[Devbhola]

Originally Posted by riturajsharma19

So, as evident from the thread title, I am contemplating buying a Nissan Kicks 1.3 turbo. Before you wonder why I ended up shortlisting the Kicks when there are several other ‘safer’ choices available, do hear me out.

I recently booked Tata Nexon XZA+ (S) after considering the vehicles that you have listed above. In terms of safety and space, Nexon is unmatched.

With 209mm ground clearance, it should be able to handle any potholes and it has ESP, ABS, EBD, and Hill assist as standard. With a 5 star rating, it fits your requirements.

Looks are sure subjective and if the shiny plastics are bothering you, that can be easily changed using the vinyl sheets. I would recommend that you take a TD and decide which car.

Nissan is notorious for its after-sales and low resale value. I would recommend that you consider these points while making this descision.

[Raghu M]

Originally Posted by greyhound82

1. Nissan after sales is a gamble due to their low sales.

2. Nissan and Duster is based on a decade old platform which fares badly in safety department

I will suggest
1. XUV 300 : safe , fun to drive , interior quality is good but layout is a bit dated , breadth of service centre even in rural towns
2. Nexon : safe , fun to drive diesel, good interiors
3. Ecosport : actually it should come at 2 but Ford decision on India is unknown
4. Scross : one of the best from the Maruti stable

Good points. I will pick the XUV any day. The diesel engine is great to drive and will tick most of the requirement boxes.

[CEF_Beasts]

I will go against the tide and vote for the Nissan Kicks

Reason being;
- Shares it’s underpinnings with the Duster, so excellent chassis and class leading ride quality.
- Nissan-Renault-Daimler 1.3L turbo petrol flies on the open road.
- Well built and more long lasting interiors. Also gets leather on the dashboard which other CSUVs miss.
- Pretty well loaded; 360 deg camera, 4 airbags (IIRC), Hill start assist, traction control and 8-inch touchscreen (better than Renault Duster’s).
- Boot space is also more than the other CSUVs you are considering.
- Is a segment above SUV being offered at CSUV level prices.

What you can do is check out how the service station is on your city, how many cars do they service, which models are more common, etc etc.

[knrn]

Cars are a subjective choice.

What may suit me, may not bode well with another.

Still, here are my two cents.

From the comments and the thread, it seems you were already fixed on the Nissan. But after gaining knowledge from this forum ( hey, that is what team bhp is for in the first place ) you cancelled your order.

Had the diesel kicks been still available, I would have suggested you to go for it eyes closed.

But sadly that is no more the case.

Herein lies the problem of the 15 lacs budget.
I say this because I have been riding this boat for 2 years now and methinks will be stuck for some time.

As I was saying, the problem with 15 lacs is that it offers the following-
1. Sub 4 m csuvs, in their top trim levels. You get all the features but you still drive a small car. Don't get that much road presence.

2. 4 m plus suvs( crossovers for better) in their medium trims. Better engine, power, space but you may miss a feature or two. Ok more. So leaves the heart in a wanton state. Makes one feel a little poor if I may say so deliberately.

3. One thinks that just a lakh more and one can get one of the big boys- harrier, xuv500 ( ending its life term), hector( reliability is an issue). But they will be base models. And if I can get the base model why not one lakh more and go for the next one. It's just some more emi. But then no alloy wheels. Only 4 speakers. And will have to adjust mirrors manually every time.

So you see herein lies the conundrum.

The best thing will be- continue your lookout. Take test drives- multiple if you have to of all that you short list and pick whichever tugs the most at your heartstrings. It is going to be a tough decision to make but still- you win some, you lose some.

Personally I would choose between the seltos HTK plus or the harrier xe. Whichever I find to be a better driver. And depending what all features I can afford to miss.

Will be looking forward to what decision you take. Best of luck.

[museycal]

Originally Posted by riturajsharma19

Being ten years old and also being devoid of any active or passive safety features, barring seatbelts of course, I think it’s time to upgrade even though mechanically and cosmetically it is in the pink of health.

Besides, the quality of most roads here in Assam doesn’t make cars like the Punto a practical choice anymore for long journeys. Roads here in Assam, particularly the highways, are something of a mixed bag – ranging from smooth, well-laid stretches to long stretches filled with large and deep potholes that could potentially damage low riding vehicles.

Hi Rituraj.

Further to the cars you have considered, just based on above points, maybe you can evaluate the Marazzo too? Its GNCAP 4* tested, spacious, reasonably kitted, acceptable quality and a body-on-frame car. While the M4+ will be in your budget nicely, even the top-end can be negotiated for approx. Rs. 16 Lakhs OTR.

[quasarlogic]

I was one of those people that ended up buying the Kicks 1.3 Turbo in spite of many people asking me to go for the Ford Ecosport or Kia Seltos. Took delivery of my car in December 2020.

