Compare the2023 Nissan KicksVS 2023 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Kicks SV/SR are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Nissan Kicks has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Kicks has standard Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Kicks has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Eclipse Cross SE/SEL has a rear cross-path warning system.

The Kicks SV/SR’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Kicks and the Eclipse Cross 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, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available daytime running lights and around view monitors.

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

	Kicks	Eclipse Cross
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	191	290
Neck Injury Risk	32%	35.1%
Neck Stress	374 lbs.	467 lbs.
Neck Compression	27 lbs.	65 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 Nissan Kicks is safer than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross:

	Kicks	Eclipse Cross
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	139	145
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	47 G’s	55 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	14 inches
HIC	218	358
Spine Acceleration	30 G’s	44 G’s
Hip Force	535 lbs.	622 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 Kicks is 3% less likely to roll over than the Eclipse Cross.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, rear impact and roof-crush tests, its standard front crash prevention system, its “Acceptable” rating in the new passenger-side small overlap crash test, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Kicks the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2019, a rating granted to only 180 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Eclipse Cross has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

The Kicks’ corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Eclipse Cross’ (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are over 3 times as many Nissan dealers as there are Mitsubishi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Kicks’ warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Mitsubishi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 59 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mitsubishi is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Mitsubishi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 7 places higher in reliability than Mitsubishi.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Kicks gets better mileage than the Eclipse Cross:

		MPG
Kicks
	1.6 DOHC 4-cyl.	31 city/36 hwy
Eclipse Cross
	ES 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/28 hwy
	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/26 hwy

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Kicks higher (7 out of 10) than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (5). This means the Kicks produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Eclipse Cross every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

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

The Kicks stops much shorter than the Eclipse Cross:

	Kicks	Eclipse Cross
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Kicks S’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Eclipse Cross ES’ standard 70 series tires.

The Kicks has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Kicks has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Eclipse Cross doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Kicks SR handles at .83 G’s, while the Eclipse Cross SE pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Kicks’ turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Eclipse Cross AWD’s (34.1 feet vs. 34.8 feet).

Chassis

The Nissan Kicks may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 750 pounds less than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.

The Kicks is 9.9 inches shorter than the Eclipse Cross, making the Kicks easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Kicks has .9 inches more front headroom, 2.8 inches more front legroom and 1.2 inches more rear headroom than the Eclipse Cross.

Cargo Capacity

The Kicks has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Eclipse Cross with its rear seat up (25.3 vs. 23.4 cubic feet). The Kicks has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Eclipse Cross with its rear seat folded (53.1 vs. 50.1 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

The Kicks’ front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Eclipse Cross’ standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Kicks has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Eclipse Cross only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Kicks has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Eclipse Cross has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the SE/SEL.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Nissan Kicks, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross isn't recommended.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Kicks third among small suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Eclipse Cross isn’t in the top three.

The Nissan Kicks outsold the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross by almost 10 to one during the 2021 model year.