2025 Nissan Kicks Revealed With Bold New Styling, And It Finally Offers AWD

Nissan has been selling its subcompact crossover SUV — the Nissan Kicks — in the U.S. and North American markets for a while now. Based on the original 2016 first-generation Nissan Kicks, this car has received periodic updates over its lifespan. Despite these updates, the car's age was beginning to show, and a much-needed facelift was in the cards.

Nissan has delivered just that with the brand-new 2025 Nissan Kicks. The redesigned, completely revamped Kicks was showcased at the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, just ahead of the upcoming 2024 New York International Auto Show, set to kick off on March 29, 2024. The revamped Nissan Kicks will be on display at the show through April 7.

The 2025 Nissan Kicks gets radical upgrades over its predecessor, features a more powerful engine, and has grown in size as well. The car — for the first time — also gets an all-wheel drive option. These changes put the car firmly in the category of a sub-compact SUV, as opposed to an entry-level FWD hatchback that looked like a crossover.

Nissan has indicated that the 2025 Kicks will reach dealerships in "late Summer," but there's no mention of the pricing. For reference, pricing for the current-generation Nissan Kicks starts at $21,050.

As outlined earlier, the 2025 Nissan Kicks looks nothing like its predecessor, especially from the front. The gawky front grille has been replaced with a newer, wider grille that looks more fresh and modern. The wider grille also plays its part in making the car look bigger. From the sides, the car looks more rounded, although there are some elements of boxiness throughout the design, accentuated by its chunkier fenders. Looking at the car from the rear, the first thing you'd notice are the full-width LED taillights and the subtle roof-mounted spoiler.

There are major changes to the interior design as well, with the older 7-inch touchscreen panel being replaced by twin 12.3-inch displays that support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The higher-end models also get a Bose-branded 10-speaker audio system, with some speakers placed on the headrests.

The most important change to the interiors, however, concerns the overall increase in size. Compared to its predecessor, the 2025 Nissan Kicks offers 1.7 inches of additional shoulder room for front passengers, and 1.5 inches shoulder room for rear passengers. There's also 0.9 inches of additional knee room for rear seat passengers, despite the increase in storage volume as well. Further accentuating the feeling of spaciousness from the inside is the presence of a new panoramic sunroof.

Like its previous generation siblings, the 2025 Nissan Kicks will be offered — at least for now — with a single-engine option. However, this one is a new 2.0-liter inline-four engine that makes 141 horsepower and generates 140 pound-feet of torque. This is significantly higher than the 1.6-liter engine used in the outgoing model. What remains unchanged, however, is Nissan's tried and tested Xtronic CVT transmission

The 2025 Nissan Kicks is also armed with a bevy of driver assistance and safety features that include Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Rear Automatic Braking, Blind Spot Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Departure Warning, and High Beam Assist. On the higher priced models, the car gets features like Intelligent Cruise Control and Around View Monitor. Other notable features include Rear Door Alert, and Intelligent Driver Alertness; a feature similar to other vehicles that could detect driver fatigue and play a warning.

Like its predecessor, the 2025 Nissan Kicks is also offered in several trim levels: An entry-level "S" variant, a mid-range "SV" variant, and the top-of-the-line "SR" variant that gets all the bells and whistles of optional features.