2025 Nissan Kicks vs. Hyundai Kona vs. VW Taos – Best Subcompact SUV Showdown! - video Dailymotion

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Which subcompact SUV is the BEST in 2025? We compare the Nissan Kicks, Hyundai Kona, and Volkswagen Taos in this ultimate test! From performance & comfort to tech & value, find out which one wins!  🚗 Cars Featured: ✔ 2025 Nissan Kicks SR AWD – Budget-friendly, sporty, but is it the best? ✔ 2025 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD – Feature-packed & stylish, but does it deliver? ✔ 2025 Volkswagen Taos SEL AWD – Upscale & spacious, but is it worth the price?  📊 Key Comparisons: ✅ Performance & Fuel Efficiency ✅ Interior Space & Comfort ✅ Tech & Safety Features ✅ Driving Experience & Handling  🏆 Final Verdict: Which One Wins? Watch to find out!  🔔 Subscribe for More Car Reviews & Comparisons! 📢 Follow Us on Social Media for Updates!  #SubcompactSUV #NissanKicks #HyundaiKona #VWTaos #CarComparison #BestSUV2025 #CarReview #AffordableSUV #SmallSUV #HyundaiVsNissanVsVW #KonaVsTaos #Kicks2025 #BestSmallSUV    #SUVWars #BudgetSUV #CarBattle  #TurboSUV #TechSUV #SafeCars #CitySUV #LongDrives #CarOf2025  #HyundaiWins? #VWFamily #NissanValue

Transcript

00:00no exotic destinations for these three we evaluated them on home turf between the suburban

00:08wasteland of los angeles's san fernando valley and the straight freeways and twisty canyon roads

00:15of malibu we met up at our favorite pastrami spot post-drive deliberations always go better with

00:21pastrami and took some time to look over the vehicles first thing we agreed upon none of

00:27these suvs look like low-end models we love the kona's disney robot styling pair it with a rivian

00:34r1s and they could be the comic relief duo in the next star wars production that said we wonder how

00:40well the kona's design will age we'd say the new kicks reminds us of the old nissan juke but we're

00:46afraid some might interpret that as an insult like the juke the kicks is a happy playful looking car

00:53but unlike the juke it's not a love it or hate it deal from the broad front fenders to the complex

00:59d-pillar treatment with nifty looking wheels and lots of handsome details in between it was easy

01:06to forget the kicks was the least expensive subcompact suv here vw's taos is the most

01:12conservatively style but that doesn't mean it's boring we can debate the merits of the bright moss

01:19green metallic paint waiter please bring more pastrami but the handsome new four 2025 grill and

01:27bold but not outlandish rocker panel cladding nicely complement the clean mature lines the taos looks

01:34like a family suv that strapped on its hiking boots for an invigorating ramble we spent as much time

01:40admiring the insides of these subcompact suvs as the outsides and again we found it difficult not to

01:47really like the kona our test car had a light gray interior that made it feel open and airy

01:53so much so we can almost forgive the dinky single pane sunroof the kicks and kona have panoramic

02:00sunroofs that let back seaters enjoy the view too we liked the kona screen graphics and easy to use

02:06control layout and we took special note of the center console with the transmission shifter on the

02:13steering column and nifty retractable cup holders the kona offers way more storage space than the

02:19other two is hyundai the only manufacturer really thinking about how much can be done with the space

02:25between the front seats the kona's back seat earn praise too with a big supportive bottom cushion

02:32and plenty of vents cup holders and usb ports but the adjustable backrest only has two positions

02:39both of which put the headrest pretty far from your head last summer our big test of small suvs compared

02:47eight high-spec subcompact sport utility vehicles and we concluded buyers in this segment are indeed

02:53lucky the hyundai kona narrowly beat a covey of closely clustered competitors and a matter as trifling as a

03:01poorly behaved powertrain was enough to push the otherwise competent kia seltos into last place

03:07no question there are lots of great choices in this segment a couple of promising new prospects

03:13hit the market for 2025 the new version of the nissan kicks brings attractive styling and up-to-date

03:20safety features plus optional all-wheel drive which was missing from the outgoing kicks which is still

03:26on sale as the kicks play the volkswagen taos is updated extensively for 2025 including a desperately

03:34needed new transmission for the all-wheel drive version we've matched these two against last

03:39summer's winner the hyundai kona asking the automakers to send us top of the line all-wheel drive models

03:46we're looking for a practical stylish ride that delivers lots of features with the easy parking

03:52and decent fuel economy of a smaller vehicle in other words we want big suv comfort with small suv

03:59convenience hyundai sent a 2025 kona nearly identical to last summer's winner a limited model with no

