Nissan Kicks Has More Power Than Skoda Karoq For Half Its Price
by Surendhar MThe Kicks is powered by a Mercedes-Benz derived 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine developing 156 PS maximum power and 254 Nm torque
Nissan India launched the 2020 Kicks less than a couple of weeks ago with the mid-size SUV segment’s most powerful petrol engine and a slew of other updates. Sold in a total of seven variants, the updated Nissan Kicks comes equipped with a 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that made its domestic debut under the bonnet of Renault Duster at the 2020 Auto Expo.
The BSVI compliant HR13 petrol unit is derived from Mercedes-Benz and it generates a maximum power output of 156 PS and 254 Nm of peak torque. It is paired with either a six-speed manual or an X-tronic CVT automatic transmission. It gets dual variable timing for reduced emissions and delivers higher torque even at lower rpm and the cylinder coating technology is borrowed from the notorious GT-R sportscar.
The 2020 Nissan Kicks is priced between Rs. 9.49 lakh and Rs. 14.14 lakh for the 1.3 turbo CVT while the starting price of the 1.3 turbo MT is Rs. 11.84 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom). Only a few days ago, Skoda Auto India introduced the Karoq premium SUV, which is priced at Rs. 24.99 lakh (ex-showroom) for a fully-loaded trim. It is brought into the country via CBU rate to take advantage of the relaxations in homologation rules.
It has plenty in common with the Volkswagen T-Roc including the mechanicals. The Jeep Compass and Hyundai Tucson rival uses a 1.5-litre four-cylinder TSI Evo petrol engine. It is good enough to generate a maximum power output of 150 PS and 250 Nm of peak torque. The powertrain is paired with a seven-speed DSG automatic transmission allowing the Karoq to do zero to 100 kmph in about nine seconds and have a top speed of 202 kmph.
While the Kicks and Karoq are positioned in different segments and they cannot be compared, their pricing and performance figures do worth a look at. Despite costing less than half the price of the Karoq, the Kicks is 6 PS more powerful and develops 4 Nm higher torque. This makes the Kicks a compelling offering for budget conscious buyers but the official top speed and 0-100 kmph time is yet unknown and we believe the Karoq can better the Kicks in both aspects.
However, if premium features are what you’re looking for, the Karoq has a slight upper hand with equipment like an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, leather seat upholstery, dual-tone interior, dual-zone automatic climate control system, Electronic Stability Control, TPMS and 12-way powered driver seat with memory.
For its price range though, the Kicks is not bad either as it comes with a slew of assistive features like Traction Control and VSM alongside cruise control, idle start/stop tech, cornering front fog lamps, leather-wrapped steering wheel, two-tone dashboard, remote engine start, rain sensing wiper, a touchscreen infotainment with in-built Voice recognition and so on.