Sami Haj-Assaad
I jumped into the recently refreshed Nissan Kicks and set a destination for the growing suburb of Georgetown. The Kicks is one of the most affordable new crossovers on the market – a vehicle for those on a budget, penny pinchers, or those wary of buying something worn out and unreliable on the used market. This isn’t a new thing for Nissan, as the automaker used to offer the Micra for under $10,000, although the starting price of the Kicks is nearly double that.
Despite the inflated price, the Kicks reminds me a lot of that peppy little car and maintains that same energy on the road. The 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine makes 122 horsepower and 114 lb-ft of torque, which sounds a little underwhelming but two important elements help the small crossover keep its edge.