Photo: jlord8 / Instagram
Last week, the Japanese automaker Nissan 'unboxed' the second-generation Kicks subcompact crossover SUV for the 2025 model year right outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, ahead of the opening round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
The setting was quite intentional, as there's also a certain 2024 New York International Auto Show kicking off soon enough. Oh, sorry about the Kicks pun. It was totally intended, too. Anyway, the little CUV is set to arrive with a lot of fresh technology and optional all-wheel drive, and it also opens a new ear of styling for the Japanese automaker.
Likened to a sneaker, the 2025 Nissan Kicks gets an overhaul that supposedly allows for a best-in-class standard ground clearance of 8.4 inches (213 millimeters) and best-in-class standard cargo space if we don't consider EVs. Meanwhile, that quirky styling is sure to attract a lot of attention on upcoming models when they adopt it, too.
Of course, it will take a while for that to happen – at least in the real world. On the other hand, the imaginative realm of digital car content creators is faster, and they are already pursuing new ideas after getting the kicks from this new introduction. One solution that no one would see coming, though, would be to use the latest design for a model's revival – probably just for the kicks of a thrill.
For example, Jim, the virtual artist known as jlord8 on social media, loves messing around with all things CGI from Detroit's Three but sometimes also takes his visions off the beaten path with dreams of Japanese stuff. As such, after spending a fair bit of time with all things Blue Oval, like a reborn Super Duty-based Ford Excursion full-size SUV, a revived Mercury Cougar, or a comeback of the Lincoln Mark for the IX iteration, he's now taking a liking to Nissan's new styling.
Actually, it seems that he only likes the new front fascia of the little 2025 Nissan Kicks and wanted to see how it would fit a neo-retro Pathfinder if the Japanese automaker wanted to create a two-door companion for the current fifth generation, which starts from about $36k in America.
Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, but we feel this is not one of the best works by this prolific pixel master because the Kicks front end really feels disjointed when associated with a short wheelbase SUV that has the side profile treatment of the original two-door Pathfinder. Unfortunately, we don't get to see a rear POV to judge its merits, too, as only the profile is glimpsed along with the front end, plus a set of ritzy gold wheels.
On the other hand, many of the author's fans believe this could be great for a different revival – Nissan could bring back the Xterra based on this idea, though to succeed, it would need a true body-on-frame chassis, not any modern unibody crossover SUV shenanigans.
Likened to a sneaker, the 2025 Nissan Kicks gets an overhaul that supposedly allows for a best-in-class standard ground clearance of 8.4 inches (213 millimeters) and best-in-class standard cargo space if we don't consider EVs. Meanwhile, that quirky styling is sure to attract a lot of attention on upcoming models when they adopt it, too.
Of course, it will take a while for that to happen – at least in the real world. On the other hand, the imaginative realm of digital car content creators is faster, and they are already pursuing new ideas after getting the kicks from this new introduction. One solution that no one would see coming, though, would be to use the latest design for a model's revival – probably just for the kicks of a thrill.
For example, Jim, the virtual artist known as jlord8 on social media, loves messing around with all things CGI from Detroit's Three but sometimes also takes his visions off the beaten path with dreams of Japanese stuff. As such, after spending a fair bit of time with all things Blue Oval, like a reborn Super Duty-based Ford Excursion full-size SUV, a revived Mercury Cougar, or a comeback of the Lincoln Mark for the IX iteration, he's now taking a liking to Nissan's new styling.
Actually, it seems that he only likes the new front fascia of the little 2025 Nissan Kicks and wanted to see how it would fit a neo-retro Pathfinder if the Japanese automaker wanted to create a two-door companion for the current fifth generation, which starts from about $36k in America.
Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, but we feel this is not one of the best works by this prolific pixel master because the Kicks front end really feels disjointed when associated with a short wheelbase SUV that has the side profile treatment of the original two-door Pathfinder. Unfortunately, we don't get to see a rear POV to judge its merits, too, as only the profile is glimpsed along with the front end, plus a set of ritzy gold wheels.
On the other hand, many of the author's fans believe this could be great for a different revival – Nissan could bring back the Xterra based on this idea, though to succeed, it would need a true body-on-frame chassis, not any modern unibody crossover SUV shenanigans.
Google News