Nissan Kicks Gives Extra Kick In Quest to Dominate Crossover Segment

Last month, like a Star Wars storyline, the insurgent Nissan Rogue overwhelmed the nearly two decade old dominance of the compact SUV segment by the Toyota RAV4 in the US monthly sales tally.

The Tripling down on this hotly competitive segment with the addition of the trimmer and lower slung, metro oriented Rogue Sport, and now with the all new Kicks compact crossover Nissan continues its drive for market share expansion.

The new Kicks is heavy on bold SUV cues like wheel arched fenders and a domineering stance, and light on bulk and power with about a 2500 pound weigh in and an economical 1.6 liter 125 horsepower 4 cylinder engine, EPA rated 31 mpg city, 36 highway and 33 combined.

The Kicks highlights its urban swagger with fresh exterior styling and seven exterior hues  – plus five snappy two-tone combos.

Targeting the tech-immersed youth audience, inside the Kicks sports a sharp full color 7 inch infotainment screen with available Apple Car Play and Android Auto smartphone connectivity.

At the top of the three model line-up in the a price range from shy of $18,000 to $20,000 and change – the Kicks SR features a Premium  Bose sound system rocking the road.

Safety tech upgrades like blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert come with middle trim SV, while the top SR model  gets a 360-degree camera.

The design originates in  Brazil where a version of the car has been on sale for about two years. The speed with which the Kicks is being brought to the US market was indicated by the fact that it was being introduced as a 2018 at a time when the newest intros are newly minted 2019 models.