EVs give me range anxiety. Driving the Nissan KICKS e-POWER changed my mind

If you’re like me, your reason for not considering an EV is range anxiety. The fear of driving through a remote kampung at 5% with no charging stations in sight. Well, you won’t be getting that with the Nissan KICKS e-POWER, because it uses… petrol.

Okay, so the Nissan KICKS e-POWER isn’t an EV, but it gives you an EV-like driving experience. It has an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) under the hood, but the ICE engine acts as a generator to power the electric engine.

So… what’s the difference between e-Power and a hybrid?

Well, the KICKS e-POWER is closer to a hybrid, but it’s a hybrid of a hybrid. In technical scientific automotive terms, a hyhybrid.

Y’see, a hybrid switches between the ICE and the electric battery to run the car. On the other hand, the ICE in the Nissan KICKS e-POWER generates charge for the battery, which in turn runs the car. This gives the KICKS that kick (pun intended) of instant acceleration typical to EVs.

In a way, you get the best of both worlds – EV-like drive without the hassles and worries of charging it. On top of that, the regenerative braking also extends your mileage to jimat minyak – 900km on a full tank (!!!) according to the brochure.

Since Edaran Tan Chong Motor lent us a unit for the weekend, I decided to bring some colleagues along for a road trip to Kelantan, with a stop in Terengganu along the way.

I’ve never driven an EV before, so I’m hoping the this compact SUV will be an enjoyable foot in the electric door.

The question is… is it ICE or is it nICE?

The Nissan KICKS e-POWER is surprisingly easy to get used to

Looks-wise, I’m a sucker for bold, contrasty colors. A part of me was disappointed to get a white review model instead of orange. But once I opened the door… yea, I liked it.

The interior cabin of the VLT variant follows a two-tone brown and black color scheme. Soft-touch brown accents tastefully cut through the black plastic panels on the dashboard and doors. On the seats, it’s the reverse with black cutting through the brown.

On the outside, the KICKS e-POWER looks like the result of an unprotected love affair between a Murano and an Almera. In my best auntie voice, I’d coo that it has the Murano’s roof and silhouette, and the Almera’s face.

While picking up the car, I was given a quick run-through of its features. My thought was, “wow, it’s just like a normal car” – and that’s not in a bad way. I was expecting everything to be controlled by a giant monitor in the center console or the dashboard but, nope.

The Nissan KICKS e-POWER is surprisingly tactile. There’s a physical knob or button for everything, which I kind of miss, even in newer ICE cars nowadays. The touchscreen center console is mainly for entertainment, reverse camera, and calls. It also fully supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

If anything, it’s surprising how old-school the analog speedometer was, especially next to the digital display. Much like the rest of the car, the digital display is straightforward and uncomplicated. A push on the directional buttons on the steering wheel switches between information panels, with simple animations that won’t distract you from driving.

It’s intuitive enough that I figured it out without referring to the manual, unlike my fiancee’s *COUGHProtonx70COUGH*.

Drive-wise, the Nissan KICKS e-POWER offers 3 modes:

• Regular
• Eco
• Sport

Eco and Sport mode feature Nissan’s e-Pedal, or one-pedal driving. By far, this is the only thing I took some time to get used to. Basically, it incorporates acceleration and braking into one pedal; while also charging the battery through regenerative braking.

In practice, it got me honked at by another car while leaving the showroom. The deceleration when you lift your foot off the accelerator is a lot more abrupt than with regular cars. I didn’t let one honk faze me though. While I could have disabled the e-Pedal by switching to Regular driving mode, I want to say I experienced one-pedal driving goshdarnit!

It was a good thing I stuck it through. I got used to the e-Pedal in the 15 minutes it took me to drive home. Once I got used to it…

The KICKS e-POWER is a fuel-efficient yet enjoyable drive

Unlike a hybrid which switches between the motor and the battery to power the car, the 1.2 liter engine in the KICKS e-POWER is exclusively used to charge the battery. Nissan says this gives the car 280Nm of instant torque whenever you want it.

