Have a taste of electrification starting at P1.209 million
Nissan is kicking off its mass-market electrification push with this subcompact crossover. PHOTO BY SAM SURLA
Nissan Philippines is a company that has been very aggressive with its electrification efforts, having formally brought its Leaf into our market last year. But the main problem is that said EV isn’t particularly affordable, especially with a price tag of P2.798 million. While our EV Industry Development Act and infrastructure are still in their infancy, the next best thing that consumers can look to is hybrids.
These usually cost more than their equivalent gasoline counterparts, but they often make up for it with incredible efficiency, excellent comfort, and low emissions—all without the range anxiety of a battery-electric vehicle.
We know that a couple of Japanese manufacturers offer self-charging (or plug-in) hybrids. Now, it’s Nissan’s turn to step up to the plate with its e-Power drivetrain, starring the Kicks e-Power.
It's shockingly affordable considering what you get underneath. PHOTO BY SAM SURLA
But we’ll get the biggest thing out of the way first: the price. With Toyota’s most affordable hybrid offerings starting at around P1.6 million, Nissan was in a prime position to undercut the competition. And it did, but we genuinely did not expect the brand to go that low:
- EL – P1,209,000
- VE – P1,309,000
- VL – P1,509,000
While it’s not under the magic P1-million mark, these introductory prices are incredibly tempting, especially for first-time car owners who want a taste of the electrified life. So, what do you get?
The Kicks is a lot easier on the eye compared to its Juke predecessor. PHOTO BY SAM SURLA
The vehicle is a subcompact crossover with measurements of 4,300mm long, 1,960mm wide, and 1,615mm tall. It has a youthful-looking design complete with Nissan’s new logo and “double” V-motion grille, full LED lighting (including the turn signals and the reverse lights), silver roof rails, and 17-inch alloy wheels across all variants.
The only way you’d find out if you’re looking at the top-of-the-line VL on the outside is via the LED fog lights.
It's a functional cabin design that's also inoffensive. PHOTO BY SAM SURLA
The feature parity continues on the inside, which has a cabin similar in design (and features) to the Nissan Almera.
All variants have a puck-style gear selector, an electronic parking brake with auto hold, and a seven-inch display paired with an analog speedometer.
Both the VE and VL receive the eight-inch Nissan Connect infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support and have USB-A and Type C ports, while the EL makes do with a standard 2DIN head unit with USB-A connectivity. Plus, if you’re picky with audio, consider the VL, as it has six speakers compared to the four speakers on the VE and EL.
The cabin is roomy for a subcompact crossover. PHOTO BY SAM SURLA
The Zero Gravity seats are present (but are manual-adjust), with a dashboard and center armrest clad in black synthetic leather across the range. The rear seats also fold in a 60:40 split to expand the 470L cargo capacity, but there’s no pull-out rear armrest for rear passengers.
If you're curious, this is the cabin of the midrange VE variant. PHOTO BY SAM SURLA
The VL receives leather upholstery for its seats, chrome interior door handles, and gloss black aircon vents, while the VE and EL have fabric seats, matte black door handles, and aircon vents. Plus, you get a leather steering wheel on the VE and VL (urethane on EL) with manual tilt and telescopic adjustments.
There's no spare tire, by the way—just a tire inflator and sealant. You wouldn't be able to fit one even if you tried. PHOTO BY SAM SURLA
As for safety and convenience, all variants come with disc brakes, keyless entry, cruise control, traction control, and hill start assist. Plus, it comes with the e-Pedal Step system that will allow you to drive the vehicle with just one pedal.
The top two trims have more safety features: six airbags (instead of two), rear parking sensors, and a couple of Nissan Intelligent Mobility features like forward collision warning, automated emergency braking, and driver attention alert. Step up to the VL, and that adds automatic headlights and a 360° camera with Moving Object Detection.
You could say that the Kicks was built around the e-Power drivetrain. PHOTO BY SAM SURLA
And of course, all of these are powered by the e-Power drivetrain, which we’ve covered in great detail here and in our track-day article.
But in a nutshell, the electric motor (which is paired to a 2.13kWh battery) always drives the wheels, so the three-cylinder engine (HR12DE) is only used as a generator. Power output is a healthy 134hp and 280Nm, and the vehicle takes 91-octane fuel minimum.
If you want one at the above-mentioned introductory prices, you'd better place your order in early. PHOTO BY SAM SURLA
Do note that the vehicle’s official launch is still on August 12, but Nissan is “kicking” off its pre-selling activities at its dealerships. With introductory prices like that, it’s hard to say no to the kind of electrification that the automaker is offering.
Keyword: Nissan PH introduces the Kicks e-Power crossover