- the 2021 nissan kicks, the brand's entry-level subcompact crossover, gets apple carplay and android auto capability standard.
- nissan took aim at the young, first time owners with the nissan kicks when it arrived in the united states in 2018.
- the 2021 kicks will go on sale in february 2021, and pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale date.
nissan clearly knows the market it’s selling to with the 2021 kicks. the vehicle now comes with standard apple carplay and android auto capability, along with a 7.0-inch display, while the upper sv and sr trim levels have an optional 8.0-inch display. three usb ports (two in the back) are now standard, and a usb-c port is available on the sv and sr. young buyers are digital natives, so charging and using their phones as navigation devices while accessing text messages via voice is likely very important.
exterior-wise, while the design changes are subtle, the 2021 kicks does get an updated front end and bumper that give it a slightly more aggressive look in line with the rest of nissan’s suv lineup.
the interior offers up upgraded door and seat trims on the sr and sv versions of the crossover, which include a center armrest. the seats in models equipped with the sr premium package now have a more saturated color for their three-tone design.
under the hood, the kicks hasn’t changed. it’s still powered by a 1.6-liter inline-four pumping out 122 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque. it comes only with front-wheel drive vehicle and uses nissan’s xtronic cvt. the rear wheels now get the extra stopping power of disc brakes on the sr and sv trim levels.
to further appeal to the young demographic, nissan says that the kicks is available in many color combinations that include five two-tone paint combinations and seven regular exterior colors including electric blue metallic and scarlet ember tintcoat.
nissan’s safety shield 360 is standard and includes rear automatic braking, blind-spot monitoring, and lane departure warning. the 2021 kicks is expected in showrooms in february of 2021. nissan hasn’t announced pricing but said it’ll share that info closer to the on-sale date. but if the kicks follows the current price point, we expect it to start at around $20,165.