Nissan crossover SUV more than just for Kicks

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen in the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News magazine published monthly out of Folsom, California.

Sacramento, California -- The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines kicks as "a stimulating or pleasurable effect or experience."

That's a perfect fit for describing the Nissan Kicks, the Japanese automaker's compact crossover sport-utility vehicle, introduced to the U.S. market in 2016 as replacement for the Nissan Juke.

The thing about the Kicks is that you can get hung up on its cuteness and completely overlook the basic charms of the vehicle.  I pretty much did that in a review of the 2018 Kicks posted on this blog in early January this year.

Upon taking delivery of the recently tested 2019 Nissan Kicks SR with a continuously variable transmission, I endeavored to look beyond the cute.

What I discovered was: Yeah, it's still cute.  It's super-functional for folks not looking to haul 80-pound bags of concrete mix.  It has superior gas mileage (31 miles per gallon in the city and 36 mpg on the highway).  It's highly affordable, starting at less than $21,000.  For the record, my generously loaded version came in at $23,330 on the bottom line.

As compact crossover SUVs go, this vehicle has everything it needs to compete in that brutally competitive market.  And owners can still get their kicks ... fun, for short.

My 2019 Kicks was smooth and sporty, with just the right number of subtle angle cuts on the body from bumper to bumper.  The tester looked good on 17-inch alloy wheels.

The 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine produces a max 122 horsepower, but the Kicks' light weight makes it feel much more peppy than those numbers would indicate.  I found the Kicks to have good acceleration, and it was nicely agile on city streets and in dicey freeway traffic.  Yes, the four-cylinder engine does make some serious noise at full song.

The biggest knock on the front-driving Kicks has been the lack of an all-wheel-drive version.  Frankly, this barely registered on my complaint radar.  One small complaint I had was the lack of an armrest for the front seat passenger.  The driver gets a fold-down armrest, but nothing for the wing man/woman.  Strange.

Yes, this Kicks is a tidy package, but with the rear seats folded, you can work with 32.3 cubic feet of cargo space.  That should be plenty for the target audience the designers of the Kicks were aiming for.

The long list of in-cabin features -- including a 7-inch color touchscreen, numerous state-of-the-art communication/entertainment goodies and an Intelligent Around View Monitor -- was bolstered by a SR Premium Package of options that included heated front seats and an outstanding Bose audio system with eight speakers.

Cute this ute is.  It's also highly functional and a bargain.  And worth a look.