Road test: Nissan Juke N-Tec
You can’t have failed to spot the Nissan Juke, one of the most eye-catching baby “crossover” vehicles around thanks to its fun, dynamic lines. It’s the one with the lights right up on top of the wings, large round headlights in the bumper and a big smiley “mouth”. It also seems to have attracted a big following in London.
I’ve been driving the n-tec 1.5 dCi manual version and it has indeed been fun. Here are some of its major advantages. It rides road humps superbly compared to many cars, thanks to its height and spring travel, even if it is a little bouncy for rear-seat passengers.
It’s easy to park thanks to its colour reversing camera and, despite being a five-seater, it’s only 4135mm long, considerably shorter than, say, a Ford Focus. The steering feels fast and effective around town and forward vision is good.
The boot could be larger but there’s enough space for a week’s big shop. And if you raise the “floor” there are two decent-sized plastic bins that prevent objects sliding around. The seats fold flat too.
The cabin is attractive with intuitive, easy-to-use controls.
The 1.5 turbodiesel engine isn’t the quietest in the business but it’s punchy. It’s a likeable car, in its element in town and not bad on longer journeys, and it’s dripping with equipment.
Nissan Juke n-tec
Top speed: 109mph; 0-62mph: 11.2 secs;
Emissions: 124 g/km;
Combined MPG (claimed): 58.9;
Price: £17,690 (range starts at £12,995)
