NISSAN'S Juke carries on the company’s recent flair for designing cars which are that little bit different to all the others at the price.
The Qashqai was the first and now the latest model brings that sports 4x4 look down to supermini size.
Those funky, chunky lines are not pretty from all angles, but there is little doubt of its appeal to a wide range of buyers looking for something out of the ordinary.
Prices start at £12,795 – very reasonable – and that gives you a 1.6 petrol engine with 115bhp. There is also a 1.5 diesel turbo borrowed from sister company Renault and the range topper gets a new 187bhp hot-hatch rivalling turbo version of the 1.6.
The diesel will give 55mpg and 134g/km of CO2 and it’s a little grumbly, but there's a reasonable amount of power and it is smooth.
The 1.6 will probably be the better drive and still returns 44mpg. The turbo gives 0-60mph acceleration of eight seconds and will still do 40mpg. Look forward to driving it.
Interior
Inside, the car takes its inspiration from motorbikes, with 'floating' instruments and a centre console that's styled to resemble a bike's fuel tank.
Four people can travel in reasonable comfort but the rear doors, with their handles hidden in the frame, are rather narrow. The boot’s a decent size and seats fold for more space.
FAST FACTS
Nissan Juke
Price: £12,795
Mechanical: 115bhp, 1,598cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving the front wheels via 5-speed manual gearbox
Max speed: 112mph
0-62mph: 10.5 seconds
Combined mpg: 44
Insurance group: 6
CO2 emissions: 134g/km
BIK rating: 18%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles
Marks: 9/10
Main rival: Skoda Roomster