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A few weeks back, I spent some time in a 2026 Nissan Kicks. The company’s small crossover (more a lifted hatchback) has been a favorite among auto journalists due to its low cost of entry, but it didn’t have a ton of options available.
The current generation is different, as the company has added all-wheel drive as an option, along with upper-level trims that can push this cheap crossover into the $35,000 price range.
While I think it’d be a bit silly to spend that much on a car like that, it is nice to see Nissan make the latest Kicks feel more premium than the first-gen, and respond to a market that demands new features and updated tech.
I’d go as far as to say that the Kicks, amongst the Japanese automakers, is the best small crossover you can get. The Corolla Cross doesn’t feel as premium inside, and the HR-V doesn’t feel as spacious.
Stick to the lower-tier Kicks models, and you have a pretty nice overall small car experience.
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The one thing the Kicks lacks is something that most of the Nissan lineup currently lacks: a good hybrid option.
The Corolla Cross is available as a hybrid, and while I don’t like that powertrain at all, it’s there, and it’s something customers are looking for when gas prices are what they are.
Nissan has a hybrid Rogue — a proper Nissan — coming later this year with the third-generation E-Power system. But that system needs to be available beyond the Rogue. It needs to be in Sentra. It needs to be in Pathfinder. It needs to be in Kicks.
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The 30 mpg combined on the Kicks with all-wheel drive is still a respectable fuel economy number, but I know that I’m someone who’d skip the all-wheel drive if there was E-Power available on the front-wheel drive.
E-Power could be all-wheel drive, but I think the cost of both on a Kicks would make the car far too expensive, but Nissan has surprised me (in a good way) before on pricing with the new Leaf.
I’ve driven E-Power in a Qashqai, and I find the system much more refined (apart from braking) than nearly all the Toyota hybrids I’ve driven. The only exception would be the 6th-generation system in the Lexus ES, but I’d need to drive them side-by-side to suss out which system is more refined.
The Koreans are also extremely competitive with their small offerings (along with the GM offerings of the Trax and the Buick equivalent), but I wouldn’t overlook the Kicks if I were in the market.
With a hybrid, it could even be segment-leading. With a Forever War with Iran wreaking havoc with oil and gas prices, executives should green light it and get it in the market as soon as possible.