The ride quality and handling of the Kicks again reminded me of the Captur, since both the cars share the same platform and the suspension set-up is quite similar. The Kicks feels planted at almost any speed and its bump-absorption is quite good. Potholes and undulations are taken care of in a very precise way without letting the occupants notice much of the road irregularities. Good rebound damping also saves the occupants from the feeling as if they are in a boat on choppy waters. This almost perfect suspension set-up gives the Kicks good handling; taking corners is an enjoyable process. It sticks to the chosen line well and with each passing corner you can push it slightly harder because body-roll is minimal. The steering weighs up nicely as the speedo needle climbs, giving a secure feeling as you go fast. The steering feel and feedback are quite decent; however, a little more precise communication would have been appreciated.
I drove on mostly flat smooth tarmac with a little bit of off-roading thrown into the mix and found that the Kicks behaves exactly like its French cousin, which is good. After all, we all love the way Renault Nissan sub-compact SUVs handle and it took me no time to get accustomed to the driving dynamics of the Kicks. Brakes are good with adequate feel and feedback. Nissan offer the Kicks with ABS and EBD as standard across all variants, which is good. Talking of safety, the Kicks also comes with Vehicle Dynamic Control and Hill Start Assist.
Overall, after a quick drive on smooth roads, I came to the conclusion that having driven other products based on the same platform, there was nothing new in the Kicks so far as handling, ride quality, performance, refinement, and braking are concerned. This means that the Kicks is old wine in a new bottle but an attractive bottle, I must say. The design and features are modern-day, clubbed with tried and tested technology under the skin, which should make the Kicks a desirable product. However, that completely depends on Nissan’s pricing and marketing strategy. The company is currently working on pricing the Kicks competitively and, given the fact that it will be taking on the segment leader Hyundai Creta. The base variant of the Nissan Kicks has been priced at Rs 9.55 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), which makes the SUV a very well packaged product.
