This is the radical new Nissan Juke crossover in previously unseen detail.
Autocar was given exclusive access to the baby crossover, which goes on sale later this year.
See Autocar's exclusive Nissan Juke pictures
The new car, which Nissan claims will appeal mainly to male buyers, has no direct rivals in today’s car market but is designed to replicate the success the Qashqai has had in the C-segment, against cars such as the VW Golf and Ford Focus. Nissan wants the car to attract younger customers to the brand; it claims “under half will be below 40”.
But the Juke will offer a considerably more advanced mechanical make-up than conventional B-segment models. Along with the 187bhp engine, the Juke will also be available with four-wheel drive and a torque vectoring system, the likes of which has only been available until now on cars such as the BMW X6.
Hilton Holloway blog - Young, single, urban male? Then here's the Nissan Juke
Designed in the UK at Nissan’s Paddington Design Centre, the Juke uses SUV styling proportions to create a car that’s considerably wider and longer than a Micra, although at 1570mm high it’s only 30mm taller.
Inside, the car’s fascia is much more conventional than the exterior; the most striking feature is the centre console, which comes in body-coloured paint and is said to have been inspired by the fuel tank from a motorbike.
Underneath, the Juke uses a widened, lengthened version of the Renault Nissan Alliance B platform, also used in the Clio and Micra; it’s 2530mm wheelbase is 10cm longer, and the platform's extra width means it can accommodate wider tracks. That’s allowed Nissan to offer the Juke with 17-inch wheels and 215-section tyres.
Suspension remains a MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear for the two-wheel drive versions, but unusually Nissan has decided to fit the four-wheel drive models with a new multi-link suspension at the rear. This should give the Juke handling to rival the class leaders'.
A187bhp 1.6 turbo version will be the only Juke available as a four-wheel-drive model; two-wheel-drive cars get a six-speed manual, but the four-wheel-drive variant comes with a CVT transmission.
The drivetrain is a development of the system in the Qashqai, with torque vectoring that splits torque from wheel to wheel across the rear axle.
There will also be a more powerful version of the Micra and Note’s 1.6 petrol, with 113bhp for the two-wheel-drive models only, and a 1.4 diesel.
Nissan is offering the Juke with plenty of big-car options, such as keyless entry and start, a rear-view camera and automatic headlights. Other options include underbody protector plates, illuminated door sills and a roof spoiler.
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Re: Nissan Juke - exclusive pics
This car will suit those who want something different, solely for the sake of being different. It does have some appeal and the styling will surely divide opinion. I think the exterior will grow on people in much the same way the 'big bum' styling of the previous Renault Megane did. As for the interior, I the top section of the centre console looks like it was taken directly from the Chrysler PT Cruiser and subsequently looks cheap. I like the body coloured bright work splashed around the cabin though. If Nissan were hoping to appeal to a male audience why have the fitted the 1.6 turbo with a performance sapping CVT transmission. I don't see the point of fitting torque vectoring technology and then reducing the opportunity to use it to the full. The jury is still out for me.....
Re: Nissan Juke - exclusive pics
Please don't confuse price and brand with quality.
2010 JD Power surey (US) - things gone wrong:
Toyota - 128,
Ford 141,
Average 155,
Nissan 180,
Audi 182,
VW 225! (Everything in life really is that reliable...)
PS - Love the Juke - amazing to think it has been launched by the same company at the same time as the new Micra. Here's to a car that provokes debate and catches the eye!
Re: Nissan Juke - exclusive pics
The reason you see those two cars is that they were developed together. Furthermore, Ford was able to offload some of the development costs onto other members of the old PAG. Nissan has Renault as a partner, and as you may have noticed, the latest Laguna is something of a rarity, as nobody wants one. So I am sure they are in no rush to follow suit. Maybe in the future, they will produce something for the Indian and Chinese markets, but I am sure it is unlikely to make its way over here.
RWD takes up space and is more expensive to manufacture, and you are talking about a car that would need to be spacious and built on a budget. It is a natural preservation. Why would Infiniti, the halo brand of Nissan, want it's image tarnished by obvious association with a D-segment car? They want to get the buyers of German cars into their vehicles. That is far less likely to happen if a potential buyer associates their £50k vehicle with a Japanese repmobile.