The 2024 Nissan Kicks Is a Safe Choice for University of Illinois Students

Looking for that perfect vehicle to send your new high school graduate off in style and safety? Letting your offspring into the world and out of the nest can be nerve-racking, but at least you can put them behind the wheel of a vehicle with excellent driver-assist features that help them be safer on the roads. We feel confident that the 2024 Nissan Kicks, an affordable and energetic subcompact SUV, is that vehicle. Plus, its affordable price point teaches new college students the value of a dollar without spoiling them (but you still get a chance to give them a great gift-on-wheels).

If you’re looking for a Nissan Kicks for sale near Urbana and want to shop with a dealership that puts your needs first, visit us at Illini Nissan. We’d love to walk you through the safety features of the 2024 Nissan Kicks and show them to you in person. For now, below, you’ll find a rundown of some of the highlights and why we think this model is ideal for young Urbana drivers.

Automatic Emergency Braking With Pedestrian Detection

Bustling downtown Urbana is always full of people enjoying the shops and restaurants. It’s part of the charm. However, drivers need to be extra aware of pedestrians in this busy area. That’s why we love this feature in the 2024 Kicks. It not only senses when a driver gets too close to a vehicle in front of them (which is useful for, we’ll call them, “overly enthusiastic” young drivers), but it also detects pedestrians.

If someone steps into the road when they shouldn’t and the driver doesn’t spot them in time, the Kicks will detect the pedestrian and activate the brakes if necessary to avoid a collision. This will also come in handy when a young driver is cruising around the busy University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. College kids who are stressed and rushing to class don’t always look where they’re going.

Intelligent Around View Monitor

Every driver could use a little extra help seeing what’s happening around their vehicle. Young drivers, who might only have had their license for a couple of years, need extra assistance. The Kicks’ Intelligent Around View Monitor provides a comprehensive 360-degree bird’s eye view. When a driver is crossing the super-busy intersection of University Avenue and Vine Street-Cunningham Avenue, they can have eyes on every corner of their vehicle.

This is also a terrific feature to have when getting into tight parking spots (like the tandem ones college students are usually stuck with). The driver will see what’s behind, in front of, and on the sides of their vehicle, allowing them to make precise, informed maneuvers when getting into tight spots. After all, while the Kicks is affordable, repairs rarely are. And your student needs their budget for late-night taco runs––not paint jobs after parking scratches.

Intelligent Cruise Control

If the nest your student flew from is in Indianapolis or Chicago, then you’ll want your kid to drive home and visit you from time to time. When traveling down the highway to visit you for the holidays, you’ll be glad they have Nissan’s Intelligent Cruise Control. Learning not to tailgate is one of the more important lessons new drivers need to learn. This feature can help instill better driving habits by automatically keeping a good gap between the Kicks and other vehicles.

Intelligent Cruise Control has the features of regular cruise control, allowing the driver to set a desired speed and maintain it automatically. However, it adds the ability to maintain a safe distance between vehicles. If the system senses the driver is getting too close to the vehicle in front of them, it will slow down to increase the gap. Then, when it’s safe to do so, it will accelerate to regain that desired speed.

Blind Spot Warning

No matter how long someone has been driving, monitoring that blind spot is never easy. Young drivers need extra assistance being aware of this tricky zone, especially on busy streets. When a young driver cruises down Candlestick Lane during Urbana’s iconic Christmas decoration extravaganza, they’ll be alerted if a vehicle is coming up on their blind spot while they attempt to switch lanes while staring at all the pretty lights.

Blind zone incidents are some of the most common types of collisions, so having this feature available to newer drivers can help them avoid accidents. And that can keep those insurance premiums low—which you might appreciate if you’re still generously paying for your kid’s car insurance.

Rear Automatic Braking

While your adult friends might act as spotters while you back out of driveways or parking spots, your kid’s friends are probably busy changing the music or making a TikTok. So, it’s nice that the Kicks has Rear Automatic Braking. If your young driver is backing out of a parking spot, like at Urbana’s busy Market at the Square, where other drivers are circling, the vehicle will tell them if a car is approaching their rear. Then, the brakes will take over to avoid a collision.

High Beam Assist

When your kid lived at home, you got to set a curfew. Now that they’re off at college, you can’t control their schedule. That means late-night drives are almost inevitable. Luckily, the 2024 Kicks has High Beam Assist. It can detect when a driver is in a low light setting and automatically turns on the high beams. Then, it automatically shuts them off when it detects oncoming traffic.

Find the 2024 Nissan Kicks at Illini Nissan

We know that sending a kid off to college is never easy. You’re letting go of control and letting them take the wheel with their life. At least you can have some say over the actual car they get behind the wheel in.

The 2024 Nissan Kicks is a terrific vehicle for young drivers like students at the University of Illinois. Driving around busy college towns is fun but also full of distractions and hazards. You’ll feel better knowing that your kid is in a vehicle that’s loaded with cameras, sensors, and alert systems that help them be aware of potential collisions and avoid them. Some of these features can even teach better driving habits (of course, you’re still texting them about those all of the time).

If you want to work with a dealership that knows all about this fun vehicle, pay us a visit. One of our friendly, knowledgeable sales team members will gladly help you find the right trim for your young driver. They can also show you how these driver-assist features work in person. We want to ensure your young driver gets in a car that’s safe and has all of the fun features they want.

We’re also ready to help Urbana drivers decide how to pay for their Kicks. Our dedicated finance team will craft several loan packages customized to suit your budget and financial goals. If you’ll be putting down the down payment and your young driver will be making those monthly payments, we’ll craft a loan package that’s comfortable for everyone. Visit us today and see why the Kicks is just right for the Fighting Illini.