Overview

GENERATION two of the funky-looking Nissan Juke has been with us for about five years now and the light segment crossover SUV remains an acquired taste for Aussie car buyers reflected in a low sales rate.

However, when you get behind the ‘wheel of one it has some appealing features enhanced by a strong camaraderie between Juke drivers all of whom acknowledge one another with a wave.

A product of Nissan’s UK plant, the well-put-together spider faced Juke sells against the likes of Ford’s aesthetically challenged Puma, the dowdy-looking Hyundai Venue, Kia’s chunky little Stonic, the alien-eyed Toyota Yaris Cross and Volkswagen’s generic T-Cross.

Chuck in Mazda’s ancient CX-3 and Suzuki’s Jimny buzz-box and you can see it’s a polarising lot from which to choose.

On test was the mid-spec Juke ST-L that lists from $34,440 excluding on road costs.

It’s a five-seat light segment SUV (crossover) that looks and feels bigger than its allotted segment might suggest.

The model was refreshed for 2023 with some new colours, wheels, tech’ upgrades and more kit leaving the ST-L driven with plenty on the table like: 19-inch two-tone alloys, shark fin antenna, intelligent key with walkaway lock and approach unlock function and push-button ignition.

Also on the menu is auto-dimming rear-view mirror, rain-sensing wipers, ambient interior lighting, electric park brake with auto-hold, 7.0-inch TFT advanced drive-assist display instrument cluster, rear USB port for device charging, three drive modes (Sport/Standard/Eco) and vanity mirror with illumination.

Auto-fold, heated door mirrors are fitted as are auto LED headlights, paddle shifters, idle stop, climate control, heated front seats and native sat nav.

The ST-L grade gains leather faced seats with the wheel and shift knob similarly animal skin clad.

Like all Juke variants (five of them) the ST-L scores a 2019 five-star ANCAP crash rating.

Safety kit on board is manifold centred on intelligent around-view monitor with moving object detection, intelligent cruise control, front parking sensors, rear-view camera with rear parking sensors, and AEB (pedestrian and cyclist).

On top of that we find: lane departure warning, intelligent lane intervention, traffic sign recognition, cruise control with active speed limiter, blind spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, intelligent driver assist, high beam assist, emergency stop signal, and hill start assist.

Nissan prefixes many of its driver assist features with “intelligent” which is a bit of a stretch especially as some are not intelligent at all and are (as usual) over-zealous, exacerbated by the fact that they can’t be deactivated if you choose to take control of the car singularly.

However, that is another issue finally being addressed by ANCAP itself in token form at the moment.

The Juke is a front-wheel drive vehicle riding on a Macpherson strut front and rudimentary twist beam axle at the rear. Power comes from a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine generating 84kW and 180Nm fed to the drive wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

It tips the scale at 1276kg and is said to be able to achieve a combined fuel consumption of 5.8 litres per 100km on 95 RON premium unleaded.

The adequate audio system has six speakers, the dash is relatively simple and functional with two read-out screens, switches, a bank of round vents in the middle and a flat-bottom steering wheel. Down the back is a clever two deck luggage board to optimise storage.

Rocking a muscular, pumped out body, the Juke looks imposing, has an athletic stance and displays cut through in a car park full of clones.

Driving Impressions

The Juke really needs more poke. The 1.0-litre motorbike-size three-cylinder engine struggles at times, even with a turbo at full song. For example, overtaking at speed on a backroad finds it short of breath if you need a little bit more to efficiently and safely execute…

On the upside is the DCT that masks most of the shortfall by imperceptibly flicking up and down gears, precisely selecting the right gear at the right revs to get the right outcome, limited by a 6500rpm redline. A thousand more would be handy.

Driven with vigour, achieving the combined fuel consumption claim is impossible as it’s more likely to start with an eight rather than a five. But you can always self-select ratios through the paddle shift which is at times a good option as it gives a degree more control to the driver for a given application.

At parking speeds, the CVT feels slow to link with the engine, sometimes causing it to lurch forward which can make fine manoeuvres challenging. Flicking from R to D can be slow, which is problematic when you are in a hurry to get clear of other traffic.

The engine thrums away in typical three-pot fashion but isn’t intrusive most of the time. It revs out willingly and overall provides adequate performance and economy.

Dynamically, the little Nissan acquits itself well despite the basic rear suspension with well calibrated springs and dampers capable across a wide range of driving conditions and styles – with a firmer, sporty edge.

Other dynamics are similarly set such as the nicely weighted and relatively direct steering that resists bump steer on rough roads and provides a tight turning circle.

Same applies to the brakes and the tyres – suitable for broad applications with the latter exhibiting minimal road noise transmission probably aided by the Juke’s noise abatement body features.

The driving experience is good thanks to comfy seats, a decent amount of room in all dimensions and easy to operate controls with many through a rolling list in the middle of the driver’s instrument pod… and not on a remote screen in the middle of the dash.

Access is easy to both seat rows and the double decker load floor is handier than you’d think.

The front-wheel drive makes its presence felt on wet uphill take-offs but other than that, no complaints there.

The Nissan Juke has been around for yonks and has never really lit up the sales charts because of its polarising looks. But we reckon they actually grow on you – and look a lot better in the latest iteration.

Another revised Juke is due before the end of the year with yet more connectivity technology and safety features, and the possibility of a 1.6-litre hybrid variant to fulfil the incoming NVES regulations.

No doubt the price will jump, but right now the Juke is competitively priced against much of the competition and would make a pretty handy urban runabout, which is precisely what it is all about.