Why It’s Time to Consider the Kicks

We all remember the Nissan Micra; that great little hot hatch that returned to Canada in 2014 with cool looks, a fun-to-drive attitude and above (or should that be “below”?) all else, a fantastic price of entry that meant that for a few more bucks, those considering a used car may just be able to get a new one.

Alas, the Micra didn’t last past 2019 but before we get too emotional, know that it was re[placed, to a degree, by the Nissan Kicks subcompact crossover. That’s a vehicle you can get today, and one you can get for a great price.

Much of what made the Micra the hit it was continues here: cool styling with two-tone colour options and stylish wheels especially in SR spec, more room inside than the shape suggests (especially in terms of headroom) and neat features, the most unique which is an optional premium Bose sound system with speakers mounted in the driver’s headrest.

Power comes courtesy of a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine good for 122 horsepower and 115 pound-feet of torques, sent to the front wheels via a continuously-variable automatic transmission as your only choices. There is no AWD option, but the responsiveness of the chassis and steering is such that it’s easy to overlook the need for AWD and as a bonus, you get the better fuel economy provided by FWD. That, of course, is more important than ever today.

The real surprise, though, is the interior. The Kicks is easy to thread through traffic and to park, but when sat inside, you’d have a hard time differentiating this subcompact CUV for something from the compact CUV sector.

The qualities of the Kicks are such that you’ll feel them as soon as your sat inside, and once again once you set off. The Micra may no longer be available, but the Kicks is a great replacement.