First Look: Nissan Kicks e-Power – SIX Things You Should Know

At long last, there's a brand-new metal from the Nissan marque arriving into our market through long-time assemblers and distributors ETCM.

It’s been a while since Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM), long-time local vanguards of the Nissan brand, launched a brand-new model. Well, that wait ends soon as the firm is already gearing up to introduce perhaps what is set to be a ground-breaking new and electrified offering.

Called the Kicks e-Power, its arrival marks several firsts for ETCM across multiple fronts, and it’s poised to give Malaysians a slightly different twist to the electrified mobility genre. Having sized it up in the flesh during a recent press preview and drive, here are SIX facts to you ought to know about it…

The Nissan Kicks e-Power finally sees the marque - and ETCM - enter the burgeoning B-SUV marketspace.

1. It’s The First Nissan B-SUV To Enter The Local Market

While this seems like a trivial fact, it’s nonetheless a big milestone for both ETCM and Nissan as this is a space that the marque has been long absent from. We also won’t deny that its arrival on local soil is a tad-bit overdue – the firm has mooted plans for which since 2019, in fact.

Various internal and external reasons had impeded the Kicks from arriving on time, including an Earth-stopping pandemic that was Covid-19. Nevertheless, it’s finally here and, critically, it brings forth a whole new form of electrified mobility which we’ll detail in a bit. 

The Kicks e-Power will see two variants available locally - VL and VLT. The latter guise also sees the option for a premium two-tone exterior colourway offered.

2. Two CBU Variants Will Be Available

What’s untraditional of ETCM is that it will offer the Kicks e-Power as a fully imported (CBU) offering that comes from Thailand. Two guises will be offered, those being the VL and VLT, and the latter boasts an additional two-tone exterior paint choice too – there are five hues in total.

Shared across both are tasty bits like Nissan’s plush ‘Zero Gravity’ front seats, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, LED headlights, electronic parking brake (EPB) with auto-hold function, seven airbags, as well as basic ADAS features such as Intelligent Forward Collision Warning (IFCW) and Intelligent Emergency Braking (IEB).

Standard and shared across the board are things like the 'Zero Gravity' front seats and LED headlights.

Apart from two-tone leather upholstery (versus fabric in the VL), the range-topping VLT also benefits with a 360-degree parking camera, digital rear view mirror, and a heightened ADAS package.

Opt for the range-topping VLT guise and the list gets bolstered with plush, two-tone (brown and black) leather seat and cabin trim upholstery, 360-degree parking camera, a rather neat ‘Intelligent Rear View Mirror’, and a heightened ADAS package with Intelligent Cruise Control, Blind Spot Warning plus Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, all added in.

Altogether, the specifications sheet for both are decent to say the least. However, with the Kicks e-Power, the next fact is what really sets it apart from its peers…

What really sets the Kicks e-Power apart from its peers is its EREV/REEV powertrain.

3. It’s Electrified, But Don’t Call It A Hybrid…

We’ve detailed at length how the Nissan e-Power powertrain tech works prior, and it arguably validates Nissan’s staunch refusal to term or classify the Kicks as a ‘hybrid’. More accurately, e-Power is an Extended Range/Range-Extender Electric Vehicle (EREV/REEV) powertrain type.

Driving the front wheels full time is an e-motor rated at 129 PS and 280 NM, and it is juiced primarily by a compact 2.1 kWh li-ion battery pack mounted under the rear seats, which is also primed with brake-energy recuperation abilities. This part of the powertrain is easy enough to grasp.

Under the hood, the Kicks e-Power packs both a 1.2-litre 3-cyl petrol mill serving as a generator, as well as an e-motor that drives the front wheels.

The 3-cyl ICE mill is NOT connected to the wheels mechanically or directly as the e-motor handles propulsion duties exclusively. Also, there are three selectable drive modes offered including a single-pedal driving mode.

The other half stems from the existence of both a 1.2-litre 3-cyl petrol mill plonked up front and a 41-litre fuel tank. The former, rated at 82 PS and 103 NM, serves primarily as a power generator, evident through its thermal efficiency tuning, and the fact it isn’t connected to the wheels directly.

Said combustion (ICE) mill only powers the e-motor directly via an inverter during hard acceleration or aggressive throttle inputs. For the most parts, it seamlessly kicks in and charges the battery pack and at relatively low revs, the latter to bolster on board comforts.

In short, Nissan’s promise of delivering EV-like perks minus the range anxiety and hassle of plugging-in holds true, but we reckon the next fact hold an equally massive appeal…

Figures and calculations conducted by ETCM internally on the Kicks e-Power's running cost versus a BEV during our drive to and from Melaka.

4. It Promises To Be Very Frugal

Unlike traditional plug-in or series-parallel hybrids (HEVs and PHEVs), this EREV/REEV setup sees its combustion half yield ultra-high frugality too. For the Kicks e-Power, Nissan touts an average fuel consumption rate as low as 4.6 litres/100 KM – or up to 21.7 KM/litre.

Additionally, Nissan also touts a maximum travel range of up to 900 KM with each full fill-up. Best of all is the fact that this frugality comes WITHOUT needing any ‘hypermiling’ driving tehcniques, though you still could if you wanted too as a single-pedal drive mode is present as standard.

Suffice to say, this is the sort of frugality that will makes a tonne of sense once our nation’s planned petrol price subsidies are rationalised – and it will soon.

ETCM shared that the Kicks e-Power won't be too costly to own, and it will also be backed up by a decent after-sales pacakge.

5. There’s A Decent After-Sales Package For It

For now, ETCM remains tight-lipped on the Kick e-Power’s pricing. Instead, the firm elected to detail the model’s after-sales package that will be offered once launched, and it all looks fairly decent so to speak.

First comes a five-year or 100,000 KM base vehicle warranty, followed by separate 8-year or 160,000 KM warranties covering the high-voltage battery pack, inverter, ECU and e-motor. Whilst here, ETCM also revealed the 2.1 kWh battery pack’s replacement cost of RM9,000.

As for the ICE mill’s service intervals, we’re also glad to report that ETCM has set this at every 10,000 KM or six months (whichever comes first), and that it will cost owners around RM362.40 on average too. Simply put, things are far from shabby on this front at least.

No prices were revealed yet, but ETCM will announce them when it launches the Kicks e-Power during KLIMS 2024 next month.

6. It Launches Very Soon

If everything we’ve laid out seems enticing, well the good news here is that you don’t have long to wait before you can place your bookings. That’s because ETCM has confirmed that the Nissan Kicks e-Power will be launched next month during KLIMS 2024.

At which point, ETCM will fully reveal the pricing scheme for both the VL and VLT variants of the Kicks e-Power. Until then, your guesses for which are as good as ours. Based of what we’ve put forth, what would be a fair price? Share your thoughts for which in the comments below…