Compare the2023 Nissan KicksVS 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross

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 Corolla 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 Corolla Cross doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Kicks SR has a standard Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Corolla Cross 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 Corolla Cross LE/XLE 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 Corolla Cross LE/XLE has a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Kicks and the Corolla Cross have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear 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, 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 post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Kicks is safer than the Toyota Corolla Cross:

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

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

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

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 Corolla Cross are solid, not vented.

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 Corolla Cross’ 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 Corolla Cross doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better maneuverability, the Kicks’ turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Corolla Cross’ (34.1 feet vs. 35.4 feet).

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

The Kicks is 6.5 inches shorter than the Corolla Cross, making the Kicks easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Kicks is 6.6 inches narrower than the Corolla Cross, making the Kicks easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

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 Corolla Cross uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The Kicks has 1.8 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear legroom, 5.3 inches more rear hip room and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Corolla Cross.

The Kicks SV/SR has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Corolla Cross doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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 Corolla Cross L’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

Consumer Reports rated the Kicks’ headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Corolla Cross’ headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

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 Corolla Cross has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the LE/XLE.

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 Corolla Cross doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Kicks and the Toyota Corolla Cross, 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 Corolla Cross isn’t in the top three.