since 1976
since 1976
By Lee Pang Seng
IT’S about time that Nissan distributor Edaran Tan Chomg Motor Sdn Bhd (ETCM) rejuvenate this Japanese brand with exciting new models in the Malaysian market. After four long years since the last model launch (Almera) in 2020, Nissan enthusiasts here should rejoice in welcoming a completely new model with an interesting approach to EV (electric vehicle). Of course, Nissan itself hasn’t been very productive either in coming up with new models for reasons of its own.
As a B-SUV (B-segment sport utility vehicle), the Nissan Kicks e-Power gives car buyers a new model segment to choose from as well. This is the first B-SUV model that ETCM has introduced as the stepping stone to the X-Trail, albeit with different power modules.
The Kicks e-Power is by all means an EV except that it has a much smaller battery against BEVs (battery electric vehicles) that is charged by a 1.2-litre three-cylinder internal combustion engine (ICE). Yes, you still have to fill the Kicks e-Power with petrol for its 41-litre fuel tank but over a longer timeframe than normal ICE cars.
Since the engine merely exists to charge the battery that is located somewhat midship under the floorpan, the fuel consumption depends on how hard you are driving the Kicks e-Power. As the battery power capacity is 2.1kWh (BEVs have far bigger batteries with energy capacity of above 60kWh), it would be depleted much quicker during normal urban driving.
Thus, the engine comes into play each time the battery power level falls to the quarter point or about 20 per cent. To maintain long battery life, engine charging stops the moment it reaches the 80-per cent level. This is usually the gap to achieving a healthy battery life (just like for handphone batteries).
If you drive the Kicks e-Power in a robust manner, you would drain the battery quicker and the engine is activated more frequently to charge it up to 80 per cent. Doing that also means you are burning more petrol than necessary to drive fast, just like a normal ICE car.
Nissan says the maximum output produced by the high-power electric motor is 95kW (129PS) and 280Nm and the average fuel economy achieved by the 1.2-litre engine is 21.7km/h (NEDC – New European Driving Cycle). Based on the 41-litre fuel tank, the possible mileage range would be almost 900km, allowing you drive long distance on pure electric power with peace of mind.
Although the three-cylinder engine is only an electricity generator, it has all the modern trappings – double overhead camshafts, 12 valves (four per cylinder) with continuously variable timing and multi-point fuel injection. The engine is undersquare with an 84.6mm stroke and 78.0mm bore to displace 1198cc. Its power output is 60kW (82hp) at 6000rpm and 103Nm torque at 4800rpm.
The Kicks e-Power to be launched here in early December at KLIMS (KL International Motor Show) is a second-generation e-Power model. Nissan integrated the inverter and electric motor into one unit to reduce the drive system weight and installation space in the engine room. The battery also has more cells, from 80 to 96, for better power capacity. (For those who might not know what an inverter is, it is an item that converts DC or direct current from the battery to AC – alternating current – to power the electric motor that drives the vehicle).
Improvements are in the smaller parts (by 40 per cent), lower system weight (30 per cent), higher electric motor torque (up 10 per cent), lower centre of gravity in the engine department and better performance. The latest Kicks e-Power accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in 9.5 seconds (five per cent faster) and does the 100-120km/h moving acceleration in four seconds (seven per cent faster).
Contemporary styling
As a B-SUV, the Kicks e-Power, which is brought in from Thailand, has many rivals in the increasingly congested market. This includes the Chinese EV range and ICE models such as the Proton X50 and Japanese selection in the Honda HR-V and Toyota Corolla Cross. In styling, the Kicks e-Power might not look as dazzling as the EV rivals but it would hold its own.
It carries the Nissan V-front styling that uses the sleek LED (light emitting diode) headlamps to good effect. The V envelopes the black grille with big side pods on each side and a lower vent section with chrome strip for contrasting effect. The rear has a less punchy design with the LED light clusters linked by a red strip.
For a B-SUV that is 4290mm in length, 1760mm in width and 1605mm in height, it loses in some areas while gaining in others against rivals. Its wheelbase is 2615mm, slightly longer than the HR-V’s but shorter against the Corolla Cross, which is bigger all round.
Nevertheless, it’s a good size SUV for small families with a reasonably big luggage room of 423 litres. With the 60:40 split rear seatrests, luggage space could be expanded depending on the sizeable items one wishes to take on board.
The Kicks e-Power is made available in two variants – VL mid-grade and VLT high grade. The VLT earns its higher status with such standard equipment as two-tone brown and black leather Zero Gravity seats, 360 camera, intelligent rearview mirror, intelligent cruise control, blind spot warning and cross rear traffic alert.
For the driver, there is a seven-inch semi digital display with an analogue speedometer on the right. The left is a digital display and there are 10 display options to choose from to provide the information that you want. At the centre of the dashboard is the eight-inch multi-info display with touchscreen access to the various functions and with which the 360 camera images would be carried.
