FAST FACTS
2018 Nissan Kicks SR› Exterior color: Red› Interior color: Charcoal› Engine: 1.6-liter, 4-cylinder› Horsepower: 125› Transmission: CVT› Fuel economy: 36 mpg highway, 31 mpg city› Local Dealer: Mountain View Nissan, Nissan of Chattanooga East› Price (as tested): $22,2452019 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport GT AWC› Exterior color: Pearl White› Interior color: Black› Engine: 2.4-liter, four cylinder› Horsepower: 168› Transmission: CVT› Fuel economy: 28 mpg highway, 23 mpg city› Local Dealer: Edd Kirby’s Adventure Mitsubishi› Price (as tested): $28,160
The 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport has angular good looks and a sporty drivetrain.
It's coincidence, really, that these two subcompact SUVs both landed in Chattanooga for test drives last week. Because they both compete in the same segment, we thought it might be a good idea to give you our impressions in the same space.
The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is an 8-year-old design that has undergone a couple of freshening over its lifespan, while the Nissan Kicks is an all-new (for 2018) subcompact SUV.
The relative age of the models is apparent in their sheet metal. The Outlander Sport is angular with a BMW-style shape, while the Kicks has lines more like soft-serve ice cream. Kicks has a younger vibe, while the Mitsubishi offers classic styling and a 10-year or 100,000-mile power-train warranty. While technically in the same class, these two fire up different parts of a buyer's brain.
Which is best? Well, it depends.
The Outlander Sport is faster and features all-wheel drive, while the Kicks is more likely to turn heads. You'll have to ask yourself which qualities you find more gratifying.
THE BASICS
» The 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is a five-passenger, subcompact SUV with a potent 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine that makes 168 horsepower. It can sling-shot from zero-to-60 mph in 7.9 seconds according to Car & Driver, which makes it one of the quickest SUVs in its segment.
» The 2018 Nissan Kicks, also a five-passenger subcompact SUV, is a brand-new model that blends Nissan's adventurous body designs with a lower sicker price. As the kids might say: It's "lit." (Actual episode: A young woman walking a dog outside the Federal Building in downtown Chattanooga stopped to inspect the Kicks. "Nice car," she observed.)
WHAT WE LIKED
» Our "like" list on the Outlander Sport includes its clean exterior styling, oversized side mirrors, locking four-wheel drive system (a $1,500 upgrade) and easy to comprehend touch-screen apps.
» Our favorite features of the Nissan Kicks were its 360-degree parking camera, supportive seats, colorful fabric door inserts and two USB ports in the rear.
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ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
» Mitsubishi could improve the Outlander Sport by attending to the stiff telescoping steering wheel, providing two-zone heat and air-conditioning controls, sharpening throttle response, using softer door-panel plastics and looking for ways to economize on price. More than $28K for our tester seemed a tad high.
» The Kicks would benefit from more dampening of wind noise, adding rear-seat climate vents and providing more rear-seat knee room.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
» The Outlander Sport doesn't have head-snapping off-the-mark speed, but its 168 horsepower is pretty robust for a subcompact SUV. Once the 2.4-liter engine gathers itself, it feels positively sporty. If you squint you can imagine the Outlander Sport is a BMW X1.
» The Nissan Kicks is no dragster, but neither does it feel under-powered. It has just enough juice to sprint onto Highway 27 from downtown, but not enough to charge up the W Road without getting winded.
COST COMPARISON
The Kicks is the value option here. Our well-equipped Kicks tester goes for $22,245, while a base model costs $19,335. Meanwhile, our Outlander Sport tester has an asking price of $28,160, while a base model will set you back $25,490.
BOTTOM LINE
The Kicks is the fresher, hipper option. The Outlander has better performance and a better power-train warranty.
Online: In the market for a new vehicle? To access hundreds of Mark Kennedy's Chattanooga Test Drive columns visit www.timesfreepress.com/testdrive.
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/mkennedycolumnist.
The interior of the Nissan Kicks is spartan but purposeful. 
The interior of the Outlander Sport features deeply bolstered bucket seats.