In practice, it means that I had no trouble overtaking cars on the highway and trunk roads. The moment I hit the pedal, Torque’s hammer rained down lightning speed upon me. Without a pedal delay, it was actually easier (and I’d argue, safer) to overtake slowpokes on trunk roads.

A full tank of petrol took us from PJ to Kelantan, using these driving modes:

• PJ to Kuala Dungun (highway) – Sport Mode
• Kuala Dungun to Bachok (trunk road) – Eco Mode

By the time we got to our Airbnb in Bachok, we were down to our last bar. Even then, we managed to squeeze a drive to Kota Bharu for that much-recommended roti titab at Kopitiam Kita.

At this point, we had driven 601.8km. And the cost of a full tank? RM71.

One thing that takes you out of the EV illusion is the occasional engine noise and rumble. We barely heard the engine while driving, even at speed. Even then, we had to turn off the music and the air conditioning to catch that tiny whisper. As a driver, I only felt the engine when fully stopped – lifting the pedal sometimes gets a tiny rumble.

You only REALLY hear and feel it when flooring the pedal. Weirdly, both seem to come a split-second after speed boost, as if the engine suddenly realizes “Oh crap, I need to feed the battery!”.

Overall, it made for a fun guessing game for the passengers. I always had the answer thanks to the energy flow panel in the digital display. After a while though, you kind of just enjoy the drive and let the car do its thing.

The KICKS e-POWER is not big on luxuries, but big on everyday practicality

The Nissan KICKS e-POWER is a B-segment SUV, similar to the HR-V and the Proton X50. The ground clearance is lower than these cars though, at 175mm. Weirdly enough, I actually felt lower than in a Myvi while in the passenger seat.

Here are the two variants and price of the Nissan KICKS e-POWER:

• VL (RM113,800)
• VLT (RM121,800)

The main differences are the seats, intelligent rear view mirror, and cruise control. You can check out Nissan’s website for the full list.

I got the VLT version for the roadtrip, so you might call us the kids with the pumped-up KICKS.

As a roadtrip car, the KICKS e-POWER checks most of the right boxes:

Ample trunk space

Comfortable leatherette seats (fabric in the VL variant)

Above average sound system perfect for Country Music

‍‍‍ Spacious cabin for 4 people

More cupholders than passengers

2 USB charging ports in the back

One thing I like about the center cupholders is that they’re dual-tier. You can lift the top flap to hide keys, or accommodate those tall skinny milk tea cups from fancy shops that look impressive but actually hold the same or less drink.

I also appreciate the small, light keyfob for keyless entry and push-button start. I don’t know why many cars come with ridiculously large keyfobs that weigh down your pockets.

Another nifty trick is the Intelligent Rearview Mirror. At first glance, it’s just a regular ol’ mirror with autodimming. But flip the angle shifter, and it becomes a digital screen! It’s great for situations where your rear view is blocked by a pile of luggage or a tall friend.

And yes, you can force the KICKS e-POWER into electric mode. However, the batteries will not last long without charge. It’s more for situations where you need to quiet the car (like a sleeping baby in the house) rather than on-the-road uses.

One thing I wish the KICKS e-POWER had though, are power seats. With the car being electric-like, it feels weird manually adjusting my seat. Also, I could have called them e-power seats.

Meanwhile, my atas colleague was surprised it didn’t come with a power tailgate (aka motorized trunk) or automatic wipers.

How does the Nissan KICKS e-POWER perform under pressure?

Totally unplanned, but our drive back to PJ took us through heavy rain, rough terrain, bad jams, and many 3-point turns. Guess you can call it a 12-hour stress test, on both the KICKS e-POWER and the poor driver (me).

It all started with a search for a mythical beachside coastal road along the Besut stretch. It inadvertently took us to many dead ends that led me to discover that the KICKS e-POWER has very nice turning angles. However, the resolution of the safety cameras did make it hard to distinguish between sandy ground and short cliffs.