04:08options save a set of floor mats not that the limited needs any options it's lavishly equipped

04:14with hyundai's stellar highway driving assist advanced driver assistance system adas dual zone climate control

04:22a power driver's seat heated and cooled front seats a power tailgate eight speaker bose stereo h-tech's fake

04:30leather and a front row sunroof with the floor mats it's stickered for 35 275 nissan's new for 2025

04:41kicks is the bargain of the set its starting price is about three thousand dollars less than the cheapest

04:48versions of the kona and taos and the top of the line kicks sr awd nissan sent us undercut the kona by

04:55three thousand three hundred and fifty five dollars and the taos by four thousand six hundred and fifty

05:02five dollars for that price we got pro pilot assist adas single zone climate control and a very attractive

05:09red and black cloth and full leather interior a one thousand nine hundred and fifty dollar premium package

05:16added a 10 speaker bose stereo with front headrest speakers panoramic sunroof rear seat heater ducts

05:23and heated front seats and steering wheel floor mats mud flaps 19 inch wheels and metallic paint rounded

05:30out the options list and the thirty one thousand nine hundred and twenty dollars msrp volkswagen sent a

05:37top of the lineup taos sel which gets dual zone climate control heated and cooled front seats with power

05:44adjustment for the driver iq drive adas a six speaker stereo and here's a surprise genuine leather

05:52seating surfaces while the other two competitors offer front or all-wheel drive for all trim levels

05:58the sel version of the taos comes with awd standard optional metallic paint brought the volkswagen sticker

06:06up to a test highest thirty six thousand five hundred and seventy five dollars we found the nissan's

06:12interior as good looking as the exterior it was the only suv here with cloth seating surfaces on its

06:18otherwise fake leather seats but the black and red we've looked good as did the red stitching and trim

06:24on the doors and center console the big crisp dashboard screens reminded us the kicks is the latest design

06:31here and we loved the instrument panel smooth flicker free animation the kicks only had single

06:38zone climate control versus dual zone for its rivals but that's an acceptable compromise for the lower

06:44price unfortunately all our test drivers had trouble getting comfortable in the driver's seat

06:50it wasn't just the lack of power adjustment as found in the kona and taos though the nissan's

06:56ratcheting back rest didn't help there's no adjustable lumbar support and the seat needs more back support

07:03we found the back seat less supportive and more cramped than the others and although it has an arm

07:08rest and usb ports there are no ac vents it's a minor complaint but we also noticed the door panels

07:16for the back seat aren't as nice as the ones up front a cost-cutting measure shared by the taos

07:22volkswagen did a great job dressing up the taos interior with two-tone leather real stuff under our

07:28butts synthetic on the wings and bright classy trim the dashboard looks old-fashioned compared to the

07:34kicks and the konas but we liked how the instrument panel offers a choice of traditional analog style

07:40gauges or a full-size moving map we aren't fans of the capacitive touch climate controls though

07:47what really impressed us about the taos was the space the vw has nearly two inches more headroom

07:53than the kona and the kicks but it feels like two feet although the specs say the hyundai offers more

07:59rear seat legroom we found more stretch out space in the taos same for the cargo area on paper it trails

08:06the kona by 0.6 cubic feet but our photographers had an easier time stowing their bulky gear into the

08:13taos than the kona these suvs may be aimed at singles and childless couples but we all agreed

08:20the vw is the one best suited to a growing family still it's worth noting the taos was the only suv

08:28here not to win a safety award from iihs the kicks is a top safety pick and the kona is a top safety pick

08:36but the taos small overlap crash rating of average denied it such an honor driving excitement was not top

08:43of our priority list during this test and yet we were genuinely surprised at how engaging these

08:49three suvs are the kona is the only one of these suvs to offer a choice of engines though it's not

08:55really a choice if you buy the limited model like the one here or the one down from the top end line

09:01you get a 190 horsepower turbocharged 1.6 liter while se and sel models get a 147 horsepower non-turbo

09:122.0 it's no surprise the kona was the quickest of this bunch running to 60 miles per hour in 7.7 seconds

09:20but power brings thirst and the hyundai returned the worst fuel economy and the shortest cruising range

09:27of the three handling wise the kona exhibits more body roll than the others and its steering precision

09:34is just okay though it did hang on nicely in the curves still cruising is what the kona does best

09:41it was the quietest here and had the best sounding stereo hyundai drive assist an adaptive cruise control

09:48system that centers the kona in its lane and steers it around curves provided the driver keeps a hand on

09:54the wheel is the best adas offered by this group though volkswagen's iq drive comes close the kicks

