2020 Nissan Kicks Consumer Reviews
Most Helpful Reviews
Positive Review
I owned a 2019 Kicks for about four months after trading in a used SUV and going with something brand new. I bought it basically for the excellent value, for all the tech and features you get for the price and the unique exterior styling. But after a few weeks of owning it I found the interior left a lot to be desired. The Apple Car play and Android Auto were great features. The stereo sounded good but not great, only sounded great when used with the Sirius XM radio demo that you get for free for three months with buying the car. The AC/heat was not very precise, it either was too cool or a little too warm, we had to finagle with it by manually adjusting it every time to get comfortable, compared to our older SUV which provided us a constant stable temperature. The Kicks is considered a crossover but I found it more to be on the car side than the sport utility side. It was more like a raised car and reminded me of my old Kia Soul. I didn't have any of the problems other Kicks owners had such as having to replace the front sensor, or any of the struts due to noise. I took it on a long cross country trip and it did have excellent gas mileage, but the 10 gallon tank was too small for my taste, as I felt I had to fill it up quite often for an economy vehicle despite the great mileage, because of the small tank. The interior was nice but the seats were a little hard and started getting used to it the more we sat on them, but it really did feel more like a car than an SUV. I didn't like the simulated digital tachometer on the left side of the dashboard, I feel that tachometers should always be analog because of my old school preference with cars. There was really no center console and I didn't like that the cup holders being lined one after the other and too far back, as opposed to side-by-side for driver and passenger, and there were no rear cup holders except at the door. I did like the two USB ports in the back of the middle divider for the rear passengers, the large cargo room in the rear for a car its size, and overall interior room for a car its size. The oil and filter were real easy to change as well, don't even need to raise it with a jack to get to the drain plug and oil filter. But I tried to like the car, and I really did like it's stylish exterior, but the interior was not enough for me to want to keep it for the long term to continue making payments on it, so I traded it in for a Rogue Sport, which met more of my interior and comfort needs, and I felt I was actually in a SUV in the Rogue Sport as opposed to a raised car in a Kicks. In addition to the Kia Soul I mentioned earlier, the Kicks reminded me too much of a Nissan Versa Note with a facelift. But I would recommend the Kicks for the value and styling and great commuter car, and looking back would spend for the top of the line SR trim instead of the SV I had, but if you're going to spend that much for an SR and want a more refined vehicle, you might as well would move up to a Rogue Sport or above, unless you want to stay with the shape of the Kicks which had more of an edge, rather than the more subtle sophistication of a Rogue Sport. I don't really have complaints in the performance side of things as i don't expect much out of an engine in a vehicle in this class, I was mainly more focused on the exterior look, which was great, and interior feel, which was not as great, of the Kicks.
VS
Critical Review
I've owned my 2018 Kicks for three months and have put 7,000 miles on it. I have to be fair, so as a little upfront "disclaimer," I bought the Kicks after owning a 2013 Altima SL for 4 years, which I bought used and LOVED. However, after putting 100,000 miles on it quicker than I thought I would, I needed to trade it in with negative equity (there were other issues with the car that I couldn't afford to fix). So, it's important to understand I was a little spoiled before buying the Kicks. First, the Pros... The car seems to get decent gas mileage. By that, I mean that the electronic gauges indicate I get an everage of 32.5 mpg. Keep in mind that I put a minimum of 70 miles per day 5 days a week on this car, with 60 of those miles being low traffic highways in 55 to 70 mph speed zones. I love the parking assist cameras. These show an aerial view of the spot I'm pulling in or out of. After 30 years of driving, I'm still not the best at parking a vehicle, so this is a big plus for me. I also love the blind spot sensors. These alert both while driving and while pulling out of a parking space. Living in east Texas where tons of people drive oversized pick up trucks, with a car this small, that's a BIG plus when getting out of parking spaces! I like having two USB ports for charging that the back passengers can use. My teenagers find this the most important feature of the car lol. The backseat and cargo area are surprisingly roomy for the