Indian Idol Salman Ali and his Nissan Kicks | A Special Car for a Special Talent #NissanKicks #Nissan

In a country where the majority population is young and raring to exploit all its potential, India is full of stories which inspire. One such story is of this 20 something young lad from the tiny village of Mewat in Haryana. Blessed with some serious melody in his vocals, the roots of Salman Ali’s saga expanded from very humble beginnings, into something so big, he now has an entire nation swinging to his tunes. Why are we telling you about him? Because like most people his age, the gritty lad savours the freedom and gets a kick when he’s behind the wheel. We were there to share his joy, when he took delivery of a Nissan Kicks, his first car purchase.

For Salman Ali though, the journey till the Nissan dealership in Gurgaon wasn’t very straightforward. His voice had to compete against the very best from across the nation before he could earn the title of being an Indian Idol. The soft-spoken boy went through many hardships and fought a nearly non-existent bank balance to reach where he has and when we heard about his story, his petite appearance suddenly seemed larger than life.

But what made Salman Ali pick the Nissan Kicks as his first car? When we asked him that question, his response was, “It was the way it appeared. When I first saw the Nissan Kicks, I fell for it just immediately.” There must be more to it we’re sure and we could tell from the spring in his walk. But we decided not to trouble him with too many questions and left him and his family to savour the excitement of a new car purchase.

While we were there, we also came across a couple who had bought the Nissan Kicks a month ago. So we asked Ashish and Nanda as what made them put their faith in the new Kicks collectively? Like Salman, even they were bowled over by the Kicks’ appearance at first. But the genuine satisfaction in their experience was visible when they talked about the car’s first-in-segment 360-degree camera feature. Nanda, in particular, finds it very handy as it helps her navigate through choc-a-bloc conditions with ease. Besides that, the class-leading ground clearance and the ease of driving and the comfort which the Kicks offers, only added to their experience.

While we were there, being a Sunday, the doorman was busy with the influx of inquisitive walk-ins, eager to know more about the Kicks. Nissan’s Area Sales Manager, Mr Pranav Wadhvan was busy with his team, walking prospects through the car’s many novelties. But he managed to find some time for us to explain what exactly makes the new Kicks unique. While he did highlight some of the Kicks’ brilliance which we were already aware of, some facts, like how the roof rails weren’t there just for cosmetic purposes and could actually hold a load, were enlightening. Mr Wadhwan also talked about how the Kicks is built around Nissan’s GRAPHENE (Gravity-philicEnergy Absorption) body structure. This new architecture offers good impact energy absorption, making the vehicle sturdy, stronger and safer.

The new Nissan Kicks is a genuinely exciting vehicle and we figured that first hand when our camera person fell for it while shooting the car. So much so, he started making enquiries with the dealership’s representatives about trading in his old hatchback and once he knew how much that would fetch, he had all his calculations set. I asked him as what made him approve of the vehicle in such quick time? His response was a little unusual but sensible too. Since he’s a photographer, he wanted a vehicle which looked sophisticated, made him look good when he entered a 5-star hotel’s lobby, and could carry all his equipment. Besides that, it also had to be efficient, well-appointed, practical and city-traffic friendly. No wonder all that he is waiting for now, is an approval from the family.

With prices starting at INR 9.55 lakh, from our experience, the Nissan Kicks offers great value for money and a polished driving experience behind the wheel. That is backed with some first-in-segment and class-leading features, along with appearance which is substantial new-age, yet, perfectly proportioned for our kind of conditions. Visit your nearest Nissan dealership and take a good look at one. You might just agree with us.

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