Nissan launches updated Kicks at Rs 9.49 lakh

Hot on the heels of the new Nissan Kicks that was unveiled for Thailand recently, Nissan has updated the Kicks for India too. While the extent of changes aren’t nearly as many, there is a new 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine on offer, set to make it the most powerful SUV in the segment. A bunch of new features should make the deal sweeter too.

The engine options for the Kicks include a 1.5-litre petrol engine that we have seen before, but now meets BS6 norms. More importantly, there is a new 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. The latter produces 153bhp and 254Nm of torque. In comparison, the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol unit in the Kia Seltos and Hyundai Creta produces 138bhp and 250Nm of torque. The 1.5-litre petrol engine can only be had with a manual transmission while the turbo-petrol unit comes with the option of a manual or a CVT.

The Kicks comes loaded with features — automatic climate control, electrically adjustable ORVMs, dual airbags and ABS with EBD are some of the standard equipment. For 2020, the Kicks can be had with automatic headlamps, cornering lights, rain sensing wipers and a start/stop button. The Kicks also gets Nissan’s connected car technology with smartwatch integration and remote start stop among the usual connected car features.

With a total of seven variants, the pricing of the updated Kicks ranges from Rs 9.49 lakh to 14.14 lakh.This pricing places it in a very interesting space, attacking both the compact and mid-size SUV segments. The top-spec Kia Seltos is considerably more expensive at Rs 17.34 lakh and buyers of a top-spec Hyundai Venue might also fancy a bigger car albeit in a lower spec.On paper, the 2020 Kicks does have a lot going for it. There’s a punchy engine on offer, sizable list of features, great ground clearance and ample space thanks to the Duster platform, but can it come out on top in a very fierce segment? Only time will tell.