I've already covered 13000kms in this beauty of a ride, have visited Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, travelled on highways, ghat roads, shitty village roads and cities as well. Extremely impressed by this car and how easy it is to drive and maintain. I stay in Hyderabad so there's no lack of service centers. My service centre experience has also been pretty positive so far. While I was a little worried about Nissan folding shop circa November/October 2020, the response to the Magnite put my mind at ease about Nissan's future here.

Our little owners club is filled with people that love the Kicks and the common thread that ties us all together is a love for driving, highway mile munching and raw power on the roads. Nothing can beat the Kicks in its segment for the pure rush of adrenaline and stability on highways especially.

I'd definitely classify myself as a risk taker when it comes to major purchases and like to go against the trend and try out unique and not so well known options and in this case, has turned out to be a handsome investment for me and my family's travel thirst.

[KC_Panda]

I would go for the KICKS, its a super car which i believe was failed by Nissan Marketing.

My *// Wife's //* Requirement: Petrol, SUV, AUTO. These are non-negotiable. I tried.

Budget: 15L
Options: HYUNDAI Creata, NISSAN Kicks, FORD EcoSport, RENAULT Duster (Ruled out).


Engine:( my reason for buying)

I own a 1.3 CVT, its a gem of an engine. co-shared by Nissan-Renault-Mercedes.
https://www.evoindia.com/news/renaul...gine-explained

Fit-Finish: Good Quality fit and finish, material looks like it will last a long time. Kicks uses hard plastics for its interiors( should have gone for soft touch plastic, it would have elevated the brand and position it as a more premium offering).

Interiors: "Classy", this will age well.

Exteriors: Depends, its a hit or miss.

Mileage: 11.3 is what my MID shows, i am hoping it creeps up a little bit post running in.

Dislikes:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...-report-6.html (Nissan Kicks XV Diesel - Ownership Report)

PS: Thank you @Godzilla for the detailed review.

[HammerHead]

Originally Posted by riturajsharma19

The Nissan dealer on the other hand has offered me Rs 2 lakhs for the Punto, apart from an additional discount of Rs 30k for the top end XV Premium (O) MT.

I think above condition is good enough to finalize Nissan Kicks.

I'm a Punto owner and personally if I have to choose one from what you have listed, it would be Ford EcoSport. However the only reason I will not put my money on it right now is its almost a decade old product and due for a major upgrade or replacement.

In that case, I'll settle for Tata Nexon.

[BrabarusMark]

You've mentioned that there is a Honda dealer in your area. It might be worth checking the WR-V out. This car does lack quite a bit in terms of outright features, but Hondas are generally reliable and you might be able to get a good deal considering they're offering discounts on their cars.

[amitjha086]

Go with Kicks. I dont know why Kicks doesnt sell on India well, but the same Kicks sells in decent numbers in Nepal. I've recommended Kicks to three of my friends and all three of them got it. They are quite happy with the car. The ride quality is good and so is the ground clearance. I've test driven it on a couple of occasions. The top variant gets a 360 degree camera which is quite useful. Similarly, the mileage is also agreeable. In the sea of Creta and Seltos, you could get an opportunity to own a not so common car. On the other hand, I've been frequently seeing Nissan Xtrail in my town. My friend has one and I've been in his car. Nissan can definitely make good cars.

[scorpionnak]

Originally Posted by riturajsharma19

I test drove the diesel Kicks recently, as the turbo petrol was not available with the dealer for TD.

Is the diesel version still available? AFAIK, they sell only 1.5NA and 1.3Turbo Petrol.

I'm also contemplating buying a Kicks and the cash discount kerala dealer offered to me is 50k. If there is anyone else who bought a kicks recently, please share the discounts offered .. Thank you

[theguardian]

Hello Rituraj,

I can understand your dilemma. Now let me help you; I own a Nissan Kicks, XL Petrol which I bought on 25th April 2019. While the car is good, from the past couple of months, I realized that for me an automatic car would be a better option.

So shortlisted some cars with CVT & TC transmission with the hope that I will get a respectable buyback price for my Stallion. To my utter surprise and horror, I am getting some very bad quotes, for example, 4.30 Lacs, 5.00 Lacs, etc. But none of the dealers is giving me what I am expecting. The reason everyone is giving me is that Kicks is a flop car and does not carry any resale value.

My 3rd generation Honda City too fetched me around 3.40 lacs after 8 years.

So if you wish to buy a car which you want to keep for the next 5+ years and does not bother much about resale, then you may go for it. But my guidance would be to stay away.

[ramki.grandhi]

Very informative thread, thanks for starting it. I can totally understand the confusion and I was in your place, but didn't go for Kicks. Now I'm waiting for Kushaq's\Taigun's pricing to be revealed, so that I can go with my current Ecosport booking or not.

