Boy can I call it wrong. I thought the original Juke, with its funky looks and creative interior, would be a smash hit with The Family. Wrong. It was dismissed on many counts, including rear seat room and those controversial looks, and I found the ride was so harsh over some rough road surfaces, it actually hurt. So, is the redesigned Nissan B-SUV kinder to kidneys?
The answer’s yes. The new model is much improved with toned-down looks that are still distinctive and imaginative and close enough to the predecessor to make me wonder momentarily, catching a glimpse of the nose turning into my driveway, whether it was actually the new one which was being delivered. The interior is more conventional – no more centre console painted to look like a motorcycle fuel tank – and there is considerably more legroom. Engine choice has been simplified to a single three cylinder, one-litre Renault unit – courtesy of the Alliance – and the CVT transmission has been replaced by a seven-speed DCT – a dual clutch unit. The Family was still a bit ‘meh’ but I liked it a lot.
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That little 1.0-litre I3 DIG-T turbocharged petrol engine puts out 117PS for improved performance, fuel economy and refinement compared with the previous Nissan engines and a six-speed manual is an alternative to the seven-speed dual-clutch (DCT) paddle shift transmission which has selectable driving mode (Eco, Standard, Sport).
I found the engine to be quite refined for an I3, which can often sound a bit off-balance, and performance seemed as lively as I remember from the 1.6. I was less enamoured with the DCT. I have spent what little experience I have with this gearbox type in sporty Audis and have got used to the bip-bip-bip instant shifting. In contrast, this DCT shifted so slowly in some circumstances I wondered if it was an automated manual. It was also a bit reluctant to change down, especially at low speeds when it seemed to make the engine labour as it would if you left a manual in too high a ratio for the road speed. Some starts from rest were also rather jerky, especially after Hold had applied the park brake and AutoStop had turned the engine off at traffic lights. Still, I got used to it and overall the car proved ideal for town driving which is where I do 99.9% of my motoring and this redesigned B-SUV remains compact enough to dart into gaps and fit the small parking spaces locally. These days, it’s my ideal size of vehicle while The Family still holds out for at least a C-segment ‘jeepy thing’, our inhouse moniker for all things SUV and CUV.
Road noise was noticeable and, in some conditions, the ride was still too firm but nonetheless much improved over the predecessor model and you can substitute 17-inch wheels for the 19s fitted should you prefer flexible tyre wall to bling.
The Juke’s been popular across Europe where almost 1m of the previous model were sold. It’s worth remembering that, like the Qashqai in the C-segment above, the Juke defined the compact B-crossover segment 10 years ago and it’s notable the number of competitors which have rolled out since.
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By GlobalDataThe latest model has Nissan’s ProPILOT and the NissanConnect infotainment system with on-board WiFi, smartphone integration and over the air updates so the onboard tech is about as contemporary as you can get.
Ponz Pandikuthira, Nissan Europe vice president, product planning, said at launch: “The Juke has grown up, while still retaining the fun to drive qualities that have always made it stand out.”
Design touches include a coupe style ‘floating roof’ and full LED lighting and the circular headlamps remain but with a new Y-shaped ‘signature’ which complements Nissan’s latest ‘V-Motion’ grille. An exclusive red body shade, Fuji Sunset, now completes the line-up of 11 colours.
The extra room inside, particularly in the back, is noticeable and received approval from The Family member still in a booster seat and confined to the second row. Rear-seat knee room is up 5.8 cm, rear head room 1.1 cm and the 422 litre boot is 20% bigger – more grocery space, as we found.
The interior is hugely improved with a better driver position, more user-friendly controls and storage. New soft-touch materials on the dashboard, door trim and foot-wells offer a premium feel, complemented by standard monoform sporty seats and optional Alcantara or leather upholstery.
‘Ours’ was a Tekna grade with loads of standard equipment and only two-tone paint as a GBP975 option on a GBP22,960 car. This is one down from the top Tekna+ (there was also a launch Premiere Edition) which seems to add mainly appearance items. The Tekna includes a full pack of driver aids, including intelligent cruise, traffic jam pilot (stop and start in queues), lane keep, and hill start assist, and, as well as a rear view camera, there’s brilliant all-round view with front and rear parking sensors. Bose Personal audio with speakers in the front head rests is included along with keyless entry and start, and so on. ProPilot is intended to provide braking when you lift off the accelerator and generally worked very well – there was just one occasion when I didn’t think the car would stop in time and used the footbrake. More familiarity would bring total confidence.
Door mirrors fold and unfold automatically but there was no automatic door locking on departure. A repair kit (ugh) is standard but GBP100 extra gets a proper, if temporary, spare wheel and jack and the boot floor is dual height. One USB port in each of front and rear isn’t enough for The Family whose minimum requirement is one each. I found the new climate control – loved the circular outlets – a bit slow to switch from heating feet to feeding in some cold air for the face but it can be manually overridden. Apple Car Play was a bit cranky about starting and, as always with my phone, Android Auto was hit and miss. When it worked, Apple Car Play was very good.
Dimensions are larger all around – now 4,210mm long, 1,595mm high and a 1,800mm wide yet the Juke is 23kg lighter and, thanks to high strength steel, has a more rigid platform that offers better stability, performance and cornering capabilities.
The full package of safety technologies includes Intelligent Emergency Braking with Pedestrian and Cyclist Recognition, Traffic Sign Recognition, Intelligent Lane Intervention, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, and Blind Spot Intervention which Nissan claims is unique to this segment. This warns the driver when a car gets into its blind spot and brings the Juke back in the lane.
The NissanConnect infotainment system gives access to TomTom Maps & Live Traffic and activates an on-board Wi-Fi hotspot to allow The Family to connect tablets and smartphones. The NissanConnect Services app can check door lock status of the vehicle and lock or unlock it directly from a smartphone. You can also check tyre pressure and oil level. Google Assistant compatibility gives added control over functions including central locking, vehicle lights and sending destinations to the car’s navigation system by talking to a smart device.
The Juke, likes most versions of its predecessor, is built at Nissan’s plant in Sunderland, UK. Build quality of the press car was first class.
As the man said, the Juke has grown up. This is a much more mature redesign of a cute predecessor that was well liked. Things people didn’t like, like the interior, cramped rear and sometimes painful ride, have all been fixed with the new model. It deserves to do well.
