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Bill Korum's Puyallup Nissan
Which Nissan Kicks Trims Have a Turbo Engine?
None of them. No Nissan Kicks trim has a turbo engine. Every Kicks uses the same naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder, rated at 141 horsepower, and every one of them sends it through an Xtronic CVT. There is no turbo option, no turbo package and no turbo trim.
Engine and Transmission by Trim
This is the current Kicks lineup as Nissan publishes it. The engine column is identical on every row, which is the whole answer to the question.
| Trim | Drivetrain | Engine | Turbocharged | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kicks S | Front-wheel drive | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, 141 hp | No | Xtronic CVT |
| Kicks SV | Front-wheel drive | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, 141 hp | No | Xtronic CVT |
| Kicks Rock Creek | All-wheel drive | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, 141 hp | No | Xtronic CVT |
| Kicks SR | All-wheel drive | 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, 141 hp | No | Xtronic CVT |
Still looking at a 2026 Kicks? The answer does not change. The 2026 lineup ran S, SV and SR, with all-wheel drive offered on the SR, and every one of them used the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder and the same Xtronic CVT. The trim structure moved for 2027. The engine did not.
The Turbocharged Nissan Crossover Is the Rogue
If you came here looking for a turbo, you are not wrong about Nissan. You are one model off. The Rogue runs a 1.5-liter VC-Turbo three-cylinder rated at 201 horsepower, which is 60 more than the Kicks makes.
The two get cross-shopped constantly because they sit side by side in the same showroom and look like the same idea at different sizes. They are not. The Kicks is a subcompact crossover built around low running costs. The Rogue is a compact crossover with more power, more room and available ProPILOT Assist.
One thing that will not change if you move up: the Rogue also uses an Xtronic CVT. If it was the CVT you were trying to get away from rather than the engine, the Rogue is not the escape route.
Why People Keep Asking
The other half of it is the Juke, the small Nissan crossover the Kicks effectively replaced in the United States. The Juke did offer a turbocharged engine, and a lot of shoppers still carry that association forward.
There is no equivalent on the Kicks. Not on a package, not on a special edition, not on the off-road-styled Rock Creek. The 2.0-liter four is the only engine the car has ever been sold with in this generation.
Every Nissan Kicks Uses a CVT. Here Is What That Means.
Xtronic is Nissan's continuously variable transmission. Instead of a fixed set of gears, it uses a belt running between two variable-width pulleys, so the ratio moves smoothly across a range rather than stepping between six or eight fixed points. There is no manual, no conventional automatic and no dual-clutch offered on any Kicks trim, and the current lineup lists no paddle shifters or manual shift mode either.
Three things follow from that, and they are worth knowing before the test drive rather than during it.
- Fuel economy is the point. Holding the engine at its most efficient speed is easier without fixed ratios in the way. Front-wheel-drive Kicks models are EPA rated at 28 mpg city, 35 highway and 31 combined. All-wheel-drive models come in at 27, 34 and 30.
- Around town it is genuinely smooth. There are no shifts to feel because there are no shifts. In Puyallup stop-and-go and on the crawl through the Sumner interchange, that is a real comfort advantage.
- Under hard acceleration it sounds different. The engine climbs to a high, steady speed and stays there while the car gathers pace. That is normal behaviour for the design, not a fault. Some drivers never think about it again. Some cannot get past it.
That last point is the one nobody can settle for you in writing. Take a Kicks up the WA-512 on-ramp at full throttle and see how it sits with you. Ten minutes on the road you actually drive is worth more than every review you will read tonight.
Check current Kicks inventory, or call (253) 848-4507 and ask which trims are on the lot this week.
What You Do Get Instead of Power
The Kicks trades outright pace for things that matter more on a daily commute. Nissan Safety Shield 360 is standard on every trim, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto is standard across the range as well.
Ground clearance is 8.4 inches, which is more than most subcompact crossovers give you, and all-wheel drive is available on the upper trims. For a car this size, that combination is the actual argument.
Common Questions
Which Nissan Kicks trims have a turbo engine?
None of them. Every Nissan Kicks trim uses the same naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder rated at 141 horsepower and 140 lb-ft of torque. There is no turbocharged Kicks, there is no turbo option or package, and there never has been one in the United States on any generation of the car.
Does the Nissan Kicks use a CVT?
Yes. Every Kicks uses Nissan's Xtronic continuously variable transmission. There is no manual, no conventional automatic and no dual-clutch option on any trim. There are also no paddle shifters and no manual shift mode listed on the current lineup.
Is there a turbocharged Nissan crossover at all?
Yes, and it is the Rogue. The Rogue runs a 1.5-liter VC-Turbo three-cylinder rated at 201 horsepower, which is 60 horsepower more than the Kicks. It also uses an Xtronic CVT, so if the CVT is what you were trying to avoid, the Rogue does not solve that. If it is the turbo you want, the Rogue is the crossover to drive.
Why do so many people think the Kicks has a turbo?
Two reasons. The Kicks sits in the same part of the showroom as the Rogue, which genuinely is turbocharged, and the two get cross-shopped constantly. The other is the Juke, the small Nissan crossover the Kicks effectively replaced in the United States, which did offer a turbocharged engine. People carry that memory across to the Kicks.
Is 141 horsepower enough for I-5 and WA-512?
For normal South Sound commuting, yes. Merging onto WA-512 from Puyallup or joining I-5 at Tacoma is well within it. What 141 horsepower will not do is make a fast overtake on a two-lane road out toward Enumclaw feel effortless, and it will feel slower with four people and luggage aboard. Drive one up the ramp you actually use before you decide.
Does the CVT hurt fuel economy or help it?
It helps, and that is the main reason it is there. A CVT can hold the engine at its most efficient speed instead of stepping through fixed ratios. Front-wheel-drive Kicks models are EPA rated at 28 mpg city, 35 highway and 31 combined. All-wheel-drive models are rated at 27 city, 34 highway and 30 combined. Those are estimates and your own mileage will vary.
What does a CVT actually feel like to drive?
In town it feels smooth, because there are no gearshifts to feel. Under hard acceleration the engine revs up and holds there while the car catches up, which sounds unusual the first time and is completely normal for the design. Some people never notice it. Some people dislike it immediately. It is the single best reason to take a real test drive rather than reading about it.
Which Kicks trims offer all-wheel drive?
All-wheel drive is offered on the upper trims rather than across the range, and the split has moved between model years. On the 2027 lineup the SR and the Rock Creek are all-wheel drive and the S and SV are front-wheel drive. Because the split changes, check the window sticker on the specific car rather than assuming from the trim badge.
Fuel economy figures are EPA estimates and your actual mileage will vary. Full ratings are at fueleconomy.gov, and the complete trim specifications are on the Nissan USA Kicks specs page. Wondering about glass instead of engines? See which Nissan Kicks trims have a sunroof.
Drive One and Settle It
Ten minutes on WA-512 will tell you more about the CVT than any spec sheet. We are at 101 Valley Ave NW in Puyallup, about 20 minutes from Tacoma and 10 from Auburn.
Bill Korum's Puyallup Nissan | 101 Valley Ave NW, Puyallup, WA 98371 | Serving Puyallup, Tacoma, Auburn and Kent since 1975.