The Nissan Kicks was ignored by ETCM in its 1st generation. Same story for generation 2?
While there were rumours that the Nissan Kicks would be introduced to the Malaysian market by Edaran Tan Chong Motors (ETCM), the HR-V competitor was never launched here. Today, Nissan showed the 2nd generation Kicks at the New York International Auto Show and we have a feeling things might be different this time around.
The all-new Nissan Kicks is larger and more upmarket than its predecessor, growing to 4,366mm (+58mm) in length, 1,800mm (40mm) in width and 1,630mm (22mm) in height. The wheelbase too has grown by 38mm to 2,657mm. Ground clearance is 21.3cm.
The new dimensions come with a new look inspired by athletic shoes and characterised by rounder body work and a wider stance. Strong fenders and a boxier lower half contrasts against a clean upper body. Around back you get a roof spoiler, a full-width LED taillight strip, flared rear fenders. The whole look is robust and tough on the outside.
Inside, the cabin is modern and airy with a 7″ digital instrument cluster as standard, upgradable to 12.3″ on higher trim levels. There’s a new flat-bottom steering wheel design, enlarged cup holders, Nissan Zero Gravity seats, touch-capacitive buttons for climate control, red-stitching, and a panoramic sunroof.
A 10-speaker Bose audio system is optional and this adds headrest speakers for front occupants. Compared to the previous Kicks, passenger room has been improved in every aspect.
There’s also more room for cargo, including a small hidden storage compartment under the trunk floor. As many as four USB-C ports are available on the new Kicks plus a wireless device charger too.
The powertrain is a 2.0L 4 pot with 141hp and 190Nm of torque delivered by an Xtronic CVT. There might be electrified powertrains available too. Another upgrade with the 2nd gen model is the availability of all-wheel drive.
In North America, Inteligent all-wheel drive is optional and features yaw control in its “Snow” driving mode. It doesn’t look very relevant to our market, so we wouldn’t be surprised if it was omitted.
ADAS under Nissan Safety Shield 360 is standard. This includes:
- Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection
- Rear Automatic Braking
- Blind Spot Warning
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert
- Lane Departure Warning
- High Beam Assist
The new Nissan Kicks also comes with Easy-Fill Tire alert, Rear Door Alert, Intelligent Driver Alertness, and a 360-degree Around View Monitor. We can’t wait to see this new Nissan Kicks on our roads.
