Nissan Kicks

Is this made-for-India, yet premium, Nissan ready to kick some crossover SUV rear-ends?

- Simran Rastogi

Type 1,461cc in-line 4-cyl diesel

Max power 110PS@3,850rpm

Max torque 240Nm@1,750rpm

LxWxH(mm) 4,384x1,813x1,656

Gearbox 6-speed manual

Wheelbase 2,673mm

Ground clearance 210mm

Price 9 lakh onwards (estimated ex-showroom)

OD Rating ****

Boot space 400 litres

Slick looking interiors and infotainment, can and will make you feel invincible on a bad road

Hints of turbo lag, steering kickback remind of its borrowed mechanicals

The Nissan Kicks, all puns aside, shows that Nissan India isn’t throwing any punches any more. The Kicks is a redesigned and re-engineered version of the internationally popular SUV, but just for us. It’s meant to be a more premium alternative to their Terrano SUV, and it packs in a few segment firsts to uphold that claim. Under the skin, it’s a mix of some of the best of what we’ve come to expect from cars of the Renault-Nissan alliance. But it’ll really have to be something special to take the fight to the segment leader from Hyundai, the Creta.

First, how does it look?