By Ross Ballot
Basic transportation has come a long way in recent years. Once stripped-out ways of getting from place to place, even the cars at the lower rung of the automotive totem pole now enjoy luxuries, amenities, efficiencies, and safety features that have trickled down from the higher-up points of the ladder. Case in point: The 2026 Nissan Kicks.
A lot of things to like…
Let’s look at the list of equipment, which tells most of the story here and comprises so much of the Kicks’ price (since it’s light on some driving-focused niceties, which we’ll get to later). There’s a massive slew of safety tech on board– something entry-level buyers are particularly interested in– including things like automatic front/rear braking, pedestrian detection, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning, blind spot warning and intervention, intersection assist, parking sensors, and the list goes on.
Most notable is ProPilot Assist, which is Nissan’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) which is basically adaptive cruise control that can function in stop-and-go traffic, plus allows for basic hands-free functions. Big stuff for a small, relatively inexpensive car.
As for the luxuries, there’s a lot going on here, too. The interior has a 12.3” digital dashboard which is matched by a 12.”3 infotainment screen set in the middle of the center stack. There’s automatic HVAC, a big sunroof, USB-C plugs, keyless entry and start, and remote start as well. The funky exterior (which we like the design of quite a lot– or at least the front half– given the confines of the car’s class) has LED headlights and low beams plus LED daytime running lights. The Canyon Bronze Metallic paint won a lot of fans, too.
…And some things that are just so-so
Not all is spectacular though. The 2.0L DOHC 4-cylinder engine makes 141 hp and 140 lb-ft torque, which is adequate for pushing around the ~3,300 pound Kicks (extremely light by modern standards), but the Xtronic CVT is still fairly loathsome to live with especially when you ask it do so something other than accelerate at a leisurely pace. The EPA ratings of 27/34/30 MPG city/highway/combined is also mediocre and well behind class-leaders.
The ride quality, too, is rough even for the standards of a sub-compact crossover. Maybe the $34,715 as-tested price (optioned up from a $28,160 base price) is what makes us think it should be a little less impacted by imperfect surfaces. For the price, we think Nissan could have equipped it with better shocks. Then again, this was a press car, so who knows what life it lived before arriving in our hands.
Low entry price creeps up quickly, but a very solid vehicle overall
More on that price: Roughly $35k is a tiny amount by modern standards (the average new car sold in 2025 was around $50k), but the as-tested price can easily get you into a larger vehicle should you want it. The back seat of the Kicks is decidedly small, and you can get a very well-equipped, much more car-seat friendly Rogue SV AWD for the same money. Then again, we applaud Nissan for continuing to build truly small cars, as they work great in tighter situations, and if nothing else the truck is fairly sizable even if it comes at the expense of the rear seat. And not everyone needs a back seat for regular use, so we’re just glad a small “hatchback” (even if they call it a CUV) exists in the Nissan lineup.
On the road, the Kicks is unremarkable. It felt right at home driving through New York City en route to the New York International Auto Show, easily popping around in traffic and caring little about the city’s rough surfaces, but it’s not particularly fun or engaging to drive (which comes as no surprise to us). It’s a nimble, easy-to-drive thing with good visibility, proportions, and maneuverability, and spending time behind the wheel is quite easy. Just don’t expect it to be a driver’s vehicle.
Ultimately, the Kicks is a very competent vehicle all-around, albeit one that could be magnificent had it been built with more insulation from road/wind noise and a traditional gearbox rather than the CVT. The big kicker (ha) here for sales numbers is that the Kicks boasts a lot of equipment for the money, which is what buyers want these days, and that alone will move units.
Yay
- Tons of tech and safety equipment for the price
- Easy to drive and live with
- Amenities galore
- Small footprint makes for high maneuverability
Nay
- Tight rear legroom
- Fuel economy lacks behind class standards
- Crashy ride quality
- Substantial road and wind noise
The Takeaway
The 2026 Nissan Kicks SR AWD is a good vehicle, showing how much an automaker can do when they cram a lot of features desired by the car-buying masses into a small package. Those not wanting something slightly larger (a la Rogue) will find a lot to like in the Kicks, but it’s worth prospective buyers’ time to look around at the competition to see what can be gained by a better powertrain and/or more NVH prioritization. There’s a lot to like on the surface here, but we can see the novelties wearing thin once the shine and newness has worn off.
Jeff Glucker