Nissan’s Kicks facelift features the brand’s e-Power series hybrid powertrain
Japanese automaker Nissan’s Kicks crossover will receive a mid-life update soon. The Nissan Kicks has remained on sale in international markets since 2016. Nissan India brought it down to our market in January 2019 with some significant changes, made keeping the average Indian buyer in mind. The starting price was set at Rs 9.55 lakh ex-showroom and it was basically a replacement to the Nissan Terrano.
At the moment, Nissan India is not doing particularly well on the sales chart. If we look at the Nissan Kicks, it is buried under the sales figures of the Kia Seltos, Hyundai Creta and Renault Duster (which shares mostly the same components). Over the months, we have shared a few spy shots of the facelifted Kicks test mule from different parts of Asia. Now, decent shots of a trailer full of Nissan’s updated Kicks units (undisguised) have surfaced online from Thailand.
Image: community.headlightmag.com
The 2020MY Nissan Kicks sports a new and larger ‘V-Motion’ front grille alongside new full-LED headlamps and alloy wheels (hidden by temporary covers). The design goes in line with the brand’s latest global products including the Ariya crossover concept that was unveiled last year. In other news, Nissan is radically changing its company logo which took the present shape in 2012.
On the inside, the upcoming Nissan Kicks facelift is expected to get premium quality materials and a new infotainment system. It was only recently that Nissan Thailand teased the ‘e-Power’ series hybrid version of the Kicks. The same powertrain could be employed in the test mules shown here — a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol motor coupled to an electric motor and a 1.5kWh battery pack. The combined output is reportedly around 150bhp.
Image: community.headlightmag.com
Compared to a regular hybrid, a series hybrid does not use an internal combustion engine to propel the vehicle. Instead, the ICE unit acts as an APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) or a generator that powers the motor while also charging a battery pack. It is the motor which is coupled to the drive axle to create motion.
The India-spec Nissan Kicks (BS4) came in both petrol and diesel formats. The 1.5-litre petrol mill was good for 104bhp and 142Nm while the diesel unit made 108bhp and 240Nm of torque. The diesel variant gets a 6-speed manual while the petrol Kicks makes-do with a 5-speed unit. Nissan India is presently working on a new subcompact SUV to take on Maruti Suzuki’s Vitara Brezza.
