Photography by Chris Tropea
To me, an early 2000s Volvo wagon was the perfect example of just a car. It did everything you needed to be a great daily driver–and nothing more–and was a perfectly usable car for almost everything.
Well, I think that the new Nissan Kicks SR finally takes the top spot as the best version of just a car that I have driven.
Sure, it’s not the top-of-the-line fancy luxury car and you won’t be winning any drag races, but that’s okay. Not every car needs a 24-inch touchscreen and more settings than anyone would ever use, and I feel like most of you would agree with that, too.
I drove the Kicks for the better part of a week and was able to use it as a road trip car, going from our home base in Daytona Beach up to The Amelia, plus as a support vehicle for the Classic Motorsports Orange Blossom Tour, where I put it through its paces on the back roads of central Florida.
Along the way, I found that the Kicks, while not the fastest small SUV I have ever driven, was a perfect companion for pretty much everything. The seats were comfortable, the radio sounds great and, with the rear seats down, it held a ton of cargo. All this while getting a rated combined fuel mileage of 31 mpg. Did I mention how great the color of this car is?
With new styling inside and out for 2025 mirroring similar design language to the rest of the Nissan lineup, it looks pretty good in my opinion. Plus, a starting price of $21,830, the 2025 Nissan Kicks SR is a strong contender in the current market of small SUVs.
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