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The sporty hatchback/SUV crossover segment continues to explode, and the latest challenger has stepped up to the plate in the form of the 2015 Nissan Juke.
Rather than focusing on what’s under the bonnet, the designers seemed to have poured their efforts into what’s outside it, with the quirky look being what separates this model from its competitors.
The daringly different design features a funky front end with chunky boomerang lights and a smiling grille that resembles something out of a sci-fi film. The LED accent lights are almost as prominent as the body’s colour, of which the yellow I was given is, surprisingly, not the brightest available.
The slanted-back roofline and extremely angular windscreen give the car its sporty look, but leaves little headroom on the inside (particularly in the back seats), which is disappointing.
The rear appears rectangular and boxy directly from behind, but this belies its subtle curves and carefully constructed package. It’ll also take a few tries to spot the wonderfully hidden rear door handles too!
The interior design is even more impressive on a visual level, and I particularly liked the centre console styled after a motorcycle engine as it not only looked cool, but felt comfortable and easy to navigate.
Unfortunately, on a practical level, the interior was a major disappointment, in my opinion, as both front and back seats felt cramped for leg and headroom for a man my size.
Performance was as expected from the 188bhp 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, with a little bit of oomph off the line and a responsive throttle.
There is a sport mode which you can enable with a press of a button on the centre stack. The difference is more at the top end in the higher gears.
The Juke handles well at higher speeds thanks to its all-wheel drive setup and continuously variable transmission (CVT). It means the handling is mostly excellent on both highways and tight, twisty streets. A chunky wheel belies a light, quick steering that while very smooth occasionally has the propensity to understeer, while the suspension absorbs every bump for maximum comfort.
The centre stack packs a 5.8-inch colour touch-screen with playback options for radio, CD, AUX and USB, and now has a rear view camera as standard. Very easy and responsive to use, I had fun trawling through the various sound and display options, which of course had various funky designs that segued perfectly with the car’s exterior.
Overall, the 2015 Nissan Juke is at the forefront of design with a futuristic and certainly unique look. It has decent performance and great handling, but there is a real dearth of interior cabin space, especially compared to its contemporaries.
The 2015 Nissan Juke will be available from the Y.K. Almoayyed & Sons showroom in Sitra this spring, with the price to be announced soon.
