subaru Crosstrek (8.7 inches). Overall, Nissan is increasing just about every metric on the Kicks, including its powertrain displacement and power figures.

Under the hood, Nissan has fitted a 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 141 hp and 140 lb-ft of torque, mated to Nissan's latest Xtronic CVT transmission. Compared to the previous 122-hp 1.6-liter I4, this new 2.0-liter powerplant should represent an upgrade.