[Kicker]

A Brazilian magazine called Quatro Rodas has named the Nissan Kicks the "Best Buy of 2017" in the SUV category. Not sure what it was up against, but the Kicks won because it offered "well-balanced features and price. It is one of the most economical vehicles in its category to run and own, and it has one of the cheapest parts and servicing costs under 60 thousand km.”

 

[ontherun]

If it wasn't for them building the Juke and having success with it then the Kicks wouldn't have reached this high station in the automotive world from what I can see. Reliability will be another area to look at which could shoot down this "Best Buy of...."

 

[Kicker]

Not just the Juke, the Qashqai helped raise brand awareness for Nissan and made people take notice of their other models including the Kicks.

 

[ontherun]

Not just the Juke, the Qashqai helped raise brand awareness for Nissan and made people take notice of their other models including the Kicks.

Well the Juke is more well known and not all markets have got the QQ. So that's the way i look at it. I want to say Pathfinder but its recent iteration doesn't cut it. Rogue is another one.

 

[Kicker]

The Rouge is well known mostly due to the marketing aspect of it, which Nissan tied to the new Star Wars movie. Maybe the came will happen with the Kicks.

 

[ontherun]

it has been around for a long time so that goes a long way in developing what people have always known as Nissans small SUV. Much like what we see of other car makers. for example, Jeep and the Compass or Patriot.

 

[bicepeak]

Not just the Juke, the Qashqai helped raise brand awareness for Nissan and made people take notice of their other models including the Kicks.

Qashqai...AKA Rogue Sport in the US.

Sorry it was introduced in the US because it MIGHT keep them from also offering the Kicks here.

 

[ontherun]

Now they just need to take it up a notch and drop a Rogue Sport Nismo since that will reallly do some damage to the market and give Nissan the look it needs here. Don't let Toyota catch up, because at this rate they just might.

 

[bicepeak]

Now they just need to take it up a notch and drop a Rogue Sport Nismo since that will reallly do some damage to the market and give Nissan the look it needs here. Don't let Toyota catch up, because at this rate they just might.

Nah...just come out with the Kicks and give it a Nismo version.

 

[ontherun]

Nah...just come out with the Kicks and give it a Nismo version.

Good point and I hope they do since the Kicks alone is a new beginning for Nissan which could mean some new stuff for the a Nismo CUV. Soon a Nismo Leaf will be out, an interesting look at what the current state of Nismo DNA is like.

 

[TwoFace]

That would be nice but highly unlikely because Nissan already has the Nismo Juke and the model is proven to be a popular product compared to the new Kicks.

 

[bicepeak]

That would be nice but highly unlikely because Nissan already has the Nismo Juke and the model is proven to be a popular product compared to the new Kicks.

I have heard that the Nismo Juke is popular, but sales overall for the Juke are down by 50%. Does Nissan keep the Juke because of one popular trim or does it replace it with something new like the Kicks? Kind of makes corporate sense to me to replace the Juke and has been publicly discussed.

I am not sure what you mean popular "compared to the Kicks" since it is not on sale in the US yet.

 

[Kicker]

I see the Juke's sales declining since 2015, perhaps it's time to give it an overhaul instead of outright replacing it. The Juke's design is so easily recognizable, without it Nissan won't stand out as much. Maybe come out with hybrid and electric powertrains for it to boost popularity.

In the meantime, the Kicks can pick up the sales slack once it's on sale.

 

[bicepeak]

I see the Juke's sales declining since 2015, perhaps it's time to give it an overhaul instead of outright replacing it. The Juke's design is so easily recognizable, without it Nissan won't stand out as much. Maybe come out with hybrid and electric powertrains for it to boost popularity.

In the meantime, the Kicks can pick up the sales slack once it's on sale.

I think the Kicks is enough outside the norm much like the Juke ( without the controversial frog eye headlights) to be a worthy replacement. I would just call it the Juke in the US and give it all the variations. "Standing out" with fewer and fewer sales is not a good plan for a company.

 

[ontherun]

They probably realized how bad the Juke will get over the years since that sort of styling was good when it came out and good for the years leading up to its release but going forward, more aggressive designs are the way to go .

 

[Kicker]

I think the Juke was just a bit too unique for this day and age, quirky is still fine but it needs to come withe come aggressive lines as well.

 

[ontherun]

Juke was unique in all the right ways to be honest and it did well for its time.
During the time it came out everything else was dull and boring until Nissan came around.
Even the Kia Soul sort of brought something fresh to the market.

Hopefully the Kicks isn't a step backwards.

 

[bicepeak]

Juke was unique in all the right ways to be honest and it did well for its time.
During the time it came out everything else was dull and boring until Nissan came around.
Even the Kia Soul sort of brought something fresh to the market.

Hopefully the Kicks isn't a step backwards.

Judging by the photos and video, it isn't a step backward. I also saw one from Mexico headed up I-17 in AZ. I wish I had the time that day to follow it and talk to the people when they stopped. It looked great!

 

[Kicker]

Not really a step backwards, but not really as innovative as Nissan used to be and they could do with taking a few more risks. For now the new Kicks will do well though it will need an update for the next gen to survive.

 

[ontherun]

Not really a step backwards, but not really as innovative as Nissan used to be and they could do with taking a few more risks. For now the new Kicks will do well though it will need an update for the next gen to survive.

As far as design goes, it is. Nissan went really reserved with styling compared to Toyota for example that went a bit cutting edge. But maybe there's a lot of people who like this approach, the only way we will see that is with sales numbers.

In North American it might not work, elsewhere in the world, probably.