As Americans have gravitated toward crossovers, with their blend of car-like driving experience and truck-like style and space, automakers have offered more and more of them. Nissan joined the subcompact crossover class early on in 2011, with the highly unusual-looking Juke. When the time came for a redesign, the Juke was replaced by the more conventional Kicks in 2018.

With tougher competition than ever in the subcompact crossover segment, Nissan has given the 2021 Kicks a big update, including clever two-tone paint schemes, revised styling, and added tech.  Nissan

The smallest crossovers straddle the line between miniature SUVs and tall hatchbacks and philosophically the Kicks is closer to the latter. Subcompact crossovers pack in more space and style than small cars, with only a modest tradeoff in fuel mileage. While small car sales have withered, Americans bought more than 1 million small crossovers in 2020. 

As the class has grown, the competition has stepped up its game and the Kicks does battle with entries as diverse as the Chevrolet Trax, Ford EcoSport, Honda HR-V, and Kia Soul. The Kicks stands out among its peers for its large array of standard driver assist features and excellent fuel economy, but it’s held back by a lack of power and a relatively small cargo hold. 

For 2021, Nissan has given the Kicks a major style update on the outside and refined the interior. The automaker has also added some additional tech features. Both the SR and SV trims get newly-enlarged infotainment screens and adaptive cruise control. There are three trims: the base model S starting at $20,650, including destination fees, the SV ($22,450) and the top-spec SR ($23,090). 

The Kicks’ visual updates consist mainly of new front-end styling, incorporating the company’s “Double V-motion” grille, slim, flowing headlights and attractive new wheel designs.  Nissan

The exterior styling conveys a sense of fun and adventure enhanced by a new “Double V-motion” grille and available two-tone paint. Nissan’s designers have attempted to give the Kicks a lifted feel to make it seem more rugged and SUV-like. It does look fun, but it’s strictly for on-road use.

All three versions of the Kicks are powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 122 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) driving the front wheels. The Kicks doesn’t offer all-wheel drive. 

Fuel mileage is very good, with the Kicks returning an EPA-rated 31 mpg in the city, 36 on the highway, and 33 mpg combined. That’s about 2-3 mpg better in every measure than most rivals. 

The Kicks is nimble and fun to drive in an urban setting but, but highway acceleration is leisurely and it can get noisy on the interstate. In tight city confines, the Kick’s upright styling and large windows mean fewer and smaller blind spots than rivals like the Toyota C-HR.

The interior of the 2021 Nissan Kicks is well designed and has a nice touchscreen for an entry level vehicle.  Nissan

Blind spots are also less of a concern because of the Kick’s impressive array of safety features. Nissan’s Safety Shield 360, standard on all models, includes forward collision alert with automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert with automatic braking, blind-spot and lane departure warnings. SR and SV trims add adaptive cruise control. Few alternatives offer so many standard driver assist features.

The advanced safety features help prevent collisions, but this is still a small vehicle, and small cars tend to lose when they collide with much heavier and larger pickup trucks and SUVs. The 2021 Nissan Kicks earned a four-star safety rating in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tests, and the 2020 model a “Good” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The similarly-sized Honda HR-V earned similar ratings, while the 2021 Kia Soul earned a “Top Safety Pick” rating from IIHS.

The Kicks interior is what consumers expect from this class of vehicles. The base model is Spartan. Amenities and materials improve with jumps in trim level. The SR materials are more than adequate for buyers of an entry-level vehicle and the changes for 2021 have brough an improved center console and even nicer seating materials. On the SV, a $1,200 premium package can add heated seats and a heated steering wheel in addition to other upgrades such as a Wi-Fi hotspot and an 8-speaker audio system.

The cabin’s technology is good, with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Those apps allow buyers to bring just about everything they want from navigation and audio offering into the vehicle. A standard 7-inch touchscreen provides good clarity. An 8-inch color touchscreen comes on the SV and SR grades. Everyone in the vehicle will stay charged and connected via the three standard USB ports.

The back seat gets nicer materials too, but it’s a bit small. It has more leg and head room than Toyota’s C-HR, but considerably less rear leg room than the Honda HR-V or Kia Soul.  Nissan

The controls make sense and are easy to reach, and the front seats are roomy and comfortable. Where the Kicks struggles is in the rear seat and the cargo area. Rear-seat leg and head room are a little better than Toyota’s tight C-HR, but well below that of the HR-V or Soul, and taller passengers will find the rear seat confining. 

Behind the rear seats, the Kicks offers 25.3 cubic-feet of cargo space, which isn’t too bad, but the overall cargo volume with the rear seats folded is just 32.3 cubic-feet. The Soul offers just over 62 cubic-feet, the HR-V about 59, and even the C-HR had 37. 

This should be an important consideration for buyers. Consumers pick these tiny crossovers over similarly priced sedans because they want utility. If that’s a priority, it doesn’t make sense to compromise. Otherwise, you can find better value in sedans. Nissan’s own Sentra has less headroom thanks to its sedan shape but drives better thanks to its lower center of gravity. It has 22% more power and offers similar fuel economy at the same price.