Reasons for the Nissan Kicks Featuring a ‘B’ Gear Despite Not Being a Hybrid or EV.

      The shift lever in the 2025 Nissan Kicks. Adam Ismail

      I recently wrapped up a week of driving the new Nissan Kicks. It's a perfectly acceptable budget-friendly small crossover, and my review will be published soon. However, I noticed something peculiar about the car that might be better to discuss outside a formal evaluation—it's not necessarily a good or bad feature; it's simply unusual.

      The Kicks’ powertrain consists of a two-liter four-cylinder engine paired with Nissan’s Xtronic Continuously Variable Transmission. This combination delivers 141 horsepower and 140 lb-ft of torque to the wheels, which is sufficient, albeit a bit underwhelming, for a vehicle in this category. There are no electric motors present in the system, which made it surprising to find a “B” gear in place of the usual low-gear “L” mode on the PRNDL shifter. The “B” represents “Brake,” and here's how Nissan articulates it in the vehicle’s owner’s manual:

      2025 Nissan Kicks owner’s manual, pg. 342. Nissan

      This explanation is quite clear, suggesting it’s designed for the same scenarios that would traditionally suit the “L” gear in an automatic passenger car. The purpose is to keep the engine revs high in lower gears, which limits speed when descending hills and provides the necessary torque for ascending.

      I suspect that Nissan decided to rename “L” to “B” for several reasons. Technically, you aren’t selecting a lower gear since CVTs lack traditional gears; instead, the “B” mode simulates a low gear ratio, allowing for engine braking when you lift off the throttle. While this may lead to higher fuel consumption, it can help prevent excessive brake use when going downhill. Additionally, Nissan might have chosen the “B” designation to align with its electric vehicles, which feature similarly designed shifters. The downside is that, in an electric vehicle, the “B” mode typically has a different function.

      Take Nissan’s Leaf, for example; in that case, the “B” gear represents a high-regeneration mode. It channels the kinetic energy from deceleration back into the batteries through the motors, allowing for quick stops without using the brake pedal. This is how electric vehicles achieve their one-pedal driving capability. Unlike the gas-only Kicks, the Leaf’s manual allows for using the “B” mode on flat terrain, indicating that it "engages the regenerative braking system more aggressively on downhill slopes" compared to the standard “D” mode.

      2020 Nissan Leaf owner’s manual, pgs. 5-19 and EV-11. Nissan

      Similarly, the Toyota Prius has featured a “B” gear for many years, and it is described the same way in the manuals for both the 2015 and 2024 models. For the Prius, Toyota clarifies that “B” is intended for “applying engine braking or strong braking when the accelerator pedal has been released on steep downhill slopes.” The automaker does not mention this gear affecting regeneration, despite regenerative braking being a capability of hybrids for a long time. According to Toyota, to achieve the best fuel economy in its conventional hybrids, drivers should use the “D” mode.

      This led me to question the role of the “B” gear in one of Toyota’s electrified models with a different powertrain, like the RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid. Interestingly, that vehicle does not have a “B” option on its shifter. Instead, it features “S,” which enables the driver to select from “six levels of accelerating force and engine braking force.” Essentially, it operates as a typical faux manual mode that can still be beneficial during significant elevation changes, similar to the “B” modes in non-electric vehicles.

      In conclusion, if you've ever wondered about the purpose of the “B” gear in your car, it varies depending on the model. For the Kicks, which relies solely on fuel for propulsion, “B” is definitely not suitable for typical driving on flat surfaces. It will cause the engine to rev unnecessarily high, leading to noise and inefficiency. While the vehicle will decelerate more sharply when off-throttle compared to coasting in “D,” it’s nothing akin to the one-pedal driving experience found in EVs. With the diverse types of powertrains in modern vehicles, the most effective way to understand your own is to refer to the owner’s manual.

      2025 Nissan Kicks in Deep Blue Pearl. Adam Ismail

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