Nissan Kicks
Orange contrast stitching spices things
up slightly, but we wish the Nissan Kicks’
interior had a little more color.and the shortcut buttons that flank it are
slow to respond, and its graphics look
like they came from the mid-2000s. Like
the rest of the interior, usability has been
sacrificed in favor of design.
Having a full suite of driver assistance
features doesn’t help the 2020 Toyota
C-HR, proving that a system’s efficacy
is more important than its availability.
Most notably, the lane keeping assist
reacts late, and automatic emergency
braking constantly freaks out, slamming
on the brakes even when there’s no
danger. “The lane departure warning
system would be more useful and less
annoying if it worked with any real
consistency,” Evans noted.
Nissan recently added more driver
assistance features to the Kicks. Luckily,
these aren’t overly intrusive, making
them perfect for drivers who quickly
get annoyed by a system that constantly
(and needlessly) corrects or overrides
them. The Kicks’ lane departure warning
and blind-spot monitoring only make
subtle beeps.
Neither Korean subcompact SUV has
a full driver assistance suite, but the tech
they do have operates better than whatyou find in the Nissan and Toyota. The
Koreans’ lane keeping assist systems
stand out for their accuracy and ability to
navigate gentle turns. However, the Kia
distinguishes itself from the Hyundai as
the more polished of the two. The Venue’s
system is a little too aggressive, whereas
the Soul’s is smoother and less frenetic.Sportiness probably isn’t the priority
for someone buying an affordable SUV,
but it’s still important to have a vehicle
with stable handling and the ability to
confidently zip out of trouble if necessary.
After all, it’s better to avoid an accident
than to be in one. An adroit-handling
vehicle is also easier to maneuver, which
is important if you live in a crowded area
with small parking spaces and streets
that should be called alleys. Demand a
smooth ride along with that dynamic
capability, and you present a stiff chal-
lenge for an automaker building a small
vehicle for those on a limited budget.
Despite being the only vehicle here
with a fully independent front and rear
suspension—which would normally earn
it raves—the 2020 Toyota C-HR delivers
a stiff ride that isn’t worth the trade-off
for the better handling manners. The
coarse 144-horsepowe 2.0-liter I-4 lacks
the power to motivate the C-HR with
any verve. The CVT makes a poor dance
partner to the engine; Evans likened it
to an on/off switch. The engine also
gets so loud that Powell found himself
feathering the throttle to avoid excessive
engine noise.
The Venue and Kicks are the least
powerful vehicles in the group. Both
have a 1.6-liter I-4, the Venue’s making
121 hp and 113 lb-ft of torque and the
Kicks’ making 122 and 114. Credit their
CVT tuning for eking the most out of the
tiny engines. Evans compared steppingJUNE 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 31