[84.monsoon]

A very surprising variant line up indeed. Excellent strategy to make the HR13 engine as well as the CVT very accessible. Both are available right from the variant just above the bottom (XV). I think Nissan must have realised this is their USP - excellent power and drivability as well as best in class fuel economy when compared to other turbo petrols and therefore playing this up and competing on this strength right across most of the price spectrum. They can easily convert prospective Seltos/Creta lower variant NA Petrol customers (Seltos HTK/HTK+ and Creta EX/S) by offering them a turbo engine with even a CVT at almost the same prices.

NO CVT in the top end? This is simply inexplicable- especially when the top end of the market is moving so swiftly towards automatics. I think they clearly have a ceiling price in mind - and indicates to me that it will be a killer launch price, just like Renault did with the Triber, they want people to associate the offering with a low price bracket and high value. I still think of Triber as “I can get the fully loaded 7 sweater for 6.99 lakhs”. Again, I’m think Nissan is looking to seriously undercut Seltos and Creta, which have a top end price of 17.2 lakhs ex-showroom. How about topping out at 12.99 - More than 4 lakhs less? In this case, they have to trade off and offer either the bells and whistles for the chauffeur driven OR a nice CVT for the self driven at the top end price point.

I think the 1.5 NA engine is there only for a low starting price offering. So, I am guessing a pricing span as below:

• XL NA Manual - 8.99 lakhs
• XV NA Manual - 9.99 lakhs
• XV Turbo Manual - 10.99 Lakhs
• XV Turbo CVT | XV Pre Turbo Manual - 11.99 Lakhs
• XV Pre Turbo CVT | XV Pre(O) Manual - 12.99 lakhs

One final thing I noticed in the brochure page leak. The cruise control graphic seems to indicate not just a normal cruise control, but an adaptive cruise control or a laser-assisted one. It seems to indicate that the vehicle will maintain a safe distance from the vehicle ahead. If this is true, it will truly be a show-stopper feature for the segment. It belongs to the Volvo’s and the S-class category flagship cars.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

A very surprising variant line up indeed. Excellent strategy to make the HR13 engine as well as the CVT very accessible. Both are available right from the variant just above the bottom (XV). I think Nissan must have realised this is their USP - excellent power and drivability as well as best in class fuel economy when compared to other turbo petrols and therefore playing this up and competing on this strength right across most of the price spectrum. They can easily convert prospective Seltos/Creta lower variant NA Petrol customers (Seltos HTK/HTK+ and Creta EX/S) by offering them a turbo engine with even a CVT at almost the same prices.

I think the 1.5 NA engine is there only for a low starting price offering. So, I am guessing a pricing span as below:

• XL NA Manual - 8.99 lakhs
• XV NA Manual - 9.99 lakhs
• XV Turbo Manual - 10.99 Lakhs
• XV Turbo CVT | XV Pre Turbo Manual - 11.99 Lakhs
• XV Pre Turbo CVT | XV Pre(O) Manual - 12.99 lakhs

Such prices will truly set the cat among pigeons and shake up the urban SUV segment. These are almost Nexon and XUV300 prices, and exactly what Nissan needs to get attention from prospective buyers. Pricing 50-100k less than Seltos will get them nowhere. It has to be 3-4L less. And that should be very doable.

[Nithesh_M]

A 4.3m vehicle will never be able to match a sub 4m car's pricing unless they don't intend to make any profit per model sold. A realistic pricing would be slightly undercutting the Seltos's 9.89 lakh base model with the 1.5 NA petrol manual and the turbo variant undercutting the GTK variant.

I don't expect the difference to be 1 lakh lower than the competition. Realistically it might be 20k tops on the base models and 50k tops on the turbo variants so the newspapers ads can have some bragging rights at launch.

Don't see a kicks going below 9.6 lakhs.

[locusjag]

I was surprised to see a Nissan Kicks review from a Tennessee , USA-based reviewer:

https://youtu.be/kfLlxViQVOg

Nissan sells the Kicks in the US as well?

[84.monsoon]

The Kicks sold in the USA is entirely different. It is a subcompact crossover in the US (4295 mm long) and is based on Nissan's V platform However, the one sold in India is basd on the larger Dacia B0 platform underpinning the Duster and Captur (as well as the earlier Nissan Terrano, now discontinued). The driving experience is entirely different, as the Kicks in the US drives more like a hatchback while the one in India feels more SUV-ish.

The US platform is a lot newer, launched in 2016/17 in Brazil.

