It’s a modestly fun package, yet ultimately the Juke is nowhere near as rewarding as a Mini, let alone one of Renaultsport’s hot hatches spun from the same hardware. The Juke’s chassis simply isn’t as sophisticated and, after initial bite in a corner, the Nissan lurches a little as if the front and rear end aren’t quite talking the same language. Still, there’s a pliancy often missing in a Mini. We’re rolling on 17-inch rims, yet the ride is absorbent and soaks up the worst road scars (lesser models with torsion beam rear axles are a little busier). In fact, the Juke is a quiet drive all round, only those big door mirrors kicking up a bluster at motorway speeds.
In response to Mini’s Sport switch and Alfa’s DNA toggle, the Juke lets drivers prod those reconfigurable buttons to flick between dynamic settings. There’s Normal, Sport (weightier electric power steering, faster gearchanges) and Eco (soft throttle map, less power-sapping climate control). The green setting reminds me of being drunk – everything takes a bit longer and the car’s responses are muffled, so you end up stamping on the accelerator more. Catch 22.
Two other engines will be available at the Juke’s September launch: a boggo 1.6-litre naturally aspirated petrol and a 1.5 dCi diesel. We drove the latter in manual form and found a sweet spot in the range; it musters the same torque as the petrol turbo and its peppy performance feels well judged. The stick shift is so quick-witted and precise that it makes me wonder if the 2wd Juke 1.6 turbo thus equipped without the CVT could unleash a GTI on stilts after all.
Seeing a reflection of ourselves in the car in front provides a jolt back to reality. Behind the wheel you forget how odd-looking the Juke is. The more time passes, the more we wonder if it couldn’t, in fact, double up as an Infiniti. Imagine a baby FX! This is design at its most strutting peacockish, with none of the dreary asceticism of our Gateshead backdrop. And did we mention the conceptual echoes of the more expensive, but equally squat Range Rover Evoque?
Despite its compact footprint (the Juke measures just 4135mm long) it’s quite roomy in the Nissan’s cabin. Those rear doors are slender and accessed by door handles hidden in the C-pillars, lending a hint of rakish three-door in profile. Once you squeeze through the tight rear opening there’s actually plenty of space in the back for most adults and all children. The wide, flat boot’s quite big for anyone who’s put up with a Mini hatchback’s risible loadbay, but that sloping roofline puts paid to any hopes of offering Skoda Yeti utility.
We park on the spot where Michael Caine, playing Get Carter’s eponymous London gangster, hurled Jack Brumby off the car park to his death and mull over the Juke’s fortunes. Many will dismiss it out of hand as a gimmick while others will abhor the divisive styling. And yet as we
emember the scores of tame Polos and dumpy Corsas plying our townscapes, it’s hard not to applaud Nissan’s ambition to spice things up. It makes Volkswagen’s homespun small car families look distinctly limited in ambition.
What would Carter have made of the Juke? He’d have liked its aggressive stance and British swagger, although I could imagine some effing and blinding on first acquaintance. It’s a fittingly brutal design that’ll tip some over the edge, but we just wonder if it’ll stand the test of time.
The Gateshead car park was the future once, yet, by the time you read this, it’ll be reduced to a pile of rubble. I fancy the Juke will have a more lasting, leftfield appeal in the footnotes of Nissan’s incredibly varied design history.
Gateshead’s civic car park was designed in 1962 by Owen Luder and proved divisive from day one; we’d wager that even its biggest fans won’t find the new Juke beautiful either
The Nissan Juke is like a shrunken Qashqai – turned up to 13. Nissan hopes to tempt bright young things out of their Minis and warm hatches with its blend of compact dimensions, a face you’ll never forget and prices from Rs 9.31lakh. Metallic red centre console and armrests lift interior. Just mind out for those
hiny plastics
nissan juke 1.6 DiG-t
Price I Rs 14.56lakh(UK) on sale in UK I September 2010 Engine I 1618cc four-cylinder petrol, 189.5PS @ 5600rpm, 240Nm @ 2000-5200rpm transmission I CVT auto with six manual steps, four-wheel drive suspension I MacPherson struts front, multi-link rear axle Weight/made from I 1441kg/steel Length/width/height I 4135/1765/1570mm performance I 8.4sec 0-100km/h, 200km/h, 13.17kmpl rating I 11111
