When Nissan launched the first generation Juke back in 2010, it had no clue that it would go on to become an international best seller spanning continents, not to mention ‘inspiring’ rivals to embrace sporty compact crossovers (read CH-R). A decade on, we finally have a successor and it looks like Nissan has not watered down any of the original’s spunky presence.
While the first generation was all about being bold and trendy, the new car – based on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s CMF B-platform – has now grown up in size and offers as much interior room and cargo space (422 litres) as the one segment larger Nissan Qashqai sold in Europe, this despite retaining its stylish silhouette, narrow greenhouse and a cabin featuring a raised centre tunnel and striking hues.
In fact, the new Juke retains many of the styling elements (e.g. hidden rear door handles, ‘floating roof’, round headlamps, etc.) of the original but they have all been refined on a body that’s substantially larger. That said, the new Juke actually weighs less than the previous car thanks to the generous use of high tensile steel which also raises rigidity.
The sole powertrain announced for now is a 117 hp 1.0-litre turbocharged 3-cylinder mated to either a 6-speed manual or 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, with more engines to be made available later which could also include a plug-in hybrid. As part of Nissan Intelligent Mobility initiative, the new Juke will also be offered with Nissan’s ProPilot semi-autonomous driving suite.
Nissan Juke image gallery
