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The "EV" for now: Nissan Kicks e-POWER

The perfect storm of features for the Philippine market: Fun to drive, good in traffic, and coding-free.

Earl Lee on Sep 06, 2023

Just another crossover from an established brand, this is not. The Nissan Kicks e-POWER is not your average and ordinary subcompact crossover. It’s more than that and we loved it the more we drove it.

e-POWER: The Best “Hybrid” powertrain?

Nissan’s e-Power is here to stay. At first, Nissan, the automotive industry, and even we were all skeptical about Nissan’s investment in its e-POWER technology. Given that other brands have gone down the series-parallel hybrid technology which is a half-baked EV experience. About 50 percent of the time the gasoline motor is on and running the car, and about fifty percent of the time you’re on electric power. However, e-POWER is very different in the sense that it’s a 90-10 percent split in terms of the EV experience. The remaining 10 percent is simply gassing up the vehicle and perhaps hearing the gasoline engine start when the battery needs charging.

With the gasoline motor being there for charging and for a bit of boost in power, not once does the power from the 1.2-liter three-cylinder motor make it to the ground. The result is consistent power delivery. With the electric motors doing all the work of bringing the car up to speed, everything feels very consistent on the drive. Getting up to speed, it felt like we were in a more powerful car which was amazing given how even the most powerful crossovers in the same class as the Kicks couldn’t come near to the perceived performance of Nissan’s e-POWER technology.

Leaving the gasoline engine to charging and amperage boosting duties did help the car along quite a bit and there is no jerkiness or an unsure transmission to deal with as is the case with more affordable cars in the same segment. The Kicks eschews the clunkiness of a gasoline motor driving the front wheels in favor of smooth and consistent electric power. In our eyes, no other “hybrid” car is as smooth or as seamless to drive as the Kicks.

Electric performance with gasoline convenience

We’re not totally ready for an electric revolution for the time being. Currently, there aren’t enough charging stations out in the malls, highways, and avenues of the Philippines to justify an electric car for daily use just yet. However, we cannot deny that in day-to-day performance, the peppiness and responsiveness of an electric vehicle are very enticing and incredibly appealing, especially in traffic.

Plus, it’s not just about the in-traffic performance. In fact, the Kicks also delivers a “kick” when you want to drive spiritedly. On a twisty road, you’d swear you were driving something more powerful. The way that the Kicks come out of corners is quite interesting. It’s not filled with a ton of drama, but it is very controlled, consistent, and rather exciting. No waiting for a transmission to shift and no waiting for the engine to get into its powerband, just stab the throttle and go.

After all is said and done, however, all you need to do is just head to a gasoline station. The Philippines is not ready for the total shift to EVs just yet, but the Kicks e-POWER is the perfect gateway into the benefits of electric motors for Philippine roads.

Unbeatable Economy?

In the city, it’s tough to beat the Nissan Kicks e-POWER compared to other automobiles. Even among the other series-parallel hybrids the system and the car can compete. However, there is a catch in which the electric motor does have its limitations. During our times with the car, we still found that prolonged high-speed driving may take a toll on the fuel economy of the Kicks, however, not by much.

The e-POWER system, since it relies on electric motors to be driven, requires that you keep a foot on the pedal in order to maintain or gain speed, so a light foot is required on the highway if you really want to get the most fuel economy out of the system.

However, plant your foot down for an overtake and the Kicks e-POWER will surprise you. For starters, the instant torque from the electric motor will propel you forward faster than other cars have time to shuffle through gears and decide what RPM the engine should run at. On top of that, the engine also comes to life to give additional power and amperage to the engine so that it may perform at a higher power figure. At this point, we’d also like to say that it is one of the cars that truly feels like it has all 134 hp and 230 Nm of torque. The way that torque and horsepower are delivered is pretty much second to none in the segment, and a great taste of what’s to come once full EVs are truly daily-able drivers in the Philippines.

The Icing On The Cake

Nissan has also been making it apparent and known that the Kicks is a shoo-in for the exemptions under the EVIDA law. Because of that, owners can enjoy coding-free motoring in the city and beyond all the way until 2030. The fact that you can have one car for all days of the week is the icing on top of a very fun-to-drive cake.

Plus, it’s not too expensive to buy either. Right now, the most affordable Kicks e-POWER goes for just P1,224,000. The top-spec VL trim goes for P1,539,000. The best value we can see here is at the mid-range, at about P1,300,000. The Kicks seems rather unbeatable in it segment. While other cars are fielding turbocharged engines, loads of features, and respectable driving dynamics, Nissan is here fielding a revolutionary powertrain for our market, fun driving dynamics, and all the benefits of being a hybrid.