2025 Nissan Kicks Entry-Level SUV Moves Upscale, but It’s Still Slow

• The Nissan Kicks is all-new for 2025, riding on a redesigned platform with a new, more capable powertrain—all things it needed.

• Kicks is still stylish, with upright front and rear ends and an upscale interior.

• Prices range from $23,220 to $31,020, and it’s on sale now.

The 2025 Nissan Kicks is fully redesigned, with all-wheel drive now available in all three trim levels, a flashy new interior that tech-savvy youth will enjoy, and even some more power to move it along the freeway onramp. But it still feels underpowered and the CVT dulls whatever acceleration might otherwise have been possible.

Launched in 2018, the old Kicks was ready for a redesign. And it got a good one, with almost all the complaints about the first-gen model addressed. And they managed it all with a price increase of only about $500.

The re-engineered 2025 model rides on the all-new CMF-B global platform used for the Juke. It also comes with the option of all-wheel drive across all three trim levels, which it didn’t before, no matter the trim. The other option is, of course, front-wheel drive.

Underhood, the engine expands from 1.6 liters in the previous model to 2.0 naturally aspirated liters in the 2025. That’s good for 141 hp and 140 lb-ft of torque. That might seem like enough considering the Kicks starts at just 2,987 pounds.

But the continuously variable transmission, a common link among many manufacturers (not just Nissan), inadequately demonstrates that power.

I would have liked to drive a base FWD Kick, but I got to experience only the fully loaded SR model with AWD, curb weighted at 3,252 pounds. On several occasions I floored it, hoping to feel some of the promised oomph under acceleration, but I was disappointed. Which is not to say competitors will fare any better, though they might.

The Kia Soul also has a 2.0-liter four but weighs a couple hundred pounds less than the Kicks and offers 147 hp. The Chevy Trax meanwhile has a 1.2-liter three-cylinder peaking at 137 hp and weighs a bit more than that.

Several other rivals make more horsepower than the new Kicks, including Toyota Corolla Cross, Honda HR-V, Subaru Crosstrek, Kia Seltos, Mazda CX-30, and VW Taos.

The Kicks has 8.4 inches of ground clearance, making it more of an off-roader than the urbanaut Soul, which has just 6.7 inches of clearance, or the Trax with 7.3. But the Crosstrek has 8.7 inches of ground clearance. The Kicks also has a snow mode to compliment its intelligent AWD.

The latter system sends torque to a rear differential when slip is detected, and when rear wheels rotate at different rates it can brake the slipping wheel to keep you going. So the Kicks should gain popularity in snowy climes and may even be an alternate to the Subarus that dominate those regions’ hipster coffee houses.

Outside, the Kicks has an all-new look, with more upright front and rear ends to give it the sense of appearing bigger than it is. Lower trim panels are supposed to “be inspired by” sneakers, or tennis shoes, or “Kicks” as the kids call them, or so I’m told.

Exterior dimensions increase in almost every measure: 1.5 inches more wheelbase, three inches longer overall, 1.6 inches wider, three more cubic feet of passenger volume, and the extra 1.4 inches of ground clearance.

Inside, on the dash, there are two big 12.3-inch screens—one for the instrument cluster and the other for infotainment. These should appeal to both youthful buyers and to anyone who wants to manage infotainment on their drive.

My Kicks tester, being fully loaded, even had the new 10-speaker audio system, which I cranked and was somewhat less impressed than I thought I’d be. If you’re an audiophile, be sure to test it out.

Cargo space is impressive, with up to 60 cubic feet of it with the rear seats folded flat—enough to fit a 65-inch big screen from Costco, Nissan execs said more than once.

Pricing, the critical element for buyers in this entry segment, is competitive with its rivals. The Kicks starts at $23,220 and goes up to $31,020. My well-equipped tester was $31,710, which included the Premium Package with panoramic moonroof, 10-speaker sound, etc.

Is acceleration really important, even in an entry-level crossover? Please comment below.