[harishF1]

I was torn between my mind and heart to make a decision on a mid sized SUV/ Crossover till date. My mind said a petrol Kia or Hyundai should be the choice (based on my usage) and the same mind said they were not worth it esp the 1.4 turbo variants which was about Rs. 20L on Bangalore roads. Then I checked the cheaper option 1.5 NA with IVT/ CVT. Took my entire family along (including parents) to do the TD on inclines and was disappointed with the power delivery of this variant (purely my opinion).**

That is when I came across Renault's Duster upgradation plans. While the Duster is a good vehicle, we know it is essentially the Dacia Duster introduced some 25+ years*back that we are still talking about; and with Renault showing no plans to introduce the new one in India I decided to look elsewhere. Then came this news of Kicks with the 156 bhp engine and transmission upgrades. While many in the forum are unhappy with the CVT option, my thoughts are that CVT is best suited for Indian driving conditions (with most cities having high traffic levels). We also own a Baleno CVT and I can relate to it; but it is not that bad and you need to adapt to a driving style that suits the car with linear throttle inputs, also considering that the engine here is a 1.2L with around 80 bhp. I guess it should be better with double the power output, though with 1.5 times the weight. A good TD should clear most doubts I guess.*

Also noticed the lack of features like TPMS, Sun Roof, leather seats in the top CVT, which for me is not a deal breaker if it comes min 3 lakhs less than the equivalent Kia/ Hyundai. That would make me compare this SUV with the likes of Brezza/ Venue/ Nexon. I dont consider Indian conditions suitable for a sun roof*(closed or open). I guess both my mind and heart could be at peace if I get this vehicle at a mouth watering price.* If Nissan could get its act sorted with pricing, service centers, ASS, ownership experience, we could have a cracker in hand. This could get well complimented with the upcoming Magnite... If the service stations of Renault and Nissan are combined, it could provide for far greater synergies; considering under the skin the parts are anyway shared and as a customer I could leverage 6-8 service stations instead of half that number per city. My hard earned money of about 15L (OTR) is up for grabs and it is upto Nissan to focus and create a niche customer base of people like me.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by harishF1

I
That is when I came across Renault's Duster upgradation plans. While the Duster is a good vehicle, we know it is essentially the Dacia Duster introduced some 25+ years*back that we are still talking about; and with Renault showing no plans to introduce the new one in India I decided to look elsewhere..

Nitpicking here a bit- the Dacia (Renault's Romanian subsidiary) Duster was first introduced in 2010. So it is just about 10 years old. The problem with the Duster is not that it looks old. The problem is that the design (especially interior) doesnt lend itself to modern styling. At its heart it is the Romanian equivalent of a Scorpio or a Bolero.

[vshankarhere]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

Nitpicking here a bit- the Dacia (Renault's Romanian subsidiary) Duster was first introduced in 2010. So it is just about 10 years old. The problem with the Duster is not that it looks old. The problem is that the design (especially interior) doesnt lend itself to modern styling. At its heart it is the Romanian equivalent of a Scorpio or a Bolero.

Should be older than that since even Renault / Dacia Logan is also based on the same B0 platform and it was launched way back in early 2000s.

[fiestarry]

The Kicks seems to be a very nice offering from Nissan whose cars have a good reputation for reliability.
The obvious reason for using the Duster platform was to give it the huge space that it offers on the inside.
Besides, the Duster is a proven vehicle with a near indestructible feel to the basic structure.
The powerful turbo petrol on this vehicle will be a cut above the others and the CVT option is a safe and reasonable choice price wise.
Of course they could have offered 200 bhp, 20 kpl, a DCT and a sub 10 L price as some would fancifully demand but Nissan may have a less philanthropic approach to business.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by vshankarhere

Should be older than that since even Renault / Dacia Logan is also based on the same B0 platform and it was launched way back in early 2000s.

Please see the reference article below:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacia_Duster

[vshankarhere]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

Please see the reference article below:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacia_Duster

As per this, while Duster as we know is a decade old the Duster name itself is much older as there was another one prior to that since the early 80’s.

My point was Duster is based on the B0 platform which itself is minimum 20 years old. Best example is the Logan which is from early 2000s and based on the same platform.

[harishF1]

Thanks for pointing out fhdowntheline; I stand corrected. Duster was designed in 2009.

And vshankarhere, the Nissan Kicks is also based on the same platform in India.

[Col Mehta]

Hello dear members, does anyone know if the 360 degree camera is going to be available with the XV Premium Turbo CVT variant?

Thanks.

[Godzilla]

There is a discussion around B0 platform being old.

I may be wrong but I feel a newer platform does not mean better.

Kia Seltos is based on a brand new platform but the ride quality is not good as Kicks/duster. It really depends on what one wants. Newer platforms could mean lighter and rigid (how much better is a question). This will aid in handling and mileage. However IMO the age of platform does not mean much atleast in this c-suv category as both light weight and handling are secondary to ride quality.

[JojyKerala]

In late-2019, a company in my office building bought 3 Kicks for staff. These cars are parked together and are head-turners, quickly becoming the stars of the huge parking lot.

The sporty and dual tone appearance caught on with people in the building. Soon, I noticed many more individual Kicks buyers among companies in the building. I know that Kicks isn't a sales success but if you look at my office building's car parking, you would think that Kicks is more popular than a Creta or Seltos.

I hope that the 2020 Kicks catches on and becomes a great success.