Styling is in the eye of the beholder and the way-out shape of the new Nissan Juke certainly creates visual waves
The Nissan Juke has styling that’s loved by some and hated by others, though we have yet to find someone that doesn’t have an opinion on the shape. Personally, I love it. More to the point though, this is a great driving SUV with a neat touch of sportiness.
STYLING
Our briefing from Nissan included the opinion that, yes, the Juke is out there on the edge, but that it will get people into showrooms. And if these people think the Juke is too over-the-top, a sales person will be happy to guide them to the Nissan Dualis SUV, a vehicle that is a much more conservative design.
Across the ditch the Kiwis had no hesitation in adopting Juke when it was offered to them in 2011, while Australia rejected the offer at that time. A change at the top of Nissan Australia saw the Juke revisited and put on the want list.
The front headlamps are the first styling cue to hit the senses. The headlamps split into two elements and are raised well above the mudguards. From the diver’s seat looking forward it’s a Porsche 911-like vista with the bonnet dropping away while the lights frame the view. The lights sit atop large wheel arches.
Still at the front, another dominating feature is the large lower part of the headlamps that sit where you would expect foglamps to be.
At the rear there are matching large wheel arches that spread wider than the body giving an aggressive stance. The shoulder line rises while the roofline drops giving a similar sporty appearance to Land Rover’s Evoque. The back window of the Juke is slanted dramatically.
We are assured that Nissan Juke’s design had been influenced on the exterior by world rally cars and on the inside has a design cue credited to the fuel tank of a super bike in the form of a moulded centre console. OK…
INTERIOR
The dominating interior feature is a one-piece plastic centre console that houses the handbrake, storage and drink holders, as well as the gear shifter. But, it is shaped like a super bike fuel tank with the upper front raised higher to house the gear shifter.
The design team at Nissan UK, where the Juke is built, had a lot of fun designing this vehicle.
The second row of seats have a 60/40 split and when folded creates a large cargo area.
Bluetooth streaming comes standard, it has steering-wheel mounted controls, cruise control, speed limiter, remote keyless entry and the ST-S and Ti-S variants have a five-inch colour VGA LCD screen, satellite navigation, six speakers.
The topline Nissan Juke Ti-S also has heated leather seats.
ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS
In Australia the Nissan Juke comes with two engine options: a 1.6-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine with 86 kW of power and 158 Nm of torque, as well as the same engine with direct injection and turbo derived from the Nissan Pulsar SSS and belting out 140 kW and 240 Nm of torque. We got to drive the latter of the two and this AWD variant is no slouch.
The entry level Juke ST comes with a five-speed manual transmission or CVT while the Juke ST-S is fitted with a six-speed manual and the top-specced Juke Ti-S has the CVT with preset ratios that give a sort of a manual mode.
Nissan Juke Ti-S is quick off the mark with even a light touch of the accelerator, and provides instant up and go when needed. The CVT is one of the better ones we have driven. We also like the ability to access the `gears’ to drive it manually.
SAFETY
Six airbags are standard and ST-S and Ti-S models get rear view camera, stability control, rain sensing wipers and auto on/off headlights with dusk detection.
DRIVING
Nissan could have been satisfied with its design and used plain-jane underpinnings in both suspension and driveline. Instead they have produced a package that will appeal to sporty SUV buyers.
Juke Ti-S accelerates quickly with little right-foot pressure and is eager to go at any speed. We took it along some badly corrugated dirt roads and it did feel a little uncomfortable in the back end. But, around bends it holds on beautifully with no sign of understeer. Our first driving impression is Wow. Can’t wait to live with a Nissan Juke for a week long test.
SUMMING UP
With SUV sales booming in Australia – they account for more than 30 per cent of all passenger car sales – Nissan is well set to cash in. Earlier this year the company launched the all-new luxury V8 Patrol which is sold alongside the ‘old’ diesel Patrol. An all-new Pathfinder has just been launched and the all-new X-Trail will arrive in April next year. Nissan Dualis sales are going gang-busters at 20 per cent of the small SUV segment.
Nissan Juke models and pricing
ST 2WD: $21,990 (manual), $24,390 (automatic)
ST-S 2WD: $28,390 (manual)
Ti-S AWD: $32,190 (CVT automatic)
Note: These prices do not include government or dealer delivery charges. Contact your local Nissan dealer for driveaway prices.
