Compare the2025 Nissan Kicks PlayVS 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross

Safety
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Nissan Kicks Play has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Corolla Cross doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Kicks Play has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the Corolla Cross LE/XLE offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Kicks Play has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Automatic Braking automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Only the Corolla Cross LE/XLE offers Rear Cross-Traffic Alert.

Both the Kicks Play and the Corolla Cross have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Nissan Kicks Play is safer than the Toyota Corolla Cross:

	Kicks Play	Corolla Cross
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	191	191
Neck Injury Risk	32%	33.6%
Neck Compression	27 lbs.	61 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Kicks Play is safer than the Toyota Corolla Cross:

	Kicks Play	Corolla Cross
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	218	239
Spine Acceleration	30 G’s	32 G’s
Hip Force	535 lbs.	623 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 26 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Kicks Play gets better mileage than the Corolla Cross:

			MPG
Kicks Play
	FWD	1.6 DOHC 4-cyl.	31 city/36 hwy
Corolla Cross
	FWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	31 city/33 hwy
	AWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	29 city/31 hwy

Brakes and Stopping

The Kicks Play SV/SR’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Corolla Cross are solid, not vented.

The Kicks Play stops shorter than the Corolla Cross:

	Kicks Play	Corolla Cross
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	125 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Kicks Play’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Corolla Cross L/LE’s standard 65 series tires.

The Kicks Play has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Corolla Cross doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Kicks Play has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Corolla Cross doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Kicks Play handles at .83 G’s, while the Corolla Cross XLE AWD pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Kicks Play’s turning circle is 1.2 feet tighter than the Corolla Cross’ (34.2 feet vs. 35.4 feet).

Chassis

The Nissan Kicks Play may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 550 pounds less than the Toyota Corolla Cross.

The Kicks Play is 6.5 inches shorter than the Corolla Cross, making the Kicks Play easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Kicks Play has a liquid-filled front engine mount. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The Corolla Cross uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

Passenger Space

The Kicks Play has 4.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Corolla Cross (92.6 vs. 88.4).

The Kicks Play has 1.8 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.5 inches more rear legroom, 5.3 inches more rear hip room and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Corolla Cross.

Ergonomics

The Kicks Play has a standard Intelligent Key that allows you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, unlock the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Only the Corolla Cross LE/XLE offers a Smart Key System.

The Kicks Play’s variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The Corolla Cross L’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

Consumer Reports rated the Kicks Play’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Corolla Cross’ headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Kicks Play has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Corolla Cross has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the LE/XLE.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Kicks Play and the Toyota Corolla Cross, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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