Compare the2023 Nissan KicksVS 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
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 Outlander Sport 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 Outlander Sport 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 Outlander Sport 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 Outlander Sport only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Kicks has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the Outlander Sport SE/GT offers a blind spot warning system.

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 Outlander Sport SE/GT 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 Outlander Sport doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

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 Outlander Sport 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 Outlander Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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 and available daytime running lights.

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 Outlander Sport:

	Kicks	Outlander Sport
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	191	208
Neck Stress	374 lbs.	412 lbs.
Neck Compression	27 lbs.	90 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	343/312 lbs.	334/511 lbs.

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

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Nissan Kicks is safer than the Outlander Sport:

	Kicks	Outlander Sport
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Restraints	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Steering Column Movement Rearward	1 cm	1 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Max Chest Compression	25 cm	28 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Femur Force R/L	1.4/.5 kN	3.43/.93 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	1%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Tibia index R/L	.42/.37	.68/.36
Tibia forces R/L	.8/.8 kN	1.9/1.9 kN

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 Outlander Sport:

	Kicks	Outlander Sport
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	139	163
Hip Force	347 lbs.	518 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	318	349
Hip Force	517 lbs.	794 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	17 inches
HIC	218	365
Spine Acceleration	30 G’s	41 G’s
Hip Force	535 lbs.	807 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 1.4% to 3.6% less likely to roll over than the Outlander Sport.

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 Outlander Sport was not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2016.

Warranty

The Kicks’ corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Outlander Sport’s (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.

Engine

As tested in Car and Driver the Nissan Kicks is faster than the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder:

	Kicks	Outlander Sport
Zero to 60 MPH	9.7 sec	9.9 sec
Quarter Mile	17.5 sec	17.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	80 MPH	79 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Kicks gets better mileage than the Outlander Sport:

			MPG
Kicks
	FWD	1.6 DOHC 4-cyl.	31 city/36 hwy
Outlander Sport
	FWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy
	AWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
		2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/28 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 Outlander Sport (5). This means the Kicks produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Outlander Sport every 15,000 miles.

The EPA certifies the Nissan Kicks as a “Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (SULEV). The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is only certified to “Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (ULEV) standards.

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 Outlander Sport are solid, not vented.

The Kicks stops shorter than the Outlander Sport:

	Kicks	Outlander Sport
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	125 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 Outlander Sport S’ 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 Outlander Sport 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 Outlander Sport doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Kicks SR handles at .83 G’s, while the Outlander Sport SE 4WD pulls only .80 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 Outlander Sport’s (34.1 feet vs. 34.8 feet).

Chassis

The Nissan Kicks may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 550 pounds less than the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Kicks has a liquid-filled front engine mount. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The Outlander Sport uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

Passenger Space

The Kicks has 1 inch more front headroom, 2.1 inches more front legroom and .6 inches more rear headroom than the Outlander Sport.

Cargo Capacity

The Kicks has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Outlander Sport with its rear seat up (25.3 vs. 21.7 cubic feet). The Kicks has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Outlander Sport with its rear seat folded (53.1 vs. 49.5 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 Outlander Sport’s 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 Outlander Sport only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Kicks has standard extendable sun visors. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer extendable visors.

On extremely cold winter days, the Kicks SR’s optional heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Kicks SV/SR has a standard Intelligent Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Outlander Sport doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Nissan Kicks, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 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 Outlander Sport isn’t in the top three.

The Nissan Kicks outsold the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport by over two to one during the 2021 model year.