Nissan Kicks (US)
Last Updated:
So the Nissan Kicks is actually replacing the Juke.
And I am not sure why…
The Juke name is well known in the US. The Kicks has already been on sale in many countries around the world for over a year.
It’s not “new”.
And next to the Juke, it looks really generic.
Love it or hate it, but the Juke did start a trend. This will start nothing.
And now we have a “new” 1.6 Liter engine with 125HP. 125!! The Juke had 188HP!
And freeway MPG is just 33 on the Kicks. Just one more than the much more powerful Juke.
And no more AWD, as this is now front wheel drive only.
The whole thing seems to be a huge step back from the Juke.
So now we are basically getting a super cheap car engineered originally for Brazil a while ago.
Wow…
I predict this will get its ass kicked by the new Hyundai Kona.
Which its offered in the US with a standard 2.0 Liter engine with 147HP.
Or a 1.6 Liter Turbo with 175HP as an option.
And you can still get AWD.
Looks like the Kona is actually the new Juke.
If this is true. Very stupid Nissan. Very Stupid.
It might start something: a yawn 😉
My ex had a couple of Nissan's and I've never cared for their vehicles. Always seemed liked a cheaply made Toyota. And this one replacing the Juke is just silly.
The Juke-look grew on me. But it was super fun to drive. I was hoping for an evolution of its styling.
This is such a slap in the face. CVT-only, no power…ugh.
It's not bad by itself, it'll do well and is less polarizing. The Juke did start a few trends though. Quite sad that none of what made the Juke great carried over.
It may be more conventional than the Juke, but I don’t view it as desirable. If Nissan would put Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and some additional power/USB ports in the Rogue Sport, I would rather spend the extra money to get a slightly larger, more refined, and much better looking vehicle.
You aren’t sure why the Kicks is replacing the Juke? It’s simple…. sales! The Juke hasn’t been selling well in recent years. Nissan went from selling 38,000 a year in 2013 and 2014 to only selling about 10,000 so far in 2017. That’s a huge drop and Nissan is betting the Kicks can bring those numbers up again. Also the Juke is ugly and the look has not aged well. The stupid split light design in front is a passing fad and thankfully seems to be on its way out. Even Jeep is getting rid of the look with its Cherokee redesign. It’s just too bad the Kicks won’t offer AWD and the turbo engine from the Juke. They should have at least made those an option.