The Juke is about to meet the jury! A radical blend of SUV and sporty coupé, this is Nissan’s bold new entry into the expanding arena of small crossovers – a category soon to include the MINI Countryman and Mitsubishi ASX.
In a world exclusive, we were given the opportunity to sample a pre-production all-wheel-drive Juke around the hillsides in Malibu, California. Has the Nissan done enough to be crowned the new crossover champion?
Video: watch CarBuyer's video review of the Nissan Juke
Whether you find the car’s looks appealing or appalling, there’s no denying it is eye-popping to behold. Penned at Nissan’s UK design studio in London, the Juke gets exaggerated bumpers, 370Z-inspired tail-lamps and huge circular spotlights at the front. The rear door handles are ‘hidden’ for a coupé-like appearance, and 17-inch rims fill the bulging wheelarches.
That audacious exterior theme carries over inside. There, a motorcycle-inspired centre console complements accommodation for five and a 60/40 split-folding rear seat.
A slick user interface controls the audio system and the drive mode selector which alters throttle sensitivity, speed of gearchange and steering effort when switching between Normal, Sport and Eco.
The back seat is tighter than in a Countryman while boot space, at only 251 litres, is compromised, even for a small SUV.
Based on Nissan’s global-B platform, which underpins the Cube and Renault Clio, the Juke offers an all-new 1.6-litre direct-injection petrol turbo engine boasting 187bhp and 240Nm of torque.
The range-topping turbo tested here with all-wheel drive comes exclusively with a CVT auto box, while the front-drive version gets a six-speed manual. Nissan will also offer the Juke with a 115bhp 1.6-litre petrol and a 108bhp 1.5 turbodiesel, the latter matching the 1.6 turbo’s peak torque. Neither the naturally aspirated 1.6 petrol nor the oil-burner can be had with all-wheel drive.
Paired with the CVT, our 1.6 turbo was eager to rev, sending the 1,280kg Juke from 0-62mph in around eight seconds. Unfortunately, the engine sounds rather dull. In the pursuit of sporty handling, the 4x4 system utilises torque vectoring. This can split torque 50/50 between front and rear, and side to side across the back axle, reducing understeer and boosting cornering agility.
To complement the upgraded performance, the flagship Juke gets a multi-link rear suspension.
Over our winding test loop through the coastal mountains north of Los Angeles, the torque-vectoring set-up made quick work of tight turns and sweeping curves, rotating the rear end effortlessly and with composure. The electric steering is lacking in feel, but weights up nicely in Sport mode.
Given the stand-out styling, high fun factor, trio of advanced engines and prices starting at only £12,795, the Juke represents excellent value. And based on this first encounter, there is nothing to suggest it won’t emulate the Qashqai’s success.
Rival: MINI Countryman
SOME MINI aficionados might not like the concept behind it, yet the Countryman is versatile and fun to drive. It’s pricey, but perfect for families who love the brand and can’t fit into the basic car.
* Price: £19,995
* Engine: 1.6-litre, 4cyl turbo
* Transmission: CVT, 4WD
* Power: 187bhp
* Torque: 240Nm
* 0-62mph: 8.0 seconds (est)
* Top speed: N/A
* Economy: 30mpg (est)
* CO2: 180g/km
* Equipment: 17-inch alloys, part-leather upholstery, panoramic roof, iPod connection, sat-nav, electric windows, climate control
* On sale: October
For an alternative review of the latest Nissan Juke 4x4 visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk
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This car is about to start or is in the vanguard of a completely new trend!
It will be a wow even for Sloan Rangers cruisin round Harrods!
Its a Wow!
This car is excellent value for money and technically much superior to the BMW Minis designed now in Munich and Graz?
But why is that points like boot room are highlighted here but in a Graz or Munich Mini are great?
what a fantastic car! styled in the UK, it will have had lots of engineering input from Nissan UK and made here in the UK also! I love it...Well Done Nissan.
Its cool, its funky, I love it! its bold, its exciting....its brilliant! I cannot wait to get one!
