Tested: Nissan’s head-turning new SUV

It could never be accused of being dull, and although this new generation mini Nissan isn’t quite as madly styled, you’d hardly mistake it for anything but a Juke.

It’s larger, better equipped and has a safety suite to make many prestige vehicles costing twice as much blush. It’s priced from $30,490 drive-away but our family sampled the mid-range ST+ for $33,490 on the road.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Jules: Well, it’s not pretty, but it’s a lot better looking than the old one.

Iain: The old Juke was definitely bought by those wanting to stand out. This new one’s more grown-up and sanitised looking, but is funky enough.

Jules: I like the new skinny LED daytime running lights, but why those big boggle-eyed orbs below?

Iain: Those are actually the headlights. Inspired by rally spotlights.

Jules: Is the Juke a rally car?

Iain: It is not.

Jules: You certainly get noticed. I love the bright red paint and racy 17-inch alloys on ours, but it’s so angular with those funny dent shapes in the side.

Iain: Somewhere, there’s a Nissan designer cursing you right now. I think it’s funky and certainly should appeal to, I’m guessing, empty nesters and style-conscious younger women.

THE LIVING SPACE

Jules: It’s a light SUV but front space is impressive for two adults.

Iain: Surprisingly roomy for rear travellers too. This isn’t a shoebox like a Mazda CX-3.

Jules: And heated cloth seats? That’s unusual, but welcome during our winter test. And I love its circular air vents. They’re easy to adjust and look brilliant.

Iain: It’s an eye-catching car inside and out. There’s strange but appreciated dashboard padding, a flat-bottom steering wheel, and I like its stubby little gear shifter.

Jules: There’s an 8-inch touchscreen running Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while there’s good space for my phone upfront and my coffee in the glossy sculpted centre console.

Iain: That console looks good now, but it’s a big wad of shiny plastic that could scratch easily. A few more grumbles. It may have heated seats, but how about a centre armrest? And the plastic door tops look cheap for a car costing more than $30,000.

THE COMMUTE

Jules: For that money, I feel hard done by in a few areas. There’s no keyless entry and no keyless start, and the doors close with an unsatisfactory cheapie clunk.

Iain: Typical of small Nissans I’m afraid. On the road the seats, while warming my bum, also numb it — they’re quite firm. They’re supportive, but my two-hour highway commute wasn’t the comfiest.

Jules: For a light SUV it’s lovely on the highway. Quiet and solid feeling, and