Girls 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 measurement. 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 back lights, roof rails and 17-inch five-spoke alloys wrapped in 205/55 Yokohama BluEarths, the Kicks is a sight for my sore eyes at the very least.
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 after all 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 could possibly be an unpopular opinion within the face of Malaysians’ penchant for all-black interiors. The tops of the dashboard and door playing cards are laborious plastic, however the brown padded bits go a way in direction of elevating the ambiance.
In a time when automotive interiors are trying increasingly like cinemas, the half-analogue-half-digital instrument cluster does sadly look outdated hat. The seven-inch unit’s graphics are fantastic, legible and pretty modern-looking, nevertheless it’s fully 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, simply as you do to dim a standard mirror. It is a B-segment-first in Malaysia.
I discover it a boon – the view may be very wide-angle and received’t be blocked by D-pillars, rear passengers’ heads and tall objects within the boot. Even in heavy rain, though you’d nonetheless must function the again wiper occasionally, you will notice higher than with a standard mirror on the entire.
The manually-adjustable Zero Gravity entrance seats, whereas a little bit slender on the thighs, are very supportive and comfy. Additionally slender is the centre console, being simply vast sufficient to accommodate twin cupholders (with two ‘ground’ settings to suit massive and small cups) lengthwise. It follows that the armrest field can also be slender, and opening it reveals a shallow cubby that would in all probability 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; in the event you want extra, the again seats fold 60:40, however the load ground just isn’t flat and there’s fairly a giant protrusion on the ground the place the seats break up. Beneath the boot ground you’ll discover a tyre restore equipment as a substitute 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 collection hybrid in the identical vein because the Perodua Ativa Hybrid, the Mazda MX-30 R-EV and the BMW i3 REx. Because the petrol engine by no means drives the wheels, it’s an EV the place propulsion is anxious. It’s an EV with zero vary anxiousness, however not zero emissions. And no, you possibly can’t plug it in to cost.
Unsurprisingly, the Kicks e-Energy may be very EV-like to drive – on the spot 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 while you’re ready on the lights, however total, refinement ranges are very excessive.
I stated it seems like an EV to drive, didn’t I? However it could possibly additionally really feel like an ICE automobile at instances – bear with me. You understand while you give a CVT automobile the beans, you hear the engine first earlier than automobile pace catches up? Effectively, it’s uncannily the other right here. Flooring it and the EV-like on the spot torque shoves you ahead, however a break up second later you hear the engine, and the revs correspond very carefully to throttle place (like an ICE automotive) because it toils to cost the battery primarily based in your proper foot’s demand.
I have to reiterate right here that at no level is engine operation intrusive or tough within the slightest. That is no doubt 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 fallacious.
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, while you ask for extra energy at freeway speeds, the Kicks e-Energy merely complies, the speedo needle climbing relentlessly in a way you wouldn’t count on from a 129 PS/280 Nm automotive.
Let’s discuss modes. Apart from Regular, there are Eco and Sport which affect throttle response and improve 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 while you’re in Eco or Sport, however as a result of the battery is small, you’ll solely handle at finest 2.5 km of zero-emissions driving (and that’s in the event you do a relentless 40 km/h and your battery is full) earlier than the engine has to intervene.
Because the 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 absolutely charged the battery.
The experience 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 not like the Leaf’s in that the automotive will gradual to a creep as a substitute of coming to a whole cease while you get off the throttle.
Normal security gear consists of seven airbags, AEB and Clever Driver Alertness – the highest VLT spec provides adaptive cruise management (VL will get regular cruise management), a 360 digicam, blind spot warning and rear cross site visitors alert. Warranties? 5 years/100,000 km for the automobile and eight years/160,000 km for the battery, ECU, inverter and electrical motor.
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 PJ to Melaka, 16 automobiles lined 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 used 13.99 litres of petrol, yielding 16.5 km/l. It was half-B-road, half-highway on the best way again, and though we didn’t rebrim the automobiles this time, my readout hovered round 15 km/l regardless of a superb 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 crimson 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 come back CBU from Thailand. However who is aware of – if ETCM can by some means get the all-important pricing proper, this automotive might simply be the viable quiet, snug and handsome various 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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