Text by Tom Appel
2025 Nissan Kicks SR AWD
Specs
Class: Small Crossover
Color: Scarlet Red with Super Black
Seating Capacity: 5
Miles driven: 171
Real-world fuel economy: 27.9 mpg
| CG Report Card | |
|---|---|
| Room and Comfort | B |
| Power and Performance | B- |
| Fit and Finish | B+ |
| Fuel Economy | B+ |
| Value | A- |
| Report-card grades are derived from a consensus of test-driver evaluations. All grades are versus other vehicles in the same class. Value grade is for specific trim level evaluated, and may not reflect Consumer Guide's impressions of the entire model lineup. | |
| Big & Tall Comfort | |
| Big Guy | B+ |
| Tall Guy | B* |
| Big & Tall comfort ratings are for front seats only. "Big" rating based on male tester weighing approximately 350 pounds, "Tall" rating based on 6'6"-tall male tester. | |
| Drivetrain | |
| Engine Specs | 141-horsepower 2.0-liter |
| Engine Type | 4-cylinder |
| Transmission | CVT automatic |
| Drive Wheels | AWD |
Driving mix: 60% city, 40% highway
EPA-estimated fuel economy: 27/34/30 (city, highway, combined)
Fuel type: Regular gas
Base price: $27,680 (not including $1390 destination charge)
Options on test vehicle: Special paint ($680), illuminated kick plates ($300), carpeted floor mats ($190), Premium Package ($1950)
Price as tested: $32,190
Pros and Cons
The great: Roomy, practical, value priced
The good: Fuel economy, sporty handling
The not so good: Noisy cabin, no surplus of power
Review
Americans don’t buy cheap cars. At least, not most Americans. Last year we saw the final Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio sold in the States, the last cars that could be easily had for less than $20,000. American shoppers do seem to appreciate value, however, as defined as a lot of stuff for not very much money.
The Nissan Kicks is such a vehicle. Though smallish and a little buzzy, the crossover packs a lot of content and style into a package that, last year, ranged in base price from just $22,730 to $25,290, including destination charge. Nissan sold almost 70,000 of it’s most-affordable crossover in 2023, which seems like a lot, but it’s not an awful lot. And there are a few things about the Kicks that could be improved.
New for 2025
What things can be improved? How about Limited rear-seat passenger space, cabin noise levels (that buzzy thing), a dearth of power, and the lack of available AWD.
Good news for value-class shoppers, Nissan has thoroughly overhauled the Kicks for 2025, and has addressed most of your/our concerns. Plus, if you were OK with the previous-generation Kicks, we have some good news for you, too.
Oh, and as a bonus, there’s also more power under the hood.
Consumer Guide recently spent a week behind the wheel of the redesigned Kicks in SR trim. Painted Scarlet Red and equipped with the expansive Premium Package and newly available AWD, our test car came to $32,190.
What’s the Same
The new Kicks returns in the same three trim levels as the outgoing model: base S ($23,220), midlevel SV ($25,070), and top-tier SR ($27,570). For the record, those prices are up $490, $480, and $2280, respectively.
As for what’s the same, the answer is, “not much.” Even the styling is a departure, giving the still smallish Kicks a beefier, more substantial look.
Power and Performance
The Kicks enjoys a little extra kick—if you will–from a new standard 2.0-liter engine. At 141 horsepower, the new mill serves up 19 more ponies than did the old 1.5-liter engine, and substantially more torque. As did the old powerplant, the 2.0-liter mates exclusively to a CVT-style automatic transmission.
Around town, the 2025 Kicks feels a little more relaxed than did the old version, with some additional power for highway passing and merging. Though the Kicks is not a hot rod, it does not want for power in routine driving. That said, there is no surplus of oomph for quick traffic-gap-filling maneuvers, or just fun full-throttle blasts from a stop. Basically, there’s more power than before, which is nice.
Room and Comfort
The 2025 Kicks doesn’t feel too much roomier in the front row than its predecessor, but it was plenty roomy to begin with. What matters most is that there is more knee- and legroom in the second row, making the new Kicks more of a family friendly proposition than it was.
Connectivity
In SR trim, Kicks comes standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a larger touchscreen. And by larger, we mean more surface area than 2024 Kicks models, and lesser 2025 trim levels.
For some reason, some SR climate functions are handled by a row of “haptic” buttons located below the screen. We prefer old-school mechanical switchgear, but these controls work pretty well.
Our test car came equipped with the $1950 Premium Package, which may seem indulgent, but includes a significant number of desirable features for the money, including:
- Panoramic Moonroof
- Heated front seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Remote Engine Start System with Nissan’s Intelligent Climate Control
- Rain-sensing windshield wipers
- Bose Personal Plus-brand audio system with 10 speakers, including front passenger headrest speakers
- Driver seat-mounted front-center supplemental air bag
Power and Performance
More than power, the new engine brings with it a sense of civility. The larger motor strains less to keep up with traffic, and is quieter at highway speed. And, while we’re only reluctant fans of CVT-style automatic transmissions, the Kicks’ unit works well with the engine, and generally keeps the it working at the best RPM.
Fuel Economy
The big news here is the newly available all-wheel drive system, which adds just $1500 to the bottom line. We were not able to evaluate the system in winter conditions, but observe reduced fuel economy versus previous-generation test Kicks examples. Our test car returned 27.9 mpg, somewhat below the 30.7 mpg we observed with a 2022 Kicks. We gladly accept a modest drop in efficiency in exchange for the additional space, increased power, and addition of AWD to the Kicks.
Ride and Handling
We’ve always found the spunky Kicks fun to drive, and the updated model is no exception. Ride quality is somewhat improved for 2025, and happily, cabin noise levels have been reduced. The Kicks is still somewhat noisier that other vehicles in the class, however. The new engine, though quieter than before, is still pretty loud. Highway-speed cabin noise levels are also relatively high, though, again, reduced compared to the previous generation of the Kicks.
And about that AWD: For 2025, the Kick’s sits higher–an inch and a half higher–than it did in 2024. That additional ground clearance helps make Kicks more of a legitimate foul-weather crossover, something that folks in the Snowbelt will appreciate.
Value
If you go back and check out the 2025 Kicks prices, you’ll note that the SR increased in price more than the S or SV trim levels. There’s a lot of content that comes with that price increase, though not all of it falls easily into the “value” bucket. Features including LED headlights and Nissan’s semi-autonomous ProPILOT Assist system.
You’ll need to decide whether or not to go with the top-trim SR, or the high-value SV Kicks, the latter of which can be had for $2500 less. Also, if you don’t want or need AWD, you owe it to yourself to have a look at Chevrolet’s hot new high-value Trax small crossover, which serves up more space, more power, and very similar prices. Also, in our testing, the Trax is slightly more fuel efficient.
Finally, and this is interesting, Nissan is making available the previous-generation Kicks as the Kicks Play. The Play starts at just $22,910, and is offered only in base S trim. The new 2025 Kicks and Kicks Play go on sale in the next couple of weeks.
The new Kicks is a little less small, and a little less buzzy, and is still a great deal. We recommend evaluating both the mid-level SV and top-trim SR, and deciding which appeals most to the value seeker in you. We expect the little Nissan’s redesign will broaden the model’s appeal in a big way, and it deserves a place on your test-drive short list.
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2025 Nissan Kicks SR Pictures
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