compact size of the vehicle. I love having a removable hard shell privacy cover for the cargo area as well. Finally, I like the way my Kicks looks on the outside. I get questions and compliments on it. It's a cute little car! Now the Cons... My main complaint is the size of the gas tank. It's like between 10 and 11 gallons. I literally have to get gas like every other day. Two and a half days, tops. I guess I don't understand why they'd build a car with great gas mileage, knowing consumers with long commutes would buy it, and give it a gas tank that tiny. The seats are like sitting on concrete. No exaggeration. It takes me 40 minutes to get to work, and yes, I'm a curvy girl, but my behind shouldn't start hurting the way it does after driving this car for only a short distance. There is one arm rest, for the driver of course... one. It's about 2 inches wide, covered with scratchy material, and not padded well at all. So, it's lose-lose whether you're the driver (uncomfy rest) or the passenger (no rest at all). For some reason, the designers thought it a good idea to use some cheap silver-coated pieces in the "high traffic" area of the arm rest/handle on the inside of the doors. Within a week, this looked scratched up and old. Not thought out well at all. The cameras, while I love the parking and blind spot assists, have to be cleaned a wiped down EVERY SINGLE DAY. Even after that, the rear one still looks blurry. Not once since I drove it off the lot has it looked like it did when I did the test drive. Now for the issues I hope to get fixed when I get the chance to take it back to Nissan for work... The technology has bugs. When I try to use my ipod (yes, I know, old school), the songs randomly skip, like literally similar to a scratched 45 record (also old school, I know). I had to switch my music to a USB flash drive, which works, but I lost a lot of options that come with ipod (for on-screen menus, etc.). The flash drive works, but I wish I could use my ipod. The display screen in the car (used for everything, of course... radio, ipod, satellite, parking cameras, etc.) doesn't work sometimes. By that, I'd say an average 3 times a week it freezes up or blanks out. I've had to pull over, turn the car off, and restart to get it working again. There's also the A/C - heater issues. The temperature doesn't adjust according to what the read out indicates. It literally blows either really hot, or cold. I can't feel the in-between temperatures or get comfortable a lot of the time. To be fair, I will update the last few paragraphs after my visit to the Nissan service shop.
2020 Kicks Reviews
Showing 8 of 69 reviews.
Great gas milage , leather, bose audio, android auto, led head and fog lights, ride comfort, low road noise
Could use about 25 more hp, everything else is awesome
I owned a 2009 Nissan versa 5spd prior to this is traded it in with 300,000 miles and still ran amazing . I purchased this cause the versa was feeling quite dated I have owned this car since October it has been fantastic similar mpg as versa has more bells and whistles than I can even use. For the price tag you get a real lot of creature comforts leather heated seats led lights bose audio etc. Only time will tell the rest of the story but so far flawless running with now 3500 miles on the car and one road trip.
Safety features
None
We have had this car for about 3 years and our daughter drives it. The safety features are wonderful. Could not ask for a better and safer car for our daughter.
Amazing 🤩 great gas milage very comfortable very reliable
I’m trying to trade in my car and get as much as I can for it. It’s in good condition. Except for it’s hatchback is then end just a frag bit. The driver back bumper is still on but it’s repairs is $1000.
I bought my car new off the lot, and I have loved it since the day I bought it. It's sporty and cute, and it has all the tech I need to be comfortable and safe. The gas mileage is a HUGE plus. I will be buying a new Kicks when I decide to trade up!
Great on gas
Good gas mileage clean and beautiful pleasant car to drive around in and very pretty couldn’t believe how much it was good on gas and very clean
Gas mileage, heated seats, size, premium sound,
Manual seat adjustment, needs a 2nd arm rest
My 2019 Nissan Kicks is an excellent car to buy. The gas mileage, premium sound, great camera views and overall reliability are top notch. I love how it drives, the size is a bonus plus the cargo area is a good size for such a small SUV. The things I would say could be better on it is the seats. I wish it had motorized seat position instead of the
Looks cute, Drives good, smooth transmission
No power, poor stereo system, hard seats.
It has no power and the stereo system sux. The seats are hard. I'm not impressed with this vehicle at all. I've drove Ford Fusion's my whole life and wish I had of bought another one of those. Bc after driving Fusion's I'm very disappointed.
