2024 New York Auto Show: Best in Show

The New York International Auto Show is in full swing along the banks of the Hudson River, and it’s full of debuts from a number of automakers. But one of them has stood out among the rest as the most impactful in the eyes of our editors: The 2025 Nissan Kicks is our Best in Show winner for the New York auto show, having impressed all of us with this latest complete redo of one of the more affordable vehicles you can buy today. Affordability is increasingly important to buyers, and a vehicle that ups its game as much as the Kicks has with this new version but still (hopefully) maintains that easy entry price is a definite winner in our book.

Related: More 2024 New York Auto Show Coverage

It starts dimensionally, meaning the new Kicks has grown up (and out) from the last model. It’s taller, wider and longer than before, and that’s translated into a new look for the Kicks that’s worlds better than the outgoing style. Gone are the awkward angles and odd proportions; the new Kicks is much more of an upright, boxy affair with interesting lights front and back. The hood is a lot higher, too, and there are now 19-inch wheels available on the top SR trim. The Kicks’ higher ride height is useful for getting in and out easily, as well. It looks much more substantial, butch and generally ready to be a more serious contender in the category.

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Under the hood, the Kicks got a new engine: a 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 141 horsepower and 140 pounds-feet of torque. And while that’s a nice bump from the outgoing teeny 1.6-liter four-cylinder, the Kicks’ weight grew, as well. Given that it’s still sporting a continuously variable automatic transmission, we’re not expecting it to light up stoplight drag races. But a very welcome new feature is available all-wheel drive, a first for the Kicks, setting it apart from front-wheel-drive-only competitors like the Chevrolet Trax, Buick Envista, Hyundai Venue and Kia Soul.

But it’s the interior that really wowed us, at least on the loaded SR trim shown at the show. Materials quality has jumped by orders of magnitude over the old model, with the SR featuring neat red accents in the dash, doors, seats and console. The shapes and fitment are top-notch, and the new dual 12.3-inch screen setup with Nissan’s slick instrumentation really makes the displays in the latest GM products seem el cheapo. Interior room is generous up front and acceptable in the back, and there’s now more cargo space, as well.

We’ll have to get behind the wheel later this year for a full evaluation, and we truly need to see how all this new kit and style will affect the Kicks’ starting price. But as it sits on the convention-center floor, the new 2025 Nissan Kicks has impressed us mightily — it’s our 2024 New York Auto Show Best in Show winner, deservedly so.

Editor’s note: This story was updated April 1, 2024, to reflect the Kicks’ FWD-only competitors.

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