Women and gents, the Nissan Kicks e-Energy. Forward of the B-SUV’s launch subsequent month (after what has appeared like an eternity) on the Kuala Lumpur Worldwide Motor Present (KLIMS) 2024, we’ve given you a full gallery and specs. Now that we’ve taken the automotive on a visit to Melaka and again courtesy of Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM), it’s time to go deep.
Let’s begin with dimension. The Kicks’ 4,290-mm size and 1,760-mm width place it between the Perodua Ativa and the Proton X50 within the horizontal sense, however its 1,605-mm top makes it as tall because the X50 and barely taller than the Chery Omoda 5 and Honda HR-V. No beating the 1,635-mm tall boy Ativa, although. The Kicks’ 2,615-mm wheelbase nearly equals the HR-V; in different phrases, between the X50 and O5.
Honey, I expanded the Almera? Fairly – sharp edges throughout, V-Movement face and squinting LED headlamps. I notably just like the aspect profile, with its ‘floating roof’, upswept C-pillar kink that’s sharper than the Almera’s, and the deep swage traces alongside the doorways. Along with the linked LED hind lights, roof rails and 17-inch five-spoke alloys wrapped in 205/55 Yokohama BluEarths, the Kicks is a sight for my sore eyes a minimum of.
It’s Almera-like inside, too. You’ll recognise the flat-bottomed steering wheel (rake- and reach-adjustable), padded dashboard with contrasting-colour alternatives (brown right here), eight-inch touchscreen, half-analogue-half-digital instrument cluster, round air vents and single-zone auto air-con management panel, however in fact right here you get a stubby e-Energy-specific gear lever, an digital parking brake with auto maintain, Drive Mode button and an EV mode swap.
It’s a pleasant place to be – I really just like the brown bits, which you’ll additionally discover on the door playing cards and seats courtesy of the range-topping VLT, though mine may very well be an unpopular opinion within the face of Malaysians’ penchant for all-black interiors. The tops of the dashboard and door playing cards are onerous plastic, however the brown padded bits go a way in the direction of elevating the ambiance.
In a time when automotive interiors are wanting increasingly more like cinemas, the half-analogue-half-digital instrument cluster does sadly look outdated hat. The seven-inch unit’s graphics are wonderful, legible and pretty modern-looking, however it’s utterly at odds with the massive conventional speedo and its journey reset knob poking out of the glass, which reminds you of the Kicks’ age.
Preventing again the years are the very-intuitive touchscreen (with wired Apple CarPlay/Android Auto) and digital rear-view mirror (VLT solely) – you flip the latter on just by flicking the lever beneath, precisely as you do to dim a traditional mirror. It is a B-segment-first in Malaysia.
I discover it a boon – the view could be very wide-angle and gained’t be blocked by D-pillars, rear passengers’ heads and baggage saved as much as the roof. Even in heavy rain, though you’ll nonetheless must function the again wiper sometimes, you will notice higher than with a traditional mirror on the entire.
The manually-adjustable Zero Gravity entrance seats, whereas a bit slender on the thighs, are very supportive and cozy. Additionally slender is the centre console, being simply vast sufficient to accommodate twin cupholders (with two ‘ground’ settings to suit large and small cups) lengthwise. It follows that the armrest field can also be slender, and opening it reveals a shallow cubby that might most likely solely take a bi-fold pockets and a few keys at finest.
Again seat area is appropriate – no centre armrest nor rear air-con vents, however you do get two USB-A charging ports. The boot swallows a really respectable 423 litres; when you want extra, the again seats fold 60:40, however the load ground shouldn’t be flat and there’s fairly a giant protrusion on the ground the place the seats break up. Underneath the boot ground you’ll discover a tyre restore package as an alternative of a spare tyre.
That is the facelifted first-gen Kicks that launched in Thailand over 4 years in the past (you learn that proper and it’s not the new second-gen, no RHD nor e-Energy for that but), though Malaysia now will get the second-gen e-Energy powertrain (up to date for Japan, Thailand and Singapore in 2022), which will increase the battery’s capability from 1.57 to 2.06 kWh and the variety of cells from 80 to 96.
Nissan says the second-gen e-Energy powertrain is extra compact, lighter and presents higher efficiency. Within the Kicks, which is the primary e-Energy mannequin in Malaysia, a 1.2 litre three-cylinder engine acts purely as a generator to cost a 2.06 kWh battery that feeds a front-mounted 129 PS/280 Nm electrical motor.
