If you think that the current Nissan Kicks looks a little too youthful for your tastes, you’ll be happy to know that the automaker has given the crossover a significant alteration for its new-generation model that is set to arrive later this year for the US and Canada.
The Kicks not only grows up in its design language, but also grows in size: It’s now 4,366mm long, 1,801mm wide, and 1,631mm tall. The wheelbase gets stretched to 2,657mm, and it has a generous SUV-like ground clearance of 213mm.
And more SUV-like it is. Its design is still inspired by sneakers, specifically the dimpled rocker panels, and the rest of the body gets flared-out body panels with a roof spoiler, alongside new “multi-stripe” lighting signatures front and back. Wheel sizes range from 16 to 19 inches, and you can even get a contrasting red roof and side mirrors.
The interior is totally revamped. A new three-spoke flat-bottom steering wheel, a dual 12.3-inch screen setup (seven-inch digital driver’s display on lower models), touch-based climate controls, and a switch back to a proper gear shifter instead of the puck-style digi-shifter make up the new cockpit.
Nissan’s Zero Gravity seats can be upholstered in full fabric or leatherette with fabric inserts, and a panoramic moonroof can be specced out to add to the airiness of the cabin.
Wireless charging, a 10-speaker Bose sound system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 360° camera (with Moving Object Detection), and the full suite of Nissan Intelligent Mobility driver-assistance systems with the ProPilot Assist can be optioned as well.
For the US market, customers aren’t getting any e-Power versions. Instead, they get a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter in-line-four gas mill, with 131hp and 190Nm sent to either the front or all wheels by a CVT.
It’s a common trend to see these North American models eventually work their way to Asian markets, just like how the updated Versa eventually became the refreshed Almera once it hit our shores. Are you excited about the latest generation of the Kicks?
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