Nissan began kicking around the idea of replacing their subcompact Juke with a much more modern crossover ute more than a decade ago. But it wasn’t until 2018 that the Kicks finally stepped onto our shores. Turned out it was a smart move, one that Nissan hopes to build upon with this all-new second generation kicks. So, let’s see if it kicks up more good things for Nissan.

SUVs, “small” utility vehicles in this case, remain the hottest wheels going, with carmakers putting a herculean effort into making them as appealing as possible to as wide of an audience as possible. That brings us to this 2025 Nissan Kicks.

What started out in 2018 as a more mainstream replacement for Nissan’s funky, entry-level ute Juke, has now evolved into a fine-looking SUV with impressive substance. While even the first Kicks looked way better than the Juke ever could, this one doubles down with some upscale Murano flavor, though the wide stance and exaggerated rear fenders do pay homage to the Juke. The unique patterns and textures around the lower body are designed to resemble high-end sneakers or “kicks”. Top SR makes the most of it with available 19-inch wheels, black accents, and full LED lighting.

This second gen is now bigger in every dimension, just under an inch taller, an inch and a half wider, and almost 3 inches longer; and even ground clearance gets a nice boost to a healthy 8.4 inches. There’s a new engine, too, staying naturally aspirated, but growing from 1.6 liters to 2.0 liters, and gaining 19 horsepower to 141. Torque gains are more impressive from 114 to 140 lb-ft. Bigger news is that all-wheel-drive is now available, as the original was front-drive only. And while we’re talking about that first gen, don’t get confused, as there is also a 2025 Nissan Kicks Play, which is actually a budget carryover of that first-gen Kicks.

Kicking off our track time, there’s a nice hit of initial spirit off the line, but then power delivery settles down and you take a slow CVT crawl down the track. It took us 10.7 seconds to hit 60 mph, a full second slower than the 2018 original. But it does seem to pick up the pace a bit further on, ending the quarter-mile at 18-flat and 78 mph. Engine noise is expectedly elevated, and even though there are simulated shifts happening in the CVT, it doesn’t really help the pace. Drive modes include Normal, Eco, Sport, and Snow, which comes only with all-wheel drive.

Now, it was a completely different experience on our handling course. Here, the Kicks kicked it up a nice notch for its class. There was substantial grip and good balance, steering was light and it provided a respectable amount of feedback. The suspension was firm and willing, with very little body roll and no notable understeer or oversteer. Overall, a quite pleasant cone trip.

All-wheel-drive models come with a suspension upgrade, replacing the rear’s simple twist beam setup with a multi-link arrangement, and adding a thicker stabilizer bar to the independent strut front. It was also quite commendable in braking with consistent, straight stops from 60 of only 106 feet.

Bigger dimensions allow for a nice upward movement in space inside the Kicks’ five-seat cabin. Plus, a tech upgrade has definitely taken place with all but base S trim getting wireless phone charging and a new 12.3-inch touchscreen. Top SR adds a 12.3-inch gauge display; and comes with a leather-wrapped steering wheel, simulated-leather trimmed seats, and surround-view camera. Nissan spreads the supportive Zero Gravity seats to both rows, so even back seat dwellers get well above average comfort for this price point. AWD hardware and suspension does necessitate a higher cargo floor and a bit less cargo capacity, 23.9 cu.-ft. instead of 29.2; max is 50.1 with seatbacks folded.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings with all-wheel-drive are 27 city, 34 highway, and 30 combined. Our average was right on at 30.4 mpg of regular. While the new Kicks is certainly better to look at, it remains exceptionally affordable, beginning at $23,220; top SR starts at $27,570. All-wheel drive is available with all trims for $1,500.

The original Nissan Kicks existed almost totally as a value leader. And while the value proposition of the 2025 Nissan Kicks remains very high, it has upped its own ante to be a far more interesting and appealing small SUV to see, to drive, and to be driven in. We think Nissan put this one straight through the uprights!

BMW has been powering the very definition of what it means to be a sport sedan for decades, with the M5 constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible in a luxury-minded midsize four-door. Well these days, most boundary pushing involves electrification. So, time for us to plug into a new level of performance from BMW!

Don’t worry, the M5 has not gone all-electric. There’s still a powerful gas-burning V8 cranking away under the hood; but for the 2025 version of the M5, BMW somehow managed to shove an entire EV’s worth of performance right alongside it.

The Competition version of the last M5 made 617 horsepower with a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8. That free-revving 4.4-liter makes a return here, although now it’s working with “just” 577 horsepower. But by integrating a 145-kW electric motor into the M5’s eight-speed M Steptronic transmission there’s now a total output of 717 horsepower, exactly 100 more, with a 738 lb-ft. sledgehammer of torque, all of it arriving with EV-like immediacy. Throw in a 14.8-kWh battery, which is big enough for delivering 27 miles of EV driving, and standard all-wheel drive, and there’s a significant weight penalty to pay here, something we don’t always like in our sport sedans.

But there’s more than enough power to make it disappear, as “get you in trouble” speed arrives almost immediately, yet the M5 feels so smooth you really have to closely pay attention to the speedometer. And at our Mason Dixon track it was sheer brutality, with the most insane launches we’ve ever experienced in a BMW.

Launch control was easy to engage and worked flawlessly run after run, unleashing a full onslaught of power to all four wheels that had them all struggling for grip. It was a real handful trying to keep it pointed in a straight line for the first 50 feet or so, but just as quickly it seemed to lock its radar on the track’s finish line and did all it could to get there as fast as inhumanly possible. We could feel heavy bolts of EV-style propulsion off the line, with increasing amounts of engine power taking over as we got moving, hitting 60 in 3.1 seconds and clearing the quarter-mile in 11.1 seconds at 129 mph. Shifts in the eight-speed automatic were fast and hard with no interruption in power delivery, as this 5,400-lbs. beast streaked down the track.

We won’t go so far as to say that weight disappears in handling situations, you know it’s there; but instead of holding you back, it just seems to effectively push the tires into the pavement that much more, creating so much grip that we could carry very fast speeds through our cone course without any drama at all, and the M5 not really even breaking a sweat. They still haven’t been able to engineer much steering feel back into the equation, but making this wide-bodied monster feel like a nimble sport sedan was probably a much more impressive engineering feat. Strong initial bite, firm pedal feel, no fade; all make for great brakes, and a good average stopping distance of 115 feet from 60. That was with the standard M Compound brake setup behind 20- and 21-inch wheels, carbon discs are an option.

BMW insists on getting quirkier with exterior design, maintaining traditions like their twin kidney grille, yet incorporating LED lighting into it. The low, wide stance along with all of the added carbon fiber for the rear spoiler, side mirrors, and even roof, definitely portray a serious nature.

Plenty of luxury inside, yet with carbon fiber everywhere, and M logos and M buttons that seem to be calling you to a different mission. The overwhelming amount of ambient lighting can be a bit much.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 50 Combined for MPGe, 14 Combined with strictly gas. We obviously spent more time hammering around than plugging in as we averaged just 13.9 mpg of Premium. M5 Sedan pricing starts at $123,275.

The BMW M5 has been powering our high-performance dreams for 40 years. And over these seven generations, BMW has continued to slowly turn up the heat on the boiling pot of technology, introducing more and more of it, kinda hoping that no one will notice. It’s hard to argue with their process as it has made for some truly remarkable sport sedans. But there’s no missing the electric propulsion here, and there’s also no denying that BMW has created yet another splendid sport sedan, and another fantastic M5.