The latest Nissan Kicks arrived for the 2025 model year with a bold new design and loads of updated tech. Every model grade was now offered with AWD, styled to turn heads, and equipped with excellent 'Zero Gravity' seating in both seating rows. Of course, success in the compact SUV space for 2025 required more than a slick face and comfortable seats, so the Kicks also brought a major infotainment system upgrade along for the ride– including an available 12.3-inch touchscreen display.Below, we'll dig into what makes the Nissan Kicks the cheapest new crossover with the best infotainment system for the dollar, consider a few worthy alternatives, and dig into a great way to save yourself $10,000 by selecting a slightly-used SUV alternative that brings top-notch infotainment tech to a surprisingly low price point in the second-hand market. The Cheapest Crossover With The Best Infotainment System Is a Nissan NissanWithin just a year, this latest interior and 'User Experience' (UX) would earn the Kicks recognition from Wards Auto with a spot on their prestigious list of the 10 Best Interiors and UX for 2025. This recognition came after editors evaluated 34 vehicles with new or redesigned interiors and technologies, with an eye for design and aesthetics, comfort, materials, fit-and-finish, connectivity and infotainment, displays and controls, and driver-assistance content and value. Ian Wright/CarBuzz/Valnet“Half of our winning vehicles – the Buick Enclave, Cadillac Optiq, Ford Expedition, Hyundai Ioniq 9 and Volvo EX90 – have interiors leaning heavily on ivory or pale beige and gray tones. This creates a serene space for drivers and passengers and helps soften the stress that can come with increasing amounts of technology in modern automobiles, as well as driving on increasingly traffic-clogged roadways.”-Christie Schweinsberg, Wards 10 Best Interiors & UX program manager and judgeWard's 2025 list of 10 Best Interior and UX winners is a relatively pricey one. You'll see the list of winners a little further down the page. Based on the starting MSRP of each model, the average price of a Ward's 10 Best Interior and UX winner for the 2025 model year was at least $50,000, making the Kicks' performance at half that amount particularly impressive.Ian Wright/CarBuzz/Valnet 2025 Wards 10 Best Interiors and UX Winners Buick Enclave Cadillac Optiq Dodge Charger Daytona Ford Expedition GMC Yukon Denali Hyundai Ioniq 9 Kia K4 Nissan Kicks Toyota 4Runner Volvo EX90 The Ward's recognition made Nissan's intention with the latest Kicks clear: this model was intended to be a cut-price tech and interior style leader. For the 2026 model year, Nissan stepped things up a notch, making the formerly optional 12.3-inch touchscreen interface standard on all models right down to the base unit, and including wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto across the board. Ward's Auto notes a key trend among 2025 winners is the presence of Google’s Android Automotive operating system controlling some, if not all, infotainment functions. Android OS is used in the three winning models by General Motors (Enclave, Optiq and Yukon Denali), the Expedition, plus the K4, Kicks, and EX90, according to this report.Ian Wright/CarBuzz/ValnetThough the Kicks has all the modern must-haves on board, it's the price point that really sticks out. In fact, there's only one model on the winners list that costs less. Don't Forget This Affordable Alternative From Kia KiaIf you're looking for a crossover specifically, the Kia K4 compact sedan and hatchback duo won't fit the bill. Flexible on form factor? Then it's worth a serious look by those shoppers after a top-notch infotainment experience on the relative cheap.It's the only Ward's winner for 2025 priced even lower than the Kicks, making it the closest benchmark for premium tech on a budget. According to Kia, the K4 was designed specifically to challenge the design and technology of higher-priced mass-market and luxury models.KiaYou won't have AWD on board like the Kicks, though top-line models are offered with turbocharged power that's unavailable in the Nissan. On the infotainment and tech front, the K4 delivers standard fully-digital instrumentation and Over The Air update capability alongside nearly 30 inches of digital display space.Kia Standard Safety Systems (Kia K4) Forward Collision Avoidance – Standard to detect and mitigate front-end impacts Lane Keeping Assist – Helps drivers prevent unintended drifting from their lane Lane Following Assist – Provides subtle steering inputs to help center the vehicle in its lane Blind-Spot Collision Warning – Alerts the driver of hard-to-see vehicles in their blind spot Rear Cross-Traffic Alert – Scans for approaching traffic while in reverse Nissan Standard Safety Systems (Nissan Kicks) Nissan Safety Shield 360 – A comprehensive suite of six standard active safety features Automatic Emergency Braking w/ Pedestrian Detection – Monitors the road ahead for vehicles and pedestrians Rear Automatic Braking – Automatically applies brakes to avoid stationary objects when reversing Blind Spot Warning – Visual and audible alerts for vehicles hidden in blind spots Rear Cross Traffic Alert – Scans behind the vehicle to warn of approaching side traffic Lane Departure Warning – Provides alerts if the vehicle begins to stray from its lane Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included. Available technology allows drivers to use their smartphone or a smart card as a virtual key, or take advantage of an AI-powered voice assistant that can control a multitude of functions via conversational commands. Here's A Way To Save $10,000 VolkswagenIf you're after an exceptional infotainment system in a crossover SUV on a tighter budget, steer your search towards the 2022-and-up Volkswagen Tiguan. The second-generation Tiguan arrived in 2018, and for 2022 a major update was applied. This enhanced the Tiguan with standard LED headlights and a revised look, as well as numerous upgrades on board. Trim grades above the base Tiguan S received remote start and voice-controlled dual-zone climate control, while R-Line models added a 30-color ambient lighting system.Volkswagen On the technology front, Volkswagen was aggressively rolling out its latest infotainment system, which arrived in the Tiguan's dashboard that same year. Drivers got an improved MIB3 infotainment system on units with the 8-inch, glass-covered display (standard on all but the base model Tiguan), featuring Amazon Alexa integration and four USB-C ports.The top-dog SEL R-Line added a 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit Pro system, basically a high-resolution digital instrument cluster with full-screen navigation and 21 data options for drivers to customize. From 2022, high-quality graphics and responsive interfaces earned Volkswagen significant recognition: the latest interface looked great, responded fast, proved logical and approachable for first-time users, and brought a taste of the high-end tablet to the affordable crossover scene.VolkswagenHigh-mileage base units can dip below $11,000, but a $15,000 budget secures a unit with under 100,000 miles. For the price of a base-model Kicks S, buyers can find nearly-new lower trims of the Tiguan with under 6,000 miles. The Tiguan SE is the value sweet-spot, providing most premium gadgets without the flagship price tag. It's always nice to have choices.
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