Nissan KICKS off compact SUV challenge with entry price of INR 9.55 lacs

Nissan KICKS makes a solid entry into the compact SUV market in India at an aggressive entry price of INR 9.55 lacs. A well packaged product that is fun to drive, combines style and technology with a lot of premium features, the Nissan KICKS had to be priced right to make an impact. Well, at least for the entry variant, we feel they have got it right. The pricing lines up perfectly with our predictions a month back, when we first drove the vehicle at the Rann of Kutch. Read more about our first drive review here.

Touted as ‘The Intelligent SUV’, Nissan KICKS is manufactured at Chennai, and comes in four diesel and two petrol variants, with 11 colour options. Prices for all models are as follows:

• Petrol XL: INR 9.55 lacs
• Petrol XV: INR 10.95 lacs
• Diesel XL: INR 10.85 lacs
• Diesel XV: INR 12.49 lacs
• Diesel XV Premium: INR 13.65 lacs
• Diesel XV Premium+: INR 14.65 lacs

The SUV was designed and developed between teams in Japan, America and Brazil and builds upon Nissan’s global SUV leadership, combining intelligent technology and premium-ness, with some very intelligent choice of ownership and personalisation. The SUV can be personalised with 27 different accessory categories, and the company has gone all out to make the maintenance and ownership experience one-of-a-kind.

A subscription model has been announced, and it will be launched soon. In a first for a car manufacturer in India, Nissan will offer a unique subscription model that will allow customers to drive home the Nissan KICKS with zero down payment up front. The monthly fee is inclusive of insurance, maintenance and 24×7 Roadside Assistance and would be available across the full range and color choice. Subscribers won’t have to pay hidden costs of ownership, which includes vehicle registration, heavy interest on car loans, insurance, regular EMI instalments, and the cost of associated paperwork. The ownership package also provides an attractive value-for-money vehicle-running cost of INR 11/ km. More details will be announced by February 2019.

The Nissan KICKS has excellent driving dynamics and handles beautifully; something that we experienced first hand. The powertrain options include the 1.5H 4K petrol mated with a five-speed manual transmission and the 1.5K 9K dci Diesel with a six-speed manual transmission. The fuel efficiency certified under test conditions is 14.23 km/l (Petrol) and 20.45 km/l (Diesel) as per ARAI Certification.

Some of the top features in the Nissan KICKS are:

Exterior:

• LED Projector Headlamps for longer and wider visibility
• LED Signature Lamp
• Floating roof with dual tone styling
• R17 5-Spoke Machined Alloy Wheel
• Signature Chrome V motion grill
• Functional Roof rail
• Boomerang Tail Lamp
• Aspheric ORVM to reduce blind spots
• Body Side Moulding, Wheel Arch and Skid Plates

Interior:

• Luxurious Dual-tone Brown and Black Interior theme with Carbon Fiber Finishing
• First in class leather wrapped soft touch dashboard & Door trims
• First in class Auto AC as standard across grades
• Best in class Shoulder Room & Knee Room
• Configurable Storage with 400L Boot Space
• Cooled and illuminated glove box

Innovation & Technology:

• First in class Around View Monitor Display (AVM) 360 Camera
• First in class 8.0” Floating infotainment system with ANDROID AUTO and APPLE CARPLAY
• NissanConnect with smart watch connectivity and 60+ features
• Rain Sensing Wipers

Ride Experience:

• Intelligent Trace Control [Vehicle Dynamics Control]
• ABS with EBD & Braking Assistance – [Standard]
• Cruise Control
• Smart Vision with Auto Headlamps

In terms of maintenance, under the Nissan Care package customers can choose maintenance, 24×7 Road Side Assistance, insurance and warranty, with savings of up to 30%. For the first 10,000 customers the 3 year warranty, maintenance package (up to 30,000 kms) and 24×7 road side assistance will be absolutely free of charge. Customers have the option to extend it up to five years by paying a nominal fee.

Watch the quick highlights video of the Nissan KICKS: