Compare the2023 Nissan KicksVS 2022 Honda CR-V

Safety
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
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 CR-V 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 CR-V doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 CR-V doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Kicks SR has a standard Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The CR-V only offers a rear monitor.

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 CR-V EX/EX-L/Touring has a rear cross-path warning system.

The Kicks SR offers optional NissanConnect Services, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The CR-V doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Kicks and the CR-V have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, 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 driver alert monitors.

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 Honda CR-V:

	Kicks	CR-V
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	47 G’s	50 G’s
Hip Force	517 lbs.	567 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	218	386
Spine Acceleration	30 G’s	35 G’s
Hip Force	535 lbs.	543 lbs.

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

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Kicks has a standard 510-amp battery. The CR-V’s 410-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Honda With 25 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Honda.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Kicks gets better mileage than the CR-V:

			MPG
Kicks
	FWD	1.6 DOHC 4-cyl.	31 city/36 hwy
CR-V
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	28 city/34 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/32 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 Honda CR-V (6). This means the Kicks produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the CR-V 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 CR-V are solid, not vented.

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 CR-V LX/SE’s standard 65 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 CR-V 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 CR-V doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Kicks SR handles at .83 G’s, while the CR-V Touring pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Kicks’ turning circle is 3.3 feet tighter than the CR-V’s (34.1 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

Chassis

The Nissan Kicks may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 650 to 800 pounds less than the Honda CR-V.

The Kicks is 1 foot, 1 inches shorter than the CR-V, making the Kicks easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Kicks has .3 inches more front headroom and 2.4 inches more front legroom than the CR-V.

The front step up height for the Kicks is 3.5 inches lower than the CR-V (15.5” vs. 19”). The Kicks’ rear step up height is 2.1 inches lower than the CR-V’s (15.9” vs. 18”).

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 CR-V’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. The CR-V SE/EX/EX-L/Touring’s rear windows don’t close automatically.

The Kicks’ variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The CR-V LX’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Kicks and the Honda CR-V, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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 CR-V isn’t in the top three in its category.