Well personally I need to warm to the front of this car but the rest is very impressive. Glad there is a 1.6 turbo and the centre console looks great. Overall design (apart from the front so far) is modern and the price tag is very appealing in today's market. Only thing I am concerned about is any use of Renault parts in this model and it should come with a 5 or 6 year warranty if they have confidence in their own range and to compete with Toyota and Kia.
Well personally I need to warm to the front of this car but the rest is very impressive. Glad there is a 1.6 turbo and the centre console looks great. Overall design (apart from the front so far) is modern and the price tag is very appealing in today's market. Only thing I am concerned about is any use of Renault parts in this model and it should come with a 5 or 6 year warranty if they have confidence in their own range and to compete with Toyota and Kia.
WOW!!! Now I understand why most of VWs new cars are so boring, Nissan have adbucted all the worlds most talented designers in their Juke Starship... 10/10
i have seen one of these on the back lanes near the nissan plant a few times,i guess nissan are just ironing out any glitches before they start making them by the million.Its certainly looks good value and its going to make you stand out from the crowd for about a year till every other household has one.Its ashame the high power version is coupled to a cvt gearbox though.This car will be a massive success for nissan sunderland like the Qashqai is.
You've really got to hand it to any firm that is prepared to be this bold with styling and then market the car at reasonable prices. Looks great! This will be a huge success.
Id pay some reasonable money for suspension adjustement at least in sport mode, 18" wheels and 30gb SSD drive based music & video player (back screens could be even extra).
one of the designers felt a sleep? see dashboard left side that ugly panel-thingy with mirros buttons and stuff? its like from some other car!
A world product designed and built in The United Kingdom. I am ordering the same 4x4 Juke Model on Friday the 18th June for delivery in October 2010. Here's to another snowy winter like we have just had here in Scotland. Well done Nissan UK.
Hat's off to Nissan for being so brave.
Suzuki Heap in disguise.
Another one for the for the hard of seeing......
I saw the Juke today at Arnold Clarks Car Sales in Glasgow
5th Gear gave it a good review and said 'if you want something different to the standard supermini this was the one to look at'
Well I looked and sat in the front and in the back
I'm 6'2" and there is enough room in the back for medium distance journeys and how many times do you drive with 4 adults in the car anyway
For it's price this is a breath of fresh air from the competition
Being Nissan it will be reliable and the oil burner good mpg
People over-reacted to the previous Renault Megane with it's funny back end and now you don't even notice it
The same will happen with the Juke
It's good value now and even better value in 3 years as a secondhand purchase
Made in Sunderland so quality build should be good
All in all - yes - open your mind and take a test drive - it looks another winner
Great to see a British made car gaining some plaudits. Was a bit dubious about the front styling when I saw the pictures, have seen one on the road now and think it looks even worse in the flesh. Bold, yes, but somehow gangly and unbalanced. Pity.
When ever a new model comes out, you always get the anti brigade, who like to have nothing decent to say about it, when they havent even driven one. Like the everyday run of the mill cars around this price range, the Juke is very different. Okay, at first it looks rather strange, because it is different from your Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, VW Golf, which all look pretty much the same and are beginning to become boring.
Nissan has been bold and introduced another crossover, but this time, more sporty and chunkier than its bigger brother. The front end has captured the look of 60s style rally car with its large fog type headlamps which make it different than the large sloping headlamp sets found on virtually every 21st century vehicle.
It might be a Marmite car, but it does sort of grow on you the more you look at it. The interior again is very different, with a motorbike style centre consul which blends well with the rest of the sporty looking seats and door trim. Nissan have started the trend towards the sports suv and the Juke will proove to be a winner, like its bigger brother Qashqai model. Even Ford are now jumping on the band wagon with a small sports suv, but its too much like the fiesta front end with the same sloping bonnet and lare headlamp cluster. Vauxhall also have one on the drawing board for production sometime in 2013, but it took Nissan to set the trend on what is now becoming the new look from the all too long boring wedge shaped hatchback.
This car is a joy to drive quirky and handles well too, much better than most other cars of this size. So don't underestimate this little frog eyed moon buggy. Go and have a drive in one and give it a good looking over and I think you will be surprised that this new design is much better that it first looks. Its like a box of Roses, It Grows On You