Nissan Juke test: the frog who wanted to be as big as a SUV

The idea is behind the Nissan Juke is very simple: build a compact crossover that combines ease of use with the qualities typical of the SUV, that is, driving comfort and a high position to dominate traffic. All models are equipped with front-wheel drive. The car comes to road use and urban. Its rather small dimensions give this thing more ...Juke is differentiated by its style and personality. A bestseller in its category The Japanese Suv has achieved excellent results in 2010. Who is the Juke? By analyzing the size, style, technique and prices, you realize that the car has a very broad user base. Appearance of small agile SUV is a great asset to all lovers of the genre. Its price is not prohibitive, its size is also adapted to urban contexts. We tried the 1.6 DIG-T turbo 190 hp and 240 Nm max torque rear-wheel drive and manual transmission. Discover the Nissan Juke with us.We were talking about style. The most characteristic elements are certainly the front-end and wheel arches. But in order. Many associate the shape of the Juke to the image of an amphibian. No toads standing water, but small frogs tropical forests of South America.The front of the Juke is marked by large round headlamps that recall precisely the bulging eyes of frogs. The lights are integrated between the hood and the wheel. The wheel arches front and rear are the true distinguishing marks of the sides of the car. They just look like the legs of a frog ready to jump. The overall look gives a muscular sense of stability to the car.The tail shows the stylistic concepts already seen on the 370Z, for example, moving in a more refined, more developed in the vertical direction. In this context the original interior looks pretty bland. The body is so developed that we would have expected more courageous choices for the interior. Unfortunately, even if the design is quite nice, it has no real personality. The dashboard has a semicircular shape which are housed the ventilation holes. Little originality anyway: the central area is painted the same color as the body.The interior of the Juke is spacious addition to the external dimensions would suggest. In front there is plenty of leg room for the arms and head. The rear seat can accommodate two adults easily, without shoulders touching. Three is another matter. But we can not expect miracles from a car 414 cm long and 177 wide. Completion of the interior is good: the assemblies are accurate even if the dashboard is made of materials not very flexible but remain pleasing to the touch and that transmit a feeling of solidity.We would have preferred that the commands of the GPS are greater. They seem to have been projected from the hands of women. To compensate, the radio and the browser can be controlled on the LCD screen of the system.In this global context, the door panels seem to be a tone lower. Too bad: it's really the only black spot in a generally neat interior. All controls are easy to interpret and use. Such as the air conditioning and audio system very simple.When driving the Juke, the first thing you notice is the steering wheel. This is definitely the best we've had the opportunity to try on a vehicle like this. But also the best in the abstract whether one considers all the vehicles. Fast and direct, it transmits the feeling of total control of the vehicle by amplifying the sense of agility Juke. If in addition it gets over-power-assisted well calibrated for each driving situation you will understand why we are so excited.This reactivity is also owes to the chassis: Despite its relative simplicity (front McPherson and a classic pattern behind a rigid axle), the car remains well attached to land, without being not interfere with the high position of its barycentre . Against the roll by when you are not missing more than a certain speed.The top of the car tires absorb bumps. The brakes are controlled and controllable. We would have liked to try the AWD version, with multilink rear suspension and Torque Vectoring which spread up to 50% maximum torque between front and rear axles but also between the rear wheels. The gearbox has 6-over, the clutch is light and flexible.The 1.6 turbo gasoline direct injection with pump fuel at high pressure and control the opening of valves, fluid power and develop a regular basis. The thrust is evident from 2500 rounds to become more consistent in 3000. From this system the engine runs smoothly and without being too noisy, unfortunately, consumers remain quite high, especially in town or when you press too much on the gas pedal. In this sense, even if the 4-cylinder 1.6, is efficient and pleasant, we would recommend the 1.5 dCi turbodiesel version, less bright, but certainly less greedy.The D-mode is very good, it can modulate the response of the accelerator, the steering wheel and engine tuning. The system operates controls the aircon and the LCD to display information about calibration, works great. Differences in responses of self are really sensitive on the basis of adjustment. Consumption also varies greatly depending on the set-up.