The Nissan Juke was a car that only a mother could love. It looked like a frog that had been stepped on, had all the charm of a rejected concept sketch, and drove like it was actively trying to annoy you. So when Nissan mercifully replaced it with the Kicks in 2018, I was optimistic. Then I drove a 2019 Kicks and found it… acceptable. It was light, cheap, and reasonably practical, but it was also slow, loud, and built with the sort of enthusiasm usually reserved for assembling furniture from IKEA. It got the job done, but you weren’t exactly thrilled about it.
Fast forward to 2025, and Nissan has given the Kicks a complete overhaul. New styling, new tech, available all-wheel drive, and—miracle of miracles—more power. This is the second-generation Kicks, and I spent a week with the top-of-the-line SR trim to see if Nissan had finally transformed this little crossover into something more than an economy-class shuttle.
Let’s start with the good news. The new Kicks looks fantastic. Gone is the bulbous, econobox styling, replaced by sharp lines, a bold grille, and a design that actually makes it look like a respectable crossover rather than a rental car special. It’s larger, too, with a more refined interior that ditches the cheap plastics in favor of something that actually feels like it belongs in this decade. The seats are more comfortable, the dashboard is cleanly laid out, and there’s an impressive amount of tech, including a massive 12.3-inch digital driver display. In short, it no longer feels like a car that was built to hit a price point at all costs.
Now, the part you’ve been waiting for: the powertrain. The old Kicks had a 1.6-liter four-cylinder that produced a staggering 122 horsepower, which meant that acceleration was measured with a calendar rather than a stopwatch. This new model gets a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 140 horsepower and 141 lb-ft of torque. And that means… it’s still not fast. Oh, it’s better, no doubt about that. But it’s the kind of power that makes you say, “Eh, it’ll do,” rather than, “Wow, that’s impressive.” Merging onto the highway requires a bit of patience, and if you plan on passing someone, you’d better make sure you’ve got a lot of road ahead of you.
It’s paired with a continuously variable transmission, which is about as exciting as it sounds. CVTs are great for efficiency and smoothness but not for excitement, and while Nissan has done a decent job of tuning this one, it still occasionally sounds like the car is trying to escape itself. That said, the overall driving experience is vastly improved. The suspension is more refined, soaking up bumps with ease, and the handling—while not exactly sporty—is at least predictable and easy to manage. Around town, the Kicks is genuinely pleasant to drive, with light steering and excellent visibility making it a fantastic urban runabout.
My tester was the front-wheel-drive SR trim, which comes with just about every feature Nissan could throw at it. That means 19-inch aluminum wheels, synthetic leather upholstery with cloth inserts, a six-speaker sound system, adaptive cruise control, intersection collision mitigation, lane-keeping assistance, and a surround-view camera system. I also had the SV Premium package, which added a heated steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers, an additional front-seat airbag, and a 10-speaker Bose premium sound system. In other words, it’s packed with tech that you wouldn’t expect in a small, budget-friendly crossover.
And that’s the thing—the Kicks is still relatively affordable. Sure, the price has risen about $10,000 since the first generation, but it still undercuts most of its rivals while offering more standard equipment. The interior space is decent, the cargo area is useful, and now that all-wheel drive is available, it actually competes with the likes of the Honda HR-V and Toyota Corolla Cross.
Of course, it’s not perfect. That extra power is nice, but it still feels a little underwhelming when you put your foot down. And while interior space has improved, storage inside the cabin is a bit lacking, with fewer places to stash your stuff than you’d expect from a small SUV. But for the most part, Nissan has fixed just about every major gripe people had with the first-gen Kicks.
So, what’s the verdict? Well, the 2025 Nissan Kicks is no longer a car you buy because it’s the cheapest option—it’s a car you buy because it’s actually good. It looks better, drives better, and finally feels like a real competitor in the subcompact SUV/crossover segment. It’s still not a rocket ship, but at least now it feels like something worth considering rather than a last-resort purchase. If you’re looking for a small crossover that won’t break the bank but still feels modern and well-equipped, this new Kicks is one you might actually enjoy.
Just don’t expect to win any drag races.
The 2025 Nissan Kicks SR (FWD)
MSRP:$28,180
MSRP (as tested): $30,705
Engine:2.0-liter DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder, 141 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm, 140 lb-ft of torque @ 4,000 rpm
Transmission:Continuously Variable Automatic Transmission (CVT)
Fuel Mileage (EPA): 28 city, 35 highway, 31 combined
Fuel Mileage (as tested, mixed conditions):31 MPG
Base Curb Weight: 3,065 lbs
Exterior Dimensions
Length: 171.9 inches
Overall Width without Mirrors: 70.9 inches
Height: 64.2 inches (FWD); 64.0 inches (AWD)
Wheelbase: Approximately 104.6 inches (FWD)
Interior Dimensions
Front Headroom: 39.7
Front Legroom: 42.7
Front Shoulder Room: 54.7
Rear Headroom: 38.5
Rear Legroom: 34.5
Rear Shoulder Room: 54.7
Cargo Capacity
All Seats in Place: 29.2 cu.ft.
Maximum Cargo Capacity: 60 cu.ft. with seats down
Warranty
Basic: 3 years/36,000 miles
Drivetrain: 5 years /60,000 miles
Rust: 5 years /unlimited
Roadside Assistance: 3 years/36,000 miles
Greg has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.