By Mark Elias
Monday, Aug 30th, 2010 @ 1:00 pm

A new entry into the cute ‘ute ranks, the Nissan Juke is geared toward millennial males seeking a small and capable (or at least reasonably commodious) urban runabout with a hint of style.

That might seem like a tiny target because, well, it is. And, ironically, it’s the same target Toyota aimed for a few years ago when it launched the Scion brand.

We all know how that story turned out – Scion does fairly well, but Gen Y males have mostly fled from the brand.

But were they the ones paying the most attention to the Juke during our brief introductory drive in Vancouver, Canada? Read on.

We think we’ve been here before
Nissan ’s B-platform gets around. Shared with Renault, it underpins the North American Versa, Cube and upcoming Leaf, as well as the French automaker’s hugely popular (over there) Clio and Modus. The Juke takes the best of the “B†and builds upon it, showing character, and interestingly polarizing lines throughout. It’s the most evocative of the group; the wolf hidden in the box it came in (Cube).

Nissan officials expect that most shoppers will cross-shop the Juke with the Mini Cooper, Mazda Mazda3 , Toyota Matrix , Scion tC and Suzuki SX4, but its tall proportions make it more of a mini crossover than a traditional hot hatch.

Pushed out. Way out.
With virtually no front or rear overhang, the Juke looks more like a Dakar rally racer than anything else. Wheels have been pushed out to the extreme corners of its 99.6-inch wheelbase and they add a wider and squatter stance to its appearance from the front and rear. By the numbers, the Juke is 69.5 inches wide, so it’s not as Hummer H1-like as it might seem.

The look is definitely different. A little butch overall, it has been targeted to young urban males from 18-34 with 25-29 being the sweet spot. Nissan claims its targeted customers are gamers.

Among the more unique, or at least more controversial, features on the new Juke are the below the belt headlights and the above-the-hood “alligator eyes.†Just take a look at the running and indicator light lenses located at the top of the hood. Remind you of anything you’ve seen during Reptile Week on the Discovery Channel?

For the big picture, imagine a Nissan Versa with very pronounced fenders. We’re talking way out to there! Wide, tall fenders on both sides, arcing up skyward, give it an almost cute cartoon effect. We don’t have much knowledge of the thoughts and feelings of the target audience as defined by Nissan, but it does seem particularly attractive to women. As we were waiting for the ferry to Langdale, British Columbia, there were crowds gathered around to see Nissan’s latest. And they weren’t necessarily the target audience as defined by Nissan.

But, hey, what sells… sells.

Two-wheeler influence
The inside of the Juke features a motorcycle-influenced center console along with body color door panels on some models. Based on the design of a motorcycle fuel tank, it houses the shifter housing, cupholders and the e-brake handle. A dual-gauge binnacle holds place over the steering wheel, while a buyer’s choice of standard audio system or navigation system. The Juke base model is well-equipped with USB and iPod connections as well as Bluetooth, and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Driving through the B.C. countryside, we found that the front seats offered good hold control with nice bolsters. Available leather seating is included with the top-of-the-line Juke SL, which also tacks on the navigation system. A leather-wrapped shift knob is part of the package, along with upgraded speakers and a powered Rockford Fosgate subwoofer.

The interior’s design is generally convenient, with only an ergonomic gaffe or two thanks to the overly stylized design. It’s more interesting than you’ll find in any rival and the materials were generally price-appropriate. By our standards, Nissan scored with this one.

Nissan offers the Juke with two transmissions and two ways to configure the drive wheels. We spent most of our time in CVT-equipped all-wheel-drive models, although we did slip behind the wheel of a row-it-yourself manual transmission model.

In front of (actually beside) both gearboxes is a first-time-in-a-long-time turbocharged 1.6-liter direct injection gasoline engine (DIG, in Nissan-speak) that outputs like a 2.5-liter four-banger. With 188 horsepower and 177 lb-ft. of torque, we found it a smooth and capable operator that surprised us with the ability to power up the road with relatively little effort. It actually was fun with an eager ability to please on the wide-open Canadian backroads. Little if any turbo lag and solid power delivery make it feel like a very modern larger displacement engine.

The automatic performed flawlessly in both front and all wheel drive models, but the manual transmission was a little balky thanks to rather long throws. Nissan says its engineers are working on a fix, so we’ll reserve final judgment for a more extended evaluation.

Independent MacPherson struts in front and a multi-link setup in the rear is the setup on the AWD Juke. The FWD model has the same Mac-struts in front while a torsion beam arrangement keeps the rear tracking true. Both kits feature front and rear stabilizer bars.

The Advanced Torque Vectoring AWD system is a new option that splits torque 50:50 front and rear and can also throw torque from side to side, too. We don’t recommend watching it while in the driver’s seat, but a unique graphic in a dash-mounted screen shows the intensity of the torque vectoring from side to side and front to rear.

More importantly, it allows drivers the ability to change the drive mapping from normal to sport to eco mode as well as changes in the steering setup. The end result is a system that allows you to dial in a degree of agility and understeer for a more exciting ride. It’s the kind of thing we’re used to seeing on a dedicated high-performance ride, but not on a low-cost crossover-ish thing. It’s impressive and it will no doubt be exciting to use for tech-savvy drivers – like those in Nissan’s target.

We did enjoy a quick glance down at the constantly moving graphic, which only added to the surprisingly exhilarating driving experience of the Juke.

EPA fuel ratings come in at 27 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway for CVT-equipped Jukes. Curb weight, depending on model, range from 2,923 lbs. for a front drive SV model to 3,221-pounds for the all-wheel-drive SL.

Leftlane’s bottom line
By claiming its target, Nissan has unintentionally excluded nearly anyone else – but if our unscientific poll is even remotely accurate, Nissan has a hit on its hands with the Juke. It combines just the right amount of sport and utility in an offbeat package. Its looks will likely turn away as many as it impresses.

2011 Nissan Juke base price, $18,960.

Words and photos by Mark Elias.

45 Comments
  

LeftLane

Login

  • LeftLane

    Copyright © 2005 - 2012 Left lane News.
    All rights reserved.