Can the Nissan Kicks, armed with the most powerful turbo petrol engine, kick some dirt into its rivals’ faces in a price comparison?

Nissan has launched the Kicks 2020 with two petrol engine options: a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated unit and a new 1.3-litre turbo petrol. Its prices range between Rs 9.50 lakh and Rs 14.15 lakh (ex-showroom). But can it compel you to sign on the dotted line when rivals like the Hyundai Creta, the Kia Seltos and the MG Hector are in the room? We analyse the specs and prices to find out the answer. We will only consider similarly priced SUVs that offer a petrol engine option as the Kicks is a petrol-only SUV.

Nissan Kicks Hyundai Creta Kia Seltos MG Hector
Engine 1.5-litre/ 1.3-litre Turbo 1.5-litre/ 1.4-litre Turbo 1.5-litre/ 1.4-litre Turbo 1.5-litre turbo/ 1.5-litre turbo with 48V mild-hybrid
Power 106PS/156PS 115PS/ 140PS 115PS/ 140PS 143PS
Torque 142Nm/ 254Nm 144Nm/ 242Nm 144Nm/ 242Nm 250Nm
Transmission 5-speed MT/ 6-speed MT, CVT 6-speed MT, CVT/ 7-speed DCT 6-speed MT, CVT/ 6-speed MT, 7-speed DCT 6-speed MT, 6-speed DCT/ 6-speed MT
Variants XL, XV/ XV, XV Premium, XV Premium (O) EX, S, SX, SX AT, SX(O) AT/ SX DCT, SX(O) DCT HT-line/ GT-Line Hybrid models marked
Nissan Kicks Hyundai Creta Kia Seltos MG Hector
XL: Rs 9.50 lakh HTE: Rs 9.89 lakh
XV: Rs 10 lakh EX: Rs 10 lakh HTK: Rs 10.29 lakh
XV Turbo: Rs 11.85 lakh S: Rs 11.72 lakh HTK+: Rs 11.49 lakh
XV Premium Turbo: 12.65 lakh HTX: Rs 13.09 lakh Style: Rs 12.73 lakh
XV Turbo CVT: Rs 13.45 lakh SX: Rs 13.46 lakh GTK: Rs 13.79 lakh Super: Rs 13.53 lakh
XV Premium (O) Turbo: Rs 13.70 lakh
XV Premium Dual-tone Turbo: Rs 13.90 lakh
XV Pre Turbo CVT: Rs 14.15 lakh HTX AT: 14.09 lakh Super hybrid MT: Rs 14.13 lakh
SX AT: Rs 14.94 lakh GTX: Rs 15.19 lakh Smart hybrid MT: Rs 15.23 lakh
SX DCT: Rs 16.16 lakh GTX DCT: Rs 16.29 lakh Smart AT: Rs 15.93 lakh
SX(O) AT: Rs 16.15 lakh GTX+: Rs 16.29 lakh Sharp hybrid MT: Rs 16.53 lakh
SX(O) DCT: Rs 17.20 lakh GTX+ DCT: Rs 17.29 lakh Sharp AT: Rs 17.43 lakh
  • The Nissan Kicks has a starting price lower than its direct rivals like the Seltos and Creta. All three cars here are powered by a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine but the Nissan is slightly underpowered in comparison to the other two.
  • All four cars in the above comparison pack in a turbocharged petrol engine. The Nissan Kicks offers it at the lowest starting price.
  • The Nissan Kicks turbo has the smallest but the most powerful and torquiest engine, at 156PS/254Nm.
  • The Creta turbo petrol is overly expensive as it only comes paired with a 7-speed DCT. The entry-level Seltos turbo petrol, the GTK, which gets a manual transmission, is nearly Rs 2 lakh more expensive than the Kicks turbo manual.
  • The Hector belonging from a segment above is nearly Rs 1 lakh more expensive than the Kicks turbo. Its 1.5-litre unit is anyway a turbocharged unit. On top of that, it’s the only offering with a 48V mild hybrid system.
  • Prices of the Nissan Kicks turbo paired with a CVT max out at a point which takes you only halfway through the Creta, Seltos and Hector’s variant lineup.
  • Those looking for the most affordable turbo petrol automatic need not look beyond the Nissan Kicks.
  • Top of the line automatic petrol options of the Seltos, Creta and Hector are priced similarly at over the Rs 17 lakh mark, more than Rs 3 lakh dearer than Nissan.

All the cars pricier than the Nissan Kicks offer a more premium and feature-loaded packaging. Some of the additional features available on all the other three cars include a sunroof, LED headlights, connected technologies, bigger touchscreen infotainment units and six airbags.

 

Source :- CarDekho.com