The 2025 Nissan Kicks got a radical makeover, growing larger and adding features like all-wheel drive as Nissan’s smallest SUV gets bigger, heavier and slightly more expensive.
The new Kicks also takes on a more upright, imposing look than the ’24 model, which offered only front-wheel drive and looked more like a small wagon.
Prices for the ’25 Kicks start at $21,830 — just $490 above the old model — and top out at more than $4,300 above the previous Kicks. That’s in part because Nissan considers the new Kicks a twofer, also replacing the Rogue Sport, a staid little SUV the automaker dropped after the 2022 model year. The subcompact Kicks is notably smaller than the compact Rogue SUV that’s Nissan’s top-selling vehicle.
The Kicks’ distinctive new design and low base price should help it attract attention in the competitive subcompact SUV market.
The 2025 Kicks seats five. It’s in dealerships now.
Nissan Kicks trim levels and prices
- S front-drive: $21,830
- S AWD: $23,330
- SV FWD: $23,680
- SV AWD: $25,330
- SR FWD: $26,180
- SR AWD: $27,680
Source: Nissan. Prices exclude $1,390 destination charge.
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Big-car energy in a small package
The 2025 Kicks packs a visual punch. That’s good; subcompact SUVs make up for what they lack in size with distinctive looks. Some of the Kicks’ competitors — including the Chevrolet Trax, Hyundai Kona, Kia Soul and Subaru Crosstrek — are among the most recognizable and appealing vehicles on the road.
Despite being less than an inch taller than the old model, the 2025 Kicks presents much more as an SUV. An upright nose with a three-bar gloss black grille, horizontal running lights and headlights lead to a long hood and flared front fenders. Available two-tone paint jobs spice things up further.
The rear fenders are equally expressive, boasting a dramatically creased flare that flows up into a tapered body, sharply falling tailgate and big taillights.
The squared-off body contributes to more passenger space, though all-wheel-drive models actually have less cargo space than the ’24, due to their different drivetrain and suspension setup.
Selected competitors
- Chevrolet Trax
- Honda HR-V
- Hyundai Kona
- Kia Soul
- Subaru Crosstrek
- Toyota Corolla Cross
Impressive interior design and materials
The ’25 Kicks is as striking inside as out: Clever design and contrasting colors make the interior appealing without busting Nissan’s modest budget. A strip of soft, contoured trim in easy reach across the dash feels like it came from a more expensive vehicle.
I drove a top of the line SR model with a legible and adjustable 12.3-inch instrument cluster. The S models get a 7-inch display.
The Kicks I tested also had a 12.3-inch touch screen. Neither it, wireless charging, Apple CarPlay nor Android Auto is available on the base S model.
Headroom is good in both rows with the optional sunroof. There’s also plenty of shoulder room. Front leg room is fine. The rear seat, which is raised for visibility, is less generous, but not punitive.
The controls lean heavily on flat-panel capacitive touch points on the center stack. The steering wheel has a few physical buttons and switches from voice recognition, volume, tuning, cruise control, etc.
My test vehicle had the premium package, which brings a power sunroof, Bose audio and heated front seats. It stickered at $29,630, excluding Nissan's $1,390 destination charge.
Driving impressions, fuel economy
The Kicks has a 2.0L four-cylinder engine producing 149 hp and 146 pound-feet of torque, linked to a continuously variable automatic transmission. Power and torque are both up considerably from the 1.6L engine that powered the 2024, but so is weight: 524 pounds in the well-equipped AWD SR I drove on a short route near Nissan’s North American tech center in Farmington Hills.
Power is OK for highway cruising. The engine does its job, but you can’t be shy about mashing the accelerator pedal in traffic.
Engine and road noise are noticeable, though a pair of headrest-mounted speakers in my car’s optional 10-speaker Bose audio system masked them somewhat.
The route’s brevity makes it hard to judge the suspension, but the Kicks felt stable and planted rounding some corners and traffic circles eagerly.
The EPA rates the AWD 2025 Kicks at 27 mpg in the city, 34 on the highway and 30 combined. Front-drive models scored 28/35/31. The FWD combined figure is 2 mpg lower than the ’24 model, but the vehicles are so different the comparison is irrelevant. The AWD model’s combined figure is 1 mpg below the 2022 Rogue Sport AWD.
Available safety and driver assist features
- Automatic high beams
- Automatic front emergency braking with pedestrian detection
- Lane departure alert
- Blind spot alert
- Rear cross traffic alert
- Rear automatic braking
- Around-view monitor with moving object detection
- Front parking sensors
- Pro Pilot assist hands-on highway aid
- Intersection assist with traffic sign recognition
Why get a Nissan Kicks?
The 2025 Kicks looks like a more expensive vehicle, inside and out. The engine won’t set your heart racing, but does the job. A little more sound insulation would be welcome.
The addition of all-wheel drive will help the Kicks win buyers concerned about weather and traction, but its primary appeals are financial and emotional: Affordable and attractive, it’s a welcome arrival to a market where good entry-level vehicles are hard to find.
2025 Nissan Kicks at a glance
Front- or all-wheel drive five-seat subcompact SUV
Base price: $21,830 (All prices exclude $1,390 destination charge)
Model tested: Nissan Kicks SV with premium package
Price as tested: $29,630 (Excluding destination charge)
Specifications as tested:
Powerplant: 2.0L four-cylinder engine
Total system output: 141 hp @ 6,000 rpm; 140 pound-feet of torque @ 4,000 rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
EPA estimated fuel economy: 27 mpg city/34 highway/30 combined. Regular gasoline.
Wheelbase: 104.9 inches
Length: 171.9 inches
Width: 70.9 inches
Height: 64 inches
Ground clearance: 8.4 inches
Passenger volume: 95.7 cubic feet
Cargo volume: 23.9 cubic feet behind rear seat; 50.1 seat folded
Curb weight: 3,252 pounds
Weight distribution: 61/39
Assembled in Aguascalientes, Mexico
Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @ mark_phelan . Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter . Become a subscriber .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2025 Nissan Kicks’ brawny new looks, AWD overshadow little SUV’s noisy interior
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