Compare the2025 Subaru CrosstrekVS 2025 Nissan Kicks

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Crosstrek has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Kicks doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Crosstrek. But it costs extra on the Kicks.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Crosstrek’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Kicks doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the Crosstrek and the Kicks have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Crosstrek is safer than the Nissan Kicks:

	Crosstrek	Kicks
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
HIC	222	476
Neck Injury Risk	22.4%	43.8%
Neck Stress	267 lbs.	476 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
HIC	170	338
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	28.8%	67.5%
Neck Stress	158 lbs.	253 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	76 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Crosstrek is safer than the Nissan Kicks:

	Crosstrek	Kicks
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	113	124
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.7 inches
Hip Force	297 lbs.	371 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	116	206
Spine Acceleration	52 G’s	56 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	254	303
Spine Acceleration	47 G’s	48 G’s
Hip Force	721 lbs.	797 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Crosstrek is 1.5% to 3.4% less likely to roll over than the Kicks.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Nissan With 1 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Nissan.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru first in overall reliability. Nissan is ranked 12th.

Engine

The Crosstrek’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 11 more horsepower (152 vs. 141) and 5 lbs.-ft. more torque (145 vs. 140) than the Kicks’ 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Crosstrek Premium/Sport/Limited/Wilderness’ standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 41 more horsepower (182 vs. 141) and 38 lbs.-ft. more torque (178 vs. 140) than the Kicks’ 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Subaru Crosstrek is faster than the Nissan Kicks:

	Crosstrek 2.0	Crosstrek Premium/Sport/Limited/Wilderness	Kicks
Zero to 60 MPH	9.1 sec	7.9 sec	10.4 sec
Quarter Mile	17 sec	16.1 sec	17.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	84.8 MPH	88.6 MPH	79.7 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Crosstrek lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Kicks doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Crosstrek has 4.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Kicks’ standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 11.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Crosstrek has 4.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Kicks AWD’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 12.4 gallons).

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Crosstrek’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Kicks:

	Crosstrek	Kicks
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	11.6 inches
Rear Rotors	11.2 inches	11 inches

The Crosstrek’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Kicks are solid, not vented.

The Crosstrek stops shorter than the Kicks:

	Crosstrek	Kicks
70 to 0 MPH	172 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	130 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Crosstrek has larger tires than the Kicks (225/60R17 vs. 215/60R16).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Crosstrek has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Kicks S.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Crosstrek has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Kicks 4x2 has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Crosstrek handles at .81 G’s, while the Kicks SR pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Crosstrek Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Kicks SR (27.3 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Crosstrek has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Kicks (8.7 vs. 8.4 inches), allowing the Crosstrek to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Crosstrek Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is .9 inch higher than on the Kicks (9.3 vs. 8.4 inches).

Chassis

The front grille of the Crosstrek uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Kicks doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Crosstrek Limited is quieter than the Kicks SR AWD:

	Crosstrek	Kicks
70 MPH Cruising	69 dB	73 dB

Passenger Space

The Crosstrek has 4.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Kicks (100.5 vs. 95.7).

The Crosstrek has .1 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, 2.7 inches more front hip room, 2.1 inches more front shoulder room, 2 inches more rear legroom, 5.1 inches more rear hip room and .6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Kicks.

The front step up height for the Crosstrek is 1.5 inches lower than the Kicks (17.5” vs. 19”). The Crosstrek’s rear step up height is 1 inches lower than the Kicks’ (18” vs. 19”).

Cargo Capacity

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Crosstrek. The Kicks doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Crosstrek has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Kicks has no towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Crosstrek is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Kicks. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than Nissan. J.D. Power ranks Subaru third in service department satisfaction. With a 20% lower rating, Nissan is ranked 10th.

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Crosstrek and the Kicks have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Crosstrek is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Kicks prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Crosstrek has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Kicks doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Crosstrek’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Kicks offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Crosstrek’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Kicks doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Compared to the Nissan Kicks, the Subaru Crosstrek eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

Compared to traditional radio, the Subaru Crosstrek’s standard SiriusXM satellite radio provides an unmatched listening experience. Its extensive coverage guarantees consistent, crystal-clear reception across the continental U.S., and access to over 100 channels dedicated to a multitude of genres, including music, news, sports, talk shows, and comedy, many with only limited commercial breaks. Satellite radio is only offered on the Kicks SV/SR.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® chose the Subaru Crosstrek as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Crosstrek outsold the Nissan Kicks by over two to one during 2024.

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