• The 2025 Nissan Kicks – now featuring AWD - has just been unveiled.
Visitors at the New York Auto Show next week will discover the revised new 2025 Nissan Kicks in th flesh. But today, the company officially unveiled the new second-generation edition of the SUV, which gets a major facelift and some other important changes.
In fact we're not just talking about a new generation of the Kicks, but a new vocation for it. With the departure of the Qashqai, Nissan needed to offer a more complete solution to those looking for a subcompact SUV. And that's exactly what the new model does.
Esthetically, we'll let you judge the lines, but the product clearly offers a more committed, more robust signature. Inside, Nissan has gone for something cozier, to balance and counterbalance the exterior presentation.
Perhaps most crucially, the 2025 Kicks will be offered with all-wheel drive, which was not the case with the first generation. The model range includes three versions: S, SV and SR. The first two will be front-wheel drive by default, but all-wheel drive will also be available. AWD is standard on the SR model.
Two Premium option packages will be offered across the range to enhance the equipment level.
The other big change is under the hood. The anemic 1.6L 4-cylinder engine (122 hp and 114 lb-ft of torque) of the first Kicks is replaced by a 2.0L 4-cylinder unit offering 141 hp and 140 lb-ft of torque. The Qashqai offered the same displacement, with 149 hp and 147 lb-ft of torque.
A continuously variable transmission (CVT) will team up with the powertrain.
The rest of the big changes are on board. The model being bigger, there’s more space inside. This is particularly noticeable in the rear, where cargo volume climbs to 850 litres behind the second row and 1,700 litres behind the first, setting a new benchmark in the category.
The roomier cabin also means more space for occupants, especially in the second row, where legroom and shoulder room increase. And, interestingly, the brand's fatigue-fighting "zero gravity" seats will also be present in the rear, much to the delight of those invited there for longer road trips.
As for interior presentation, the size of the multimedia screen in the centre console is 12.3 inches for all versions. Wireless connection to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is also be standard. The driver data display screen is a 7.0-inch unit with the S and SV variants, and 12.3 inches for the SR model, with two display types on offer.
There's every reason to think the new Kicks will be a crowd-pleaser - provided that the price is right, which should be the case with Nissan, which is always quite aggressive on that front.
Pricing for the 2025 Kicks will be announced a little later, with the model due to arrive at dealerships towards the end of the summer.
