Road Test: Nissan Juke 2015

We drive the Nissan Juke 1.2 DIG-T Acenta+ in South Africa

There were two problems with the Nissan Juke. SUV owners laughed at the boot and the engine range vacillated between underpowered or racy and thirsty. Now those cracks in an otherwise beguiling package have been painted over with the addition of two new engines and myriad options with manual, CVT, all-wheel drive and various trim specifications. Oh, and the boot has grown substantially.

Our Nissan Juke was the 1.2-litre DIG-T Acenta+ which is most likely going to be the volume seller. It replaces the normally aspirated (and frankly fatigued) 1.6-litre normally aspirated lump and boy it hasn’t looked back. Swift and urgent with a fluttering dumpvalve sound between changes, the Nissan Juke now has the ability to ‘juke’ through traffic and revel in the taut chassis.

Like all small engines one needs to first prep it with a dab of rpm before pulling off and more finesse is needed to master smooth shifts; short ratios, a sudden clutch action and quick rise and fall of rpm can make the Nissan Juke jerky at low speed. These are hardly reason to deter you.

If you want low consumption, the diesel should be considered because even with adjusting our driving style, the best figure we could manage was 8.6l/100km. Factor in the small tank and you’ll be lucky to squeeze a range beyond 450km.

Affable and infectious styling continues to distance it from the humdrum clan and the 2015 Nissan Juke comes with upgraded alloys while those boomerang top lights – visible from behind the wheel – have been reshaped and fitted with daytime running lights. Side mirrors house turn signals and the back is characterised by a larger number plate recess. The word ‘diffuser’ populates the marketing campaign but requires some imagination.

It may possess SUV undertones but the Juke refuses to serve up the same numbing experience through sloppy steering and bloated body lean.  The cabin ticks many boxes; the raised driving position is closely connected to the chassis while the cockpit, set at waist height, wraps around its occupants better than some sports cars manage. The steering wheel is small and meaty and the gearlever action plucked from a Nissan 370Z. It’s the perfect place from where to decry potholes on the horizon or tuck the front end into a series of fast sweeping bends.

Not without flaws the design tries to be a little too quirky at times. The small screen used predominantly for climate settings can’t be read most of the time and a clash between orange fonts on certain readouts and the radio system set in a more modern blue. The aircon could do with a higher fan speed.

The Acenta+ offers rain sensing wipers, keyless entry & start, electronic folding mirrors, 17-inch alloys and two-tone suede trim. All models include Bluetooth, USB and cruise control. Sadly the flagship Tekna model is off limits unless driving the 1.6 DIG-T engine.

What about the boot? Making it bigger without altering the car’s exterior or passenger roominess, or indeed the design, couldn’t have been easy but the engineers have performed a miracle. Boot volume in the latest Nissan Juke has swelled by 40 per cent from 251-litres to an entirely competitive 354 litres.

Although flummoxed by consumption that refused to get close to the vicinity of claimed, this engine is a perfect personality match for the Juke which when paired with the latest styling and practicality upgrades has successfully widened its appeal. And while it is a massively improved product, Nissan have kept the price increase to R5000 – ensuring once again that the Nissan Juke is excellent value.

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