There was a time when entry-level buyers had their choice of fuel-efficient hatchbacks, powered by frugal four-cylinder engines and boasting names like Colt, Rabbit, Omni, Horizon, Chevette and Sentra. And while most might consider the humble econobox to be a vestige of the 1980s, a relic of the long-forgotten OPEC oil embargoes, the reality is that most drivers now drive hatchbacks. They’re just hiked up a few inches and are styled with a veneer of outdoors enthusiasm.
Which brings us to the 2023 Nissan Kicks, an affable, affordable economy device, one that takes the place of the humble econobox and proves to be worthy of the epithet.
Measuring less than 170 inches long, the Kicks was made for life in the city, despite its diminutive SUV style. This is more the tall hatchback than a boulder basher, as it comes solely with front-wheel drive. Offered in ascending S, SV and SR trim, all Kicks come with a 122-horsepower 1.6-liter double overhead-cam four-cylinder engine mated to a continuously-variable automatic transmission. What it lacks in brute strength it makes up for in fuel economy, using regular unleaded gasoline at a rate 31 mpg city and 36 mpg highway, according to the EPA.
