This week Nicholas reviews the dramatically-shaped Nissan Juke. Read Nicholas’ other reviews. Ed
Designed to tempt buyers away from a Golf or a Focus, the Juke is the car Nissan will point you to if you don’t need the space of the larger Qashqai.
The model I drove was the top of the range, turbocharged 1.6 with four wheel drive and an automatic gearbox – a car that is very similar to the Mini Countryman Cooper S in spec, size and price.
Truly beguiling
The shape is very colour sensitive – bright blocky colours like red will pick out the sensational profile, including the unusual sloping roof, while darker colours reveal subtle surface detailing otherwise hidden in the flanks. The way light plays along the sides is truly beguiling.
A more conservative interior has the stand-out feature of the Dynamic Control System. This display in the middle of the dash allows you to sharpen throttle response, add more weight to the steering and change the gearbox mode, forcing it to hold on to gears longer for snappier acceleration.
Some issues with the CVT gearbox
The gearbox grates me a little though. While the idea of an effortless automatic suits the tech-laden Juke, in practise the CVT gearbox seems unsettled and busy, especially in Sport mode. But put your foot down and the Juke thumps down the road with conviction. The acceleration feels quicker that the claimed 0-60mph of 8.4 seconds, which seems conservative, but this sort of behaviour won’t help the fuel economy, which hovered around 20 mpg for most of the test.
Drives smartly
On the road the Nissan drives smartly, sharing cornering loads evenly between the front wheels and resolutely resisting the pitch and roll you’d expect from a high-riding crossover, although again the CVT gearbox is a weak spot, taking away a degree of driver involvement. Road noise can also be a distraction, due to big wheels and wide tyres.
Conclusion
This now leads me to my conclusion, which is difficult to pin down. If my criticisms seems petty its because they are; right now the Juke is a deeply desirable and polished car, easy to recommend, but I think it could be improved further by ditching the CVT gearbox and trick 4wheeldrive system.
The £20,445 model I drove is a solid 8/10 but if you can forgo the top spec and take the manual, the resulting car would be faster, more efficient and around £4,000 cheaper, and a car that could have the first 9/10 from me on Ventnor Blog. I’m planning a return to Nissan to find out soon.
Thanks to Staddlestones Nissan in Ryde for their help with this review.
Click on images for larger versions
