Compare the2023 Fiat 500XVS 2023 Nissan Kicks

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Towing
Ergonomics

Safety

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The 500X has standard Reactive Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Reactive Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Kicks doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The 500X has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Kicks doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the 500X 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, rearview cameras, available lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, front and rear parking sensors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Fiat 500X weighs 554 to 620 pounds more than the Nissan Kicks. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

Warranty

The 500X comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes free 24-hour roadside assistance. The Kicks’ 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Reliability

The engine in the 500X has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engine in the Kicks has dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the 500X has a standard 150-amp alternator. The Kicks’ 120-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

Engine

The 500X’s 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder produces 55 more horsepower (177 vs. 122) and 96 lbs.-ft. more torque (210 vs. 114) than the Kicks’ 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the 500X’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Kicks doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The 500X has 1.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Kicks (12.7 vs. 10.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The 500X has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Kicks doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the 500X’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Kicks:

	500X	Kicks
Front Rotors	12 inches	11 inches
Rear Rotors	10.95 inches	8” drums

The Fiat 500X has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Rear drums are standard on the Kicks. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The 500X stops much shorter than the Kicks:

	500X	Kicks
70 to 0 MPH	163 feet	190 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	116 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the 500X has larger standard tires than the Kicks (215/60R17 vs. 205/60R16). The 500X AWD’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Kicks (225/55R18 vs. 205/60R16).

The 500X Sport’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Kicks SV/SR’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the 500X AWD has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Kicks S. The 500X Sport’s optional 19-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Kicks SV/SR.

The Fiat 500X’s wheels have 5 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Nissan Kicks S only has 4 wheel lugs per wheel.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Fiat 500X 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 Nissan Kicks has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The 500X has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Kicks’ suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The 500X has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the 500X flat and controlled during cornering. The Kicks’ suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The 500X Pop handles at .79 G’s, while the Kicks SR pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The 500X Pop executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Kicks SR (28 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 29.2 seconds @ .55 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The 500X has 2.4 inches more front hip room, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear legroom and 3.1 inches more rear hip room than the Kicks.

Towing

The 500X has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The Kicks has no towing capacity.

Ergonomics

The 500X’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Kicks has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The power windows standard on both the 500X and the Kicks have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the 500X 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.

The 500X’s front and rear power windows all lower with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Kicks’ rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully.

The 500X’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Kicks’ manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The 500X’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Kicks’ standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the 500X Sport has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Kicks doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The 500X’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Nissan only offers heated mirrors on the Kicks SV/SR.

The 500X Sport’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.

The 500X Sport’s available GPS navigation system has a real-time traffic update feature that plots alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Kicks’ available navigation system doesn’t offer real-time traffic updates.

With standard voice command, the 500X offers the driver hands free control of the radio and the navigation computer by simply speaking. The Kicks doesn’t offer a voice control system.

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