Given that Kicks is the extremely value for money option in the market currently, couple of thoughts around buying Kicks is:
1) See if there is an option to lease it for 3 years. Make sure you negotiate hard on EMIs with leasing company. By end of 3 years, you will get clarity on whether to buy out this car or leave with leasing company.
2) Wait for Nissan to reveal atleast another mass market car(not GTR or CBUs) in their portfolio, which can give us confidence about their existence in Indian market during long run. This was suggested by Nissan sales person who asked me to promise to buy Kicks through him

Kicks is a very good car, I was eyeing on 1.5 XV petrol. I wish Nissan India is reading this and put some thoughts around improving confidence of prospective buyers.

[avsroy]

Hello Rituraj,

I was facing a similar dilemma a few weeks back. I needed to decide on a new vehicle as my exceptionally well maintained Honda Civic Sep 2016 model was fast becoming EOL owing to the 15 year vehicle registration limit for petrol vehicles, and, a few months prior to that, I had had to do a fire sale for my 320d Oct 2010 model for a similar reason - 10 years limit on Diesel vehicles!

So there I was pretty much in need of a new car and with Covid in the air, had to keep test driving to a minimum. I did check out EVs and IMHO the MG is a good luxurious model but an expensive choice.

Then it came down to CSUV's and Sedans. Surprisingly, the Honda dealerships did not seem eager to want to retain a loyal customer! I had tried in the past as well when the new Civic had been launched and they really did not give much importance to the fact that I had been a loyal customer for 14+ years. The new City is a very nice car with a comfortable ride and the CVT is brilliant - but like I said, no real exchange bonus or loyalty bonus (paltry 16k) lost my interest.

For that matter, even the BMW dealership was no better in trying to retain a 10 year customer!!

Finally I decided that since I was not going to be driving around much in the near future thanks to C-19, it was no point spending too much on a car and keeping it parked.

So i started looking at the new affordable CSUVs - I test drove the Turbo manual and NA AMT Kigers - and found they performed pretty well - great price performance and super internal storage!

And then decided to test drive the Magnite as well. Another great value for money vehicle but both cars have impossibly long waiting times.

That is when I decided to test drive the Kicks and the Turbo CVT won me over right away! Yes I am aware that it is considered to be a "failed model" in India. But it is very much a reasonable success in International markets - perhaps a similar story to the Civic! In any case, with the success of the Magnite, I am sure the Co will be around for a long time.

While the Kicks has a bit of a funky design compared to the Korean twins, I just loved the response of the engine, mated to the awesome CVT and of course the ride quality and road clearance! Also the number of engine / gearbox / trip combos that the Korean twins made me so confused that I just gave up on them!

I was keen to go for the top end version with all the bells and whistles - XV PRE (O) but was told that was only available in Turbo in the manual version. I really did not understand that! In any case I settled for the XV PRE - they had white and silver models in ready stock. So after a couple of days of hard negotiations, on top of the March offers (25k discount + 50k exchange Bonus + 10k Corporate Bonus + 60k exchange for my 14.5 yr old Civic ++ ) I pulled the trigger on a Silver Turbo CVT XV PRE in the last week of March with a 5 year / 100k comprehensive warranty and it was delivered in just a couple of days!

So far I have driven it for about 300 kms now and while I have to keep the revs below 3k as advised during the run-in period for the car in the first 1k kms, I must admit that every time I get behind the wheel the sheer joy and the ride quality brings a wide smile to my face.

So far the only thing about the car that I think has been compromised is the interior storage space!! There is no real central console - just a simple bucket kind of container and I wish they had taken a similar design route as the Kiger - which in my opinion has one of the best internal storage designs for all the gadgets that we tend to carry around in our pockets.

Finally, a couple of day ago I signed up on the Nissan User Group - Lord of the Roads on FB and found there is a thriving owner community right here in India who are so passionate about the Kicks and all other Nissan cars as well.

So in summary, if you like the car, just go for it - but IMHO the Turbo CVT XV Pre is the one to go for - if it fits in your budget! All the best for your car buying :-)

[blueshift]

Originally Posted by mav3r1ckblu3

IF you're not too bothered by half a decade old interiors and lack of techno-gizmos, do take a test drive of Renault Duster 1.3 Turbo as well. It has all the basic safety features and necessary electronics. However, there's almost a difference of approx INR 2.50-3.00 Lakhs on-road between the top variants of the Nissan Kicks and the Renault Duster. Plus with their Kwid/Triber and now Kiger selling well, they ain't gonna shut shop in the near future, and their after sales service has always been better than Nissan's.

I took Duster into account before booking Ecosport as I was ok with the bare minimum features it offer. But my general understanding through the threads here and elsewhere is that Duster has lot of maintenance issues along with the costly servicing. Does it still hold true?