By: Jason Woosey
Perhaps having realised that the Juke is just too polarising for mass success in all markets, Nissan has created a new B-segment crossover called the Kicks.
Nissan says it's not destined to replace the Juke, however, meaning it'll likely complement it as an alternative for those seeking a more practical alternative that's also a bit easier on the eye. The Kicks is smaller than the Qashqai and it's even slightly narrower than the Juke, although its greater overall length (and wheelbase) will make the cabin roomier where it counts.
Though appearing to have been designed mainly with south and central American markets in mind - it will be built in Brazil and Mexico - the Kicks is set to become a global product that will be sold in 80 markets. Nissan South Africa has confirmed that the Kicks is expected to go on sale here, although that will likely only happen in 2018.
The cabin design follows a more conservative route than the Juke, yet still packs a few racy touches such as a flat-bottomed steering wheel, and it does appear to be technologically up to speed, with a large touch-screen and four on-board cameras serving the Around View Monitor and Moving Object Detection gizmos.
Nissan is still leaving us to guess what powers the Kicks, promising full details closer to its Brazilian launch, but we'd imagine that Nissan's 1.2-litre turbopetrol engine, found in the Juke and Qashqai, will probably be the mainstay of the range.
IOL