Nissan Juke: It’s no joke!

THE NISSAN Juke has a sweet-handling chassis and a properly well-controlled suspension that’s sportily firm.

Years ago, I had an epiphany: I was skeptical about Honda’s original GD-chassis Jazz when it first came out. But a quick drive in one immediately changed my perception about small cars; I have been a fan of it ever since. The Jazz has proven to be fun to drive, highly versatile, amazingly fuel-efficient, and surprisingly roomy inside.

Twelve years after, I found myself having another similar epiphany, this time with Nissan’s Juke. Its driving dynamics reminded me very much of the original Jazz (sharp, responsive, incisive and crucially, eager and willing to play), albeit in a taller, more versatile platform thanks to its compact cross-over body.

Built atop Nissan’s B platform (which also underpins the Cube, Micra and Note as well as Renault Captur and Dacia Duster), the Juke is extremely polarizing: Some people love it, some people hate it.

I definitely fall into the former, while the more conservative missus falls into the latter. Indeed, we’ve been discussing for over a year now on what to replace her old car with, and the Juke seems to be such a perfect replacement, thanks to its size, and crucially, due to constant flash floods and bad weather, plus the sad, sorry state of our roads, and crazy motorists we have to share our already cramped roads with.

The Juke, with its tall seating position (versus a traditional B-segment car), would have been perfect.

Had I the parking space and money, I would have plumped my cash immediately for the yellow Juke which is just so cute!

Yes, my motoring colleagues have described it creatively, but I feel it resembles a futuristic lunar rover type vehicle with hints of anime/mecha to give it a uniquely Japanese feel.

Power comes from a modest HR16DE engine displacing

1.6 liters with 16 valves and dual overhead camshafts delivering a modest 116 brake horsepower at 5600 revolutions per minute and 150 Newton-meters of torque at 4000 rpm and driving the front wheels via Nissan’s excellent CVT.

It’s a long stroke design with dual variable valve and cam timing  which in theory should be enough to propel the somewhat heavy (1,322-kilogram, apparently) Juke but in fact it feels sluggish at low revs.

Overcome the initial inertia, press the Sport button, and it feels alive and willing to rev hard all the way to redline.

No wonder Nissan calls the Juke the sports car of the B segment, and rightly so, because it feels so willing, so eager and so excited to start driving hard, powering through your favorite mountain pass or winding road with aplomb.

On my weekly drive to Tagaytay, the Juke returned an impressive 11 kilometers per liter considering I was literally flogging the Juke through South Luzon Expressway and the circuitous Tagaytay-Santa Rosa Highway.

Seating position is fairly decent: good alignment of the steering column to your shoulders, although I would have wanted more reach adjustment from the gorgeous three-spoke steering wheel to give it a more rally-car/rally-raider feel.

There’s good support to your limbs and torso with the firm yet comfy seats. Being a compact crossover, it makes getting in and out very easy, handy if you need to string together a few short trips, such as running your errands on the weekend from, say, your house, to the laundry shop, the ATM machine and the grocery to pick up some goodies and treats, then back home again.

The hooded instrument cluster looks sporty as well, is easy to read at speed, and the silver accents all throughout the cabin give it more robotic/anime/futuristic theme.

Granted the rear seats are really for average-height people (I’m 5 feet 10 inches, and my head grazes the ceiling already), while the rear cargo space is essentially nonexistent.

You do get 60:40 split-folding rear seats to increase cargo capacity. For newly married couples or single people, its more than enough car for 99 percent of their needs.

It’s built with the young, young at heart and empty-nesters in mind. In fact, it looks more complete with a roof rack and roof box or your surf board/bike mounted on top.

Considering its price, the Juke is pretty safe too: it comes with dual front airbags and ABS-EBD brakes with brake assist.

It also has five three-point seatbelts (including one for the middle passenger on the 2nd row) which ensures that the oft neglected middle passenger is just as safe as the others, although realistically, the middle seat will never be used as the Juke is tight for five adults.

But four adults on a long drive is perfectly fine as there is adequate leg and knee room for rear seat passengers (assuming they are no taller than 5 feet

7 inches  or so in height).

You can thank the decent 2,520-millimeter wheelbase, yet exterior dimensions are a tight and compact 4,135 mm (length) x 1,765 mm (width) x 1,580 mm (height).

The rather low height helps reduce drag and makes it less impervious to crosswinds on elevated highways and the SCTEx going to Tarlac or Subic, too, which makes it more relaxed and serene to drive when you’re not in the mood.

You also get a decent multimedia system with Bluetooth telephony, cruise control, and audio controls that have auxiliary buttons mounted on the steering wheel, plus a reverse camera as well.

Nissan also put in their i-Con integrated climate control, drive mode, and media system  on the center console which reduces buttons and clutter, giving the Juke’s interior, along with its plastic-painted center console, a futuristic and sophisticated feel.

But back to the driving, the Juke feels like the sharpest car to drive in its segment. The Hyundai i20 Cross Sport has a diesel option, the Ford has its ride height and ground clearance advantage and the Chevrolet Trax has its amazing 1.4-L turbocharged engine.

The Nissan Juke has a sweet-handling chassis, a properly well-controlled suspension that’s sportily firm with steering that’s arguably the best in its class, though still feeling light  and lacking a bit in feel and feedback.

The brakes are strong and progressive that you soon find yourself in a trance as you weave through slower moving traffic.

You tend to ditch hook the Juke on corners rally-style/initial-D style (depending on your age and preference), and the Juke corners flat and confidently, shrugging off surface imperfections as it exhibits excellent compliance on hard cornering through poor surfaces. This, despite riding on lowish profile 17-inch wheels with 215/55R17 tires which also adds much style and presence to the overall package.

And I never once realized that the Juke used a CVT until I reread the spec sheet and realized it was indeed a CVT: such was the responsiveness it gave, providing steps to enhance the feel of the acceleration when in Sport mode.

Paddle shifters behind the steering wheel would have been a nice addition.

Never got to try it off paved roads, but for sure, the Juke will offer far more useful soft-roading abilities  thanks to its raised ride height.

It’s a great small car, something more people should be looking at. This is simply Nissan’s most unique, and most interesting car, and just as important as the Navara pickup.

I only wish that Nissan would stick in more power (I’d say 130 to 140 hp in the Juke is mighty fun!), or bring in the Juke Nismo RS.

Horsepower (or lack thereof) aside, Nissan’s Juke is a serious contender for that prime real estate that is your garage. It’s fun to drive, versatile, comfortable and offers far more mobility than your typical B-segment sedan.

The design is polarizing as mentioned earlier, but it definitely grows on you. Test drive one, preferably on a long route, and see what I mean about it being a real hoot to drive!