It’s a sequence hybrid in the identical vein because the Perodua Ativa Hybrid, the Mazda MX-30 R-EV and the BMW i3 REx. For the reason that petrol engine by no means drives the wheels, it’s an EV the place propulsion is worried, solely emissions should not zero.
Certainly, the Kicks e-Energy could be very EV-like to drive – prompt torque and silent progress. Round city, you actually wouldn’t realise that the petrol engine has kicked in except you’re keeping track of the instrument cluster – there are subsequent to no vibrations regardless of it being a three-cylinder. You’d actually need to perk up your ears to listen to only a muted hum. After all, the engine wake-up is extra discernible whenever you’re ready on the lights, however general, refinement ranges are very excessive.
I stated it seems like an EV to drive, didn’t I? However it may possibly additionally really feel like an ICE automobile in some respects – bear with me. whenever you give a CVT automobile the beans, you hear the engine first earlier than automobile pace catches up? Effectively, it’s uncannily the alternative right here. Ground it and the EV-like prompt torque shoves you ahead, however a break up second later you hear the engine, and the revs correspond very intently to throttle place (very ICE-like) because it toils to cost the battery based mostly in your proper foot’s demand.
I need to reiterate right here that at no level is engine operation intrusive or tough within the slightest. That is undoubtedly the Kicks e-Energy’s prime power – its quietness. Even at pace, I can solely cease in need of saying there’s zero highway and wind noise, lest somebody brings out a NASA-grade decibel meter to show me incorrect.
A 0-100 km/h time of 9.5 seconds is all properly and good; what’s maybe extra spectacular is its mid-range acceleration of 100-120 km/h in 4 seconds flat. Certainly, whenever you ask for extra energy at freeway speeds, the Kicks e-Energy merely complies, the speedo needle climbing relentlessly in a fashion you wouldn’t anticipate from a 129 PS/280 Nm automotive.
Let’s discuss modes. Moreover Regular, there are Eco and Sport which affect throttle response and enhance regen braking (Regular has the least quantity of regen). Funnily sufficient, EV mode, which tells the engine to not get up, can solely be engaged whenever you’re in Eco or Sport, however as a result of small battery, you’ll solely handle at finest 2.5 km of zero-emissions driving given a relentless 40 km/h and a full battery.
For the reason that system all the time tries to maintain the battery’s state of cost between 20% and 80%, how do you maximise EV-only driving? Effectively, there’s a hidden Cost mode, accessible by holding the EV mode swap for 2 seconds. The engine will then come alive and keep alive till it has totally charged the battery.
The journey is on the snug aspect of stiff, whereas dealing with, though the Kicks is mild on its toes, is probably par for the course. The e-Pedal Step is in contrast to the Leaf’s in that the automotive will sluggish to a creep as an alternative of coming to a whole cease whenever you get off the throttle.
Customary security gear contains seven airbags, AEB and Clever Driver Alertness – the highest VLT spec provides adaptive cruise management (VL will get regular cruise management), a 360 digital camera, blind spot warning and rear cross site visitors alert.
Nissan touts an NEDC determine of 21.7 km/l and a max vary of 900 km on a 41-litre tank of petrol. From Petaling Jaya to Melaka, 15 automobiles coated 231 km solely on trunk roads and had been rebrimmed on the vacation spot. The drive was fairly spirited with a good bit of overtaking, and the median automotive took 13.99 litres of petrol, akin to 16.5 km/l. It was half-B-road, half-highway on the way in which again, and though we didn’t rebrim the automobiles this time, my readout hovered round 15 km/l regardless of an excellent flip of pace on the freeway.
All in all, it’s not going to be a breeze for ETCM’s first all-new mannequin in 4 years. Even earlier than we single out the hybrid rivals (upcoming Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid RM140k estimated, Honda HR-V e:HEV RM142k, Haval H6 HEV RM140k), the B-SUV market is a really purple ocean, with some C-SUVs consuming into the pie as properly (Proton X70 RM99k-127k, Chery Tiggo 7 RM124k, Jaecoo J7 2WD RM139k).
And these are all CKD. Our Nissan Kicks e-Energy goes to return CBU from Thailand. However who is aware of – if ETCM can in some way get the all-important pricing proper, this automotive might simply be the viable quiet, snug and handsome different the market wants.
Nissan Kicks e-Energy VLT Malaysia drive gallery
Nissan Kicks e-Energy VLT two-tone in Malaysia full gallery
Nissan Kicks e-Energy VLT two-tone in Malaysia showroom
Nissan Kicks e-Energy VL in Malaysia showroom
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