Nissan India has finally taken the wraps off the Kicks SUV. Nissan says that the SUV is built on a GRAPHENE (Gravity-philic Energy Absorption) body structure, to make it stronger and durable on Indian roads. But what you should know is that the Nissan Kicks is likely to be based on the same platform as the Renault Duster, Nissan Terrano and the Renault Captur.
In terms of dimensions, the Kicks has an overall length of 4,834mm, it is 1,813mm wide, stands 1,656mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,673mm. While the wheelbase of the Kicks is same as that of the Duster and Captur, the Kicks is longer than both the Duster and Captur by 69mm. The Duster and Captur are 9mm wider and 39mm taller than the Kicks. The SUV gets LED DRLs, LED projector headlamps, blacked out pillars and an orange coloured roof to give it a floating impression. The fog lamps are housed much lower, below the faux air intakes. The side indicators are mounted on the wing mirrors and the mirror covers are finished in piano black colour. The wheel arches are flared and the SUV gets plastic cladding on the wheel arches and sides. The Kicks gets 5-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels, as compared to the 16-inchers on the Duster and Captur. The company has not revealed any other technical details about the Kicks.
“We are excited and proud to unveil the engaging and provocative design of the NEW KICKS. Nissan is committed to India and we are building the foundations to succeed. The NEW Nissan KICKS is a testimony of our commitment to India. With a progressive SUV design and advanced technology, it is bound to appeal the new age urban adventure seeker. As a part of the India Strategy, Nissan will bring the best of global Nissan products and technology to our customers in India.”
Last month, Nissan had invited us to UAE for a drive experience and like all other desi journos, we had expected this to be the Kicks drive. The briefing of this drive began with Nissan talking us through its SUV portfolio in UAE, which includes the Kicks. However, the Kicks sold in UAE isn’t really the Kicks which will be coming to India in January, they said. The Indian Kicks is expected to be based on Nissan’s B Platform which also underpins the Renault Duster, Captur and Nissan Terrano. The Kicks sold in UAE is based on the new Nissan Micra which is currently sold in Europe and is relatively small; smaller than the Maruti Suzuki Baleno. It is powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine which makes 118bhp and 149Nm. The numbers aren’t exceptionally great and similar is the drive. The steering wheel is relatively mute and the ride is soft but the handling is typical of European cars, with just the right amount of damping. Fret not; Nissan confirms that this isn’t the Kicks which will make it to India. Nissan India hasn’t understood the pulse of the market well, unlike Nissan UAE and there’s a lot of money riding on the Kicks. Will it do what Compass did for FCA? We’ll have to wait till January to find out.