We were assigned the Kicks e-power VLT for the media drive from PJ to Melaka and for a higher-grade model, getting comfortable in the driver’s seat is done via manual adjustments. Nissan has chosen EV elements here and there such as the gear shift (there is no transmission for EVs generally as the electric motor powers the driving wheels, in the Kicks case the front wheels, directly).
This is a knob type design that allows you to select Park, Neutral and Drive. Being an EV, there is a choice of how you wish to use the regenerative power (this is to regenerate electricity for the battery in the slowing down motion). The options are Normal drive, Eco and Sports, and this selected by pushing a dedicated button in front of the shift knob.
Nissan says you enjoy good acceleration with Normal mode but battery regeneration is low; this is recommended for highway driving and achieving good top speeds. For winding stretches, Sports mode is recommended. Acceleration is strong and this is matched by the regenerative power. Eco mode is best for city driving with less exciting acceleration but good regenerative power.
As the route between PJ and Melaka covered mostly secondary roads that included many winding stretches, we used Sports mode quite often, leaving Normal mode for the highway drives. The e-Pedal Step comes into play in Sports and Eco modes and it is useful in its braking effect when you lift your foot off the accelerator pedal due to the battery regeneration process. The advantage is that you don’t have to use the brakes to slow down.
We first used this e-Pedal system in the Nissan Leaf in 2019 with which we could come to a complete stop. However, Nissan feels this wasn’t a safe system in that motorists coming from the rear won’t know you are slowing down as no brake lights are activated. With the new e-Pedal Step system, it could detect traffic approaching from the rear and if it gets too close, it would activate the brake lights to warn of the slowing down motion.
As it were, the new e-Pedal Step system does not bring the car to a complete stop but to a creeping pace of 5km/h. Nissan believes this is a safer approach. Apart from reducing driver fatigue, especially in urban traffic, Nissan says it reduces brake use by up to 70 per cent. That should mean lower brake wear as well. During our drives with e-Pedal Step activated, we only used the brakes to come to a complete stop at traffic lights or junctions.
Driving an EV is always a smooth affair as the immediate torque allows good initial acceleration. That in the Kicks e-Power was strong but more linear than breathtaking. We chose the fuel consumption display for the driver instrument panel as we wanted to gauge the engine fuel usage with our robust driving. There is a battery power bar at the bottom and each time it is being charged, a lightning icon comes on.
In Sports mode, where there is a need to use more electric power to pick up speed quickly, the system activates the engine sooner to charge the battery. Usually, this happened well before the battery level is at 50 per cent so that the battery would always have sufficient power to feed the electric motor. In Normal drive mode, the engine is activated closer to the quarter level. Needless to say, we saw the lightning logo coming on very often during our robust driving.
At the end of the day, the engine’s average fuel consumption was around 16km/l and we still had sufficient petrol to cover the PJ-Melaka journey to and fro, With the normal driving pace that most Kicks e-Power owners are likely to do, getting mileages close to Nissan’s claims shouldn’t be a sweat.
There is also an EV option located next to the power mode button that you could select if you want to drive the Kicks e-Power without activating the engine for a short distance. This allows you to drive off without waking the neighbourhood in the morning and driven normally, you could be on sole EV power for about five kilometres. We tried that during our drives but the best mileage we could get without the engine being activated was 1.5 kilometre. Gentler driving would help, naturally.
We liked the way the Kicks e-Power take to the winding stretches. Body lean was nicely checked and the steering feedback was good as it allowed us to take the respective corners at a good pace. The Kicks e-Power is independently sprung all round, with MacPherson struts in front and a torsion beam at the rear.
This Nissan B-SUV came fitted with Yokohama BluEarth E70 tyres of the size 205/55 R17 on the alloy wheels. Suspension damping was on the hard side and this showed up over the bumps, dips and ripples on secondary roads as well as the rumble strips. Road noise intrusion was reasonably well contained, likewise the wind noise with the slippery aerodynamic outline of the Kicks e-Power.
We had a relatively short rear seat experience on the highway and found good room all round, especially the legroom. There are no aircond vents on the centre console as we were told Nissan feels the cool air flow from the front vents was sufficient to keep everyone comfortable, even for our scorching weather. As our experience was done in mostly wet weather conditions, we couldn’t vouch for that.
As for the intelligent rearview mirror, we prefer the normal mirror instead of the LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor. The monitor displays images captured by a camera at the rear and the system is similar to the one in the Range Rover Evoque that we drove earlier this year. If you have rear seat passengers, their heads won’t show up as the LCD monitor display an uninterrupted view of the rear. Nevertheless, we find it artificial and prefer the mirror images.
We were told that ETCM is already taking bookings for the Kicks e-Power ahead of its early December launch. Although the Kicks e-Power is an electric vehicle, it is not entitled to special EV tax exemption as it also has an ICE, albeit only to charge the battery. Apparently, orders were taken with the prospective customers being told it would be priced around RM130,000.