10:022.0 liter non-turbo engine is the least powerful of the group at 141 horsepower and acceleration as

10:11expected was slowest at 10.4 seconds to 60 it's pokey on paper in reality not so much the kicks has a

10:20continuously variable transmission sieve t which helps maximize both power and fuel economy its epa

10:27fuel economy ratings are the best here and given the kicks has no turbocharger it's more likely to

10:33deliver on those numbers acceleration is unexpectedly eager at low speeds to the degree that one editor

10:40wished for a little less punch when starting from rest but the power trails off as the speed builds

10:47and the engine is noisy when it works hard which is most of the time speaking of noise we expected

10:53great things from the 10 speaker bose stereo but it didn't sound any better than the vw's six speaker

10:59arrangement the nissan kicks is the lightest suv of this group and it drives accordingly with great

11:06steering feel and nimble handling the ride is a bit stiffer than that of the kona or taos which enhances the

11:13responsive feel it lacks the solidity of the taos and the softness of the kona as if the chassis was

11:20engineered to a lower price point which it probably was were the kicks more expensive we'd be more

11:27critical it isn't so we aren't if goldilocks were one of the motor trend editors participating in this test

11:34she'd love the taos its engine a 174 horsepower turbocharged 1.5 delivers a nice balance of

11:43acceleration 0 to 60 in 8.9 seconds and fuel economy 28 miles per gallon on the epa combined cycle

11:53midway between the kona and the kicks with less noticeable turbo lag than the hyundai its big 14.5 gallon

12:00gas tank gives it the longest cruising range the new eight-speed transmission shifts smoothly something

12:06we can't say about the twin clutch automatic in last year's awd taps still the new transmission was

12:14slow to downshift when we demanded power even in sport mode which made us miss the response of the

12:20kicks sieve t steering feel is good and the driving experience feels like a happy compromise between

12:27the softer hyundai and the sportier nissan the taos iq drive 8s is nearly as good as the konas if a bit

12:34more subtle it will happily steer the little vw through some tricky curves provided it senses an

12:41overriding hand on the wheel that is whereas the kicks pro pilot system had more trouble with sharper

12:47turns overall the taos feels the most substantial and well engineered of the lot it was the most expensive

12:56suv here too and that's exactly how it feels from behind the wheel as with our big test of small

13:03suvs we are impressed by the variety of vehicles on offer in this segment all three provide the big

13:10suv ambience and convenience we always seek without the big suv bulk still our job is to rank them so

13:18with heaping pastrami sandwiches before us that's what we did someone has to come in third and it's the

13:25nissan kicks for the most part we all like the kicks but it reminds us that the subcompact suv class

13:32is not really a single segment there's a high end and a low end and the kicks is designed to compete

13:38against less expensive models like the hyundai venue chevrolet tracks and buick and vista the latter

13:45two competed in our previous comparison and although we thought highly of both we think the kicks would

13:51have come out ahead of them it's a nicer vehicle and the availability of all-wheel drive for less

13:57than 25 000 is a boon but value wasn't this test's sole focus the kicks has less space fewer features

14:05and drives like the less expensive vehicle it is but don't forget that 4 000 price gap and remember

14:11that for the price of the taos sel in this comparison you can get a nicely equipped nissan rogue

14:17one of the best suvs in the one size up compact category we spent a long time and ate a lot of

14:24pastrami deliberating between the 2025 hyundai kona and the 2025 volkswagen taos the kona offers more

14:33features than the taos usable ones like a power liftgate for less money actually vw's product

14:40planners should be a little ashamed the taos sel is bereft of features found in the top line kicks

14:46like brake auto hold and a surround view parking camera the kona's interior feels more modern than

14:52what the taos offers and the front seat storage is unbeatable on the other hand despite what the

14:59measurements tell us the taos is more comfortable for back seat passengers and provides more usable

15:05cargo space it's more refined and its interior design is more mature when we first encountered the

15:12facelifted taos we thought it would be a mid-pack competitor but driving it back to back with two

15:18competent rivals showed us what a practical vehicle it is the kona appealed to our hearts the taos

15:25appealed to our heads we talked about how we use these cars in real life about commuting in traffic

15:31going out with friends and showing family la sites and in the end our heads won we still love the kona

15:39and its value equation is stronger than the vw's but the updated taos delivers more usability with a

15:45more upscale feel that's worth a slightly higher car payment second place for the hyundai kona limited

15:52then the volkswagen taos sel is the winner

2025 Nissan Kicks vs. Hyundai Kona vs. VW Taos – Best Subcompact SUV Showdown!

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