City drivers looking for a great subcompact SUV should take a close look at the 2021 Nissan Kicks. The diminutive Kicks is perfect for urban driving, with a small footprint that makes it easy to negotiate city streets and parking spaces. While the Kicks may be short in stature, there's a surprising amount of interior space to keep the driver and passengers comfortable. Buyers at the Santa Maria Nissan dealership tell us the Kicks comes with a budget-friendly price tag, too.
According to the Nissan dealerships near Santa Maria, the Nissan Kicks gets several updates for 2021. There's revamped styling, including a larger grille, redesigned 17-inch aluminum wheels, restyled headlamps and taillamps, and new front and rear bumpers. The SV and SR models' infotainment system now comes with an 8.0-inch display, and all trim levels get standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. At the top of the lineup, the SR trim gains an available Wi-Fi hotspot.
The interior gets a restyled center console and front-seat armrest, and redesigned door-trim panels and dash air vents. On the outside, more exterior paint colors are now eligible to get the available contrasting black roof. New optional features include adaptive cruise control, auto brake-hold and an electronic parking brake.
The Drive gave the 2021 Nissan Kicks high marks, writing: "One thing is for sure: the Kicks is a charming, practical, and zippy little ride that could very well adapt to city and country living alike. It's got the looks, the tech, and it's not a boring drive ... And that's more than other similarly-priced econoboxes have to offer."
The 2021 Kicks seats five passengers and is offered in three trim levels: S, SV and SR. The Kicks is equipped with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine developing 122 horsepower and 114 lb-ft of torque, connected to a CVT that sends power to the front wheels. Fuel economy is excellent, with an EPA-estimated 31 mpg city/36 mpg highway.*
The base Kicks S trim comes with a nice feature list, including cloth upholstery, an integrated key with push-button start, a six-way manually adjustable driver's seat, a four-way manually adjustable passenger seat, air conditioning, roof rails, a tilt/telescopic steering wheel, an infotainment system with a 7-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an audio system with six speakers, Bluetooth and three USB ports.
Standard driver assistance features include forward and reverse automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic high-beam headlights, rear parking sensors and a rearview camera.
The top-of-the-line Kicks SR trim comes with upgraded seat fabric, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, a surround-view parking camera system, painted roof rails, a rear spoiler, LED headlights, dark chrome accents, and an intelligent 360-degree around-view monitor.
* All vehicle mileage based on 2021 EPA mileage estimates. Use for comparison purposes only. Do not compare to models before 2008. Your actual mileage will vary, depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.