Beset with heavy rain and slow crawls on the highway, the Eco Mode and e-Pedal made the trudge a lot easier. My driving foot tends to cramp from constantly switching between pedals, so it was nice doing less of that. Also, as a safety measure, the brake lights automatically activate as the car decelerates.

I think I made a booboo with Eco mode though. I kept it in Eco the first half of the highway drive, thinking it would stretch out the mileage. However, Eco mode on the KICKS e-POWER significantly nerfs its performance so I actually got less mileage compared to the drive over on Sport Mode. So I’d keep it on Eco for city driving and jams, but Sport for highways.

Next, I got trolled by Google Maps. It recommended a route off the Karak highway to avoid a jam. It was right, there was no jam. But there was also no paved road. It was on this 2 or 3 kilometer stretch on broken dirt road with no streetlights that I can say sorry Tan Chong the Nissan KICKS has really nice suspension. It took most of the bumps and potholes like a champ, and my passengers in the back weren’t jostled around too much. And we exited right back into a jam.

By this point, I was in a sour mood.

At least, until the traffic cleared up on the Genting Sempah stretch. Usually, I’d take it slow on the windy slopes. But whether it was pent-up frustration or just feeling confident with the car’s handling, I shifted to Sport Mode and let ‘er rip (responsibly). There’s just something about that responsiveness and zippiness that returned a maniacal smile back on my face.

So on this test drive to Kelantan, I’d say the Nissan KICKS e-POWER Pas with flying color.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. I return the car back to Tan Cheong, watching silently as it’s being driven away. It was my first time driving something EV-like. It’s not a full-on EV, but the Nissan KICKS e-POWER comes close.

And you never really forget your first time.

The Nissan KICKS e-POWER is a gentle kick into the world of EVs

The story doesn’t end here. My experience is based on 3 days with the car… so what’s it like owning one long term?

Edaran Tan Chong Motor asked if I wanted to speak with an owner who bought the KICKS e-POWER as her first car. I said yes, so we kick-ed off an interview.

This is Nurfathiah, a 29-year-old Geologist. She first spotted the Nissan KICKS e-POWER in a Chinese New Year ad. A fan of hybrids, she’d already test-driven offerings from other brands, but this hybrid was unique. It’s a hyhybrid.

After some research, she found that it was being sold in Thailand but not in Malaysia. So, she decided to wait.

She waited for almost 3 years.

“Instantaneously, right after the test drive, I put a booking on it!”

Experience-wise, many of our observations line up. For example, Nurfathiah also gets between 600km – 700km on a single tank, drives Eco in the city and Sport on the highway. Her use case also somewhat mirrors our trip, since she drives it to work within KL, but also to beaches and to Thailand (she also loves diving).

But, owning the car, she also says:

• Maintenance costs are about on par with regular cars.
• Basic mode (with e-Pedal off) works best for driving on the beach.
• Yes, you can constantly flex on EV owners because you don’t have to charge yours.
• People are always impressed by the Intelligent Rearview Mirror…

…and lastly, it’s fun showing off the instant torque because no one expects it. Nurfathiah shares a story where her friends were clowning on Pak Tam because looked like a [insert hatchback named after a genre of music from New Orleans]:

“We were at a red light at an intersection in Jalan Ampang and I asked them, ‘Do you want to feel the power of this car?’

So when the light turned green, I went full throttle. Everyone was taken aback. They were impressed. It was very spicy… it’s good for catching people off-guard.”

Nurfathiah isn’t the only one loving Pak Tam though. It’s now the car her family takes around the city, and her brother may be getting one as well.

So, if you’re thinking of dipping your toes into the EV world without the full commitment of searching for charging stations, Nurfathiah has this to say:

“[The KICKS e-POWER] will give you a different experience – but it’s not a big shift. You still get the feeling of driving an ICE at certain times when you can feel the engine coming in, but it’s not roaring. It’s more quiet compared to other hybrids out there.

My advice? Go and test drive it, and you will actually understand why people are trying to switch or make the shift to something that is more EV-like.”

And on that, I cannot agree more.