Nissan Juke test – not such a warthog anymore

The Juke made a big splash at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. Its exterior left no one without emotion. Someone either loved the coolness of the Turkish nose, or hated it, finding it ugly. And there were those who said: This is so ugly that it's beautiful.

The picture was refined with the model change at the end of 2019. The designers had to solve quite a task, as it was an important model! More than 2019 million copies of it had been sold by 1,5!

For a fashion item to sell that much is a big deal. So the busy engineers had to figure out a way to make sure that those who liked the warthog look would still be among the customers, but those who hated it would also see it as more beautiful. And so they did.

                The new Juke is based on the CMF-B platform shared with the Renault Capture. And it has grown considerably compared to its predecessor. In the rear, legroom is 6 cm larger, and there is also a little more headroom. It is also 23 kg lighter than its predecessor.

The car is not small at 4,2 meters long and 1,8 meters wide, and the trunk has a capacity of 422 liters.

                So, back to the exterior. I think the shape remains cool, it's just matured, refined, and become more serious. As the car grew, the proportions stretched, and everything fell into place. The round lights remained, but the front became more elongated. The thinly drawn lights no longer reach almost to the A-pillar. The shape is also more elongated from the side and the roof doesn't slope as much. And the 19-inch wheels look great on it.

Especially these very, very well-made alloy wheels.

The back is not so bumpy either, the shape is easier to digest.

Once inside, you'll find a really pleasant cabin. I can fit comfortably in the front,

but with me being 193 cm tall, the space behind me is already tight. My knees hit the seat and my head has to be tilted to the side. But I think we are winners in the back even up to 185 cm.

Let's take a look, all the switches are of high quality. The steering wheel has a very good grip and shape. The seats are comfortable, hold well, can be heated and are beautiful.

The adaptive cruise control can be controlled from the steering wheel, which can also steer and does its job well. And from here you can also control the hi-fi and infotainment. The dashboard is very attractive with its two analog sections and the central digital one.

The central touchscreen is quite large and works well, the system supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The main menus can be accessed by tapping the screen, but also with buttons below it. The air vents look really fun, a bit reminiscent of the 70s. The climate control is located below them and is easy to use.

The Tekna-equipped car also had the Sound & Go package, which includes a BOSE hi-fi system and adds beautiful sound to the small SUV.

And then we would think that the black soup is coming. The Juke is only sold with a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder turbo engine. 114 hp and 200 Nm of torque, not the end of the world, but the car is only a little over 1200 kg…

So let's go. I put the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission in direct. I leave the mode selector in "standard" gear for the first time. And how easily it moves. There's no particular effort. Now, let's look at sport mode.

The throttle response is immediately more lively, the turbo starts at 2000 rpm, and if necessary – not reluctantly – it spins over 6000. Oh, but it's a cool little car. Well, let's look at a corner. It fits into the curve very nicely. The suspension feels a little hard in the city, but this makes sense in corners. And there's no complicated structure underneath. McPherson in the front, torsion beam and coil spring in the rear. But it's very well tuned. The little Juke doesn't blush on the highway either, I heard that it spins 170 at 3500 km/h and still has it.

But even when pushing in sport mode, our consumption is not that of a small car. It runs out nicely at 10 liters per 100 km. Something for some reason. But then I switched to "ECO" mode, which is a pretty anemic transportation format, but definitely an appetite reducer. Our warthog in a suit only gulped down 7 liters of food here, and with some etiquette, this can be reduced even further.

In short, if you want, you can drive well with the Juke, but if you want, you can also save on fuel.

I would like to note two negatives here. At highway speeds, the wind whistles a little in my left ear, which is quite annoying. Also, the transmission does its job quite reluctantly several times in Standard and ECO mode. I did not experience this in Sport mode.

This car is still sold primarily for its looks, but it has nothing to be ashamed of. And the fact that it has sold well over 1,5 million units helps build customer confidence.

How much is that? I don't think it's that bad. A basic version can now be had at a discount for 6,3 million forints. Fashion item. It works well. Cheerful. Reliable. They even look at it. What else do you need?

The test car with Tekna equipment plus audio and winter package cost 9,4 million forints. That's not a small amount. And since the base model has the same engine, only with a 6-speed manual transmission – which, let's admit, is often even more desirable – I would try one of those first.

And who would I recommend it to? An older, more chubby friend of mine said how great it is, how good it is to get in. So I think it's for everyone who needs four adult seats and a not-so-small 422-liter trunk. The extra I would definitely add is the extra 7-year (total of 10 years or 150.000 km) warranty for 596.000 forints.

I really liked the car, it's nice to drive smoothly and fast. If they made an electric version of it, it would definitely be a worldwide hit.