Remixed courtesy of RL GNZLZ under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license.
The 2025 Hyundai Kona has plenty of rivals, including the Nissan Kicks SUV. In this article, the team at Granite Hyundai is here to break down some of the key differences between these vehicles and give you an idea of what a Nissan Kicks vs. Hyundai Kona really looks and feels like. Stay tuned, and let's dive in.
2025 Hyundai Kona vs. Nissan Kicks: At a Glance
To compare the Nissan Kicks to the all-new Hyundai Kona, we will start with what each SUV offers this year. The Kona, a small SUV with multiple configurations and powertrains, retails for $24,550, outpacing the Kicks overall in its performance and design. In contrast, the Nissan Kicks retails for $21,830, offering only a single engine and fewer standard features.
2025 Hyundai Kona
The 2025 Hyundai Kona is a fun, sporty, and recently redesigned SUV that has become a favorite for drivers. You see six available Kona trims and a starting MSRP under $25,000.
2025 Nissan Kicks
The 2025 Nissan Kicks is also modern and fun, starting at just under $22,000 and offering drivers three trim levels.
Performance and Engine Options
Performance and engine configurations inside a Nissan Kicks vs. Hyundai Kona are night and day, with the Kona giving you better horsepower, torque, and response time. We will detail each vehicle's engine specs below.
Hyundai Kona Performance
The Hyundai Kona has a standard 147-horsepower 2.0-liter engine paired with a continuously variable transmission, and the available turbocharged 190-horsepower 1.6-liter engine with an eight-speed automatic transmission. All-Wheel Drive (HTRAC AWD) will be optional throughout the lineup, and Front-Wheel Drive (FWD) is standard. Torque is 132 pound-feet for standard engines and 195 pound-feet for turbocharged Konas.
Nissan Kicks Performance
Looking into the 2025 Nissan Kicks, this SUV has a base 2.0-liter engine rated at 141 horsepower/140 pound-feet of torque paired with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). This vehicle has the same engine across all trims and will have standard Front-Wheel Drive (FWD). All-Wheel Drive (AWD) will be optional on all three models.
Interior Features and Comfort
The interior of the Nissan Kicks vs. the Hyundai Kona is laid out differently, with the Kona focusing on increasing your passenger space and technology at a base, mid, and higher-trim level.
Hyundai Kona Interior
With the 2025 Kona, you have everything from standard cloth seats to 60/40 split fold-down seatbacks with adjustable head restraints and 2-stage recline, a 6-way adjustable driver seat, a 12.3-inch touchscreen display, dual front and rear USB outlets, Bluetooth hands-free connectivity, and up to 101.2 cubic feet of passenger volume.
Nissan Kicks Interior
The Nissan Kicks for this year has a slightly larger cabin than the Kona but does not offer the same premium tech and comfort options. You also have standard cloth seating with the Kicks, although your touchscreen is only 7.0 inches. There will be folding 60-40 bench seats and a manually adjustable driver's seat, too. Total passenger volume is 125.6 cubic feet.
Exterior Design and Styling
The outside of the Nissan Kicks vs. Hyundai Kona is pretty different, with the Kicks having a Juke-inspired profile and front grille/hood design, and the Kona taking on a hyper-futuristic design not seen yet from Hyundai.
Hyundai Kona Exterior
The Hyundai Kona was redesigned in 2024, giving you 17-inch alloy wheels standard, along with LED Projector Combination headlights, body-color mirrors, black cladding, active grille shutters, and body-color door handles. The N Line S and N Line trims are the most sporty, although the entire lineup scores well for aesthetics.
Nissan Kicks Exterior
The 2025 Nissan Kicks has a unique exterior design, although some critics say it resembles a 2015-era Nissan Juke. You see 16-inch steel wheels standard, LED low/high beam headlights, a body-colored grille with chrome surround, a sculpted hood, and a floating roof illusion thanks to its blacked-out rear pillar.
Safety Features and Ratings
Below, we will get into the safety features and available ratings for the 2025 Nissan Kicks vs. Hyundai Kona.
Hyundai Kona Safety
The Hyundai Kona continues to be top-rated in safety, thanks to its standard SmartSense driver-assistance technology. IIHS rates it a Top Safety Pick+, and the NHTSA gives it a four-star safety rating.
Safety features to be aware of:
- Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Warning (BCW)
- Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA)
- Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection (FCA-Ped) and Cyclist Detection
- Lane Following Assist (LFA)
- Lane Keeping Assist (LKA)
- Driver Attention Warning (DAW)
- Safe Exit Warning (SEW)
- Rear Occupant Alert (ROA)
- High Beam Assist (HBA)
- Cruise Control
Nissan Kicks Safety
The 2025 Nissan Kicks has an IIHS Top Safety Pick rating and has not yet been rated by the NHTSA.
Here are some safety features to note:
- Intelligent Forward Collision Warning w/Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) mitigation
- Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection (P-AEB) prevention
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) w/Rear Automatic Braking (RAB) mitigation
- Brake Assist
- Hill Start Assist (HSA)
- Blind Spot Warning (BSW)
- Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
- Intelligent Driver Alertness (I-DA)
- Cruise Control
Technology and Infotainment
If you love technology and a good infotainment system, the 2025 Hyundai Kona is the car to go with. We will detail each SUV's tech package below.
Hyundai Kona Technology
- 12.3-inch touchscreen (available with navigation)
- HD Radio™
- SiriusXM
- Android Auto™ and Apple CarPlay®
- Dual front/rear USB outlets
- Rear View Monitor (RVM) with parking guidance
- Bluelink® Connected Car System
- 4.2-inch digital gauge cluster (available 12.3-inch)
- Bluetooth® hands-free with wireless audio streaming
Nissan Kicks Technology
- 7.0-inch Multi-function information display
- 4-speaker stereo system
- AM/FM Radio
- Steering wheel audio controls
- Siri® Eyes Free
- Bluetooth® wireless connectivity
- Front USB port
Pricing and Value for Money
The pricing and general value of each SUV, the Nissan Kicks vs. Hyundai Kona, are obvious from a base trim level.
Hyundai Kona Pricing
- SE - $24,550
- SEL - $25,900
- SEL Convenience - $28,100
- N Line S - $29,550
- N Line - $31,100
- Limited - $32,100
Nissan Kicks Pricing
- S - $21,830
- SV - $23,680
- SR - $26,180
Note: Adding AWD to your Nissan Kicks will increase its MSRP by at least $1,500.
Fuel Efficiency Comparison
Both the Nissan Kicks and Hyundai Kona are fuel-efficient. At their base FWD trims, these SUVs have identical EPA-rated fuel performance, although the total driving range of the Kona is slightly better.
Hyundai Kona MPG
- FWD - 31 combined, 28 city/35 highway MPG
- AWD - 27 combined, 26 city/29 highway MPG
Nissan Kicks MPG
- FWD - 31 combined, 28 city/35 highway MPG
- AWD - 30 combined, 27 city/34 highway MPG
Cargo Space and Practicality
The cargo room between the Nissan Kicks vs. Hyundai Kona is close, although the Kicks beats the Kona by a few cubic feet with all seats up. We will look at this below.
Hyundai Kona Cargo
This year's Kona has 25.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 63.7 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down. With the back row of seats put down, this SUV beats the Nissan Kicks.
Nissan Kicks Cargo
The Nissan Kicks has up to 60 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded down and a maximum of 30 cubic feet with the seats up.
Note: For its size, the 2025 Hyundai Kona offers more impressive cargo space and practicality.
Get Your Hyundai Kona at Granite Hyundai
With this post on the Nissan Kicks vs. Hyundai Kona completed, the choice is clear: the Hyundai Kona offers more across its six trim levels. If you want to swing by Granite Hyundai in Somersworth, NH, to test drive a 2025 Kona, our sales team will be here daily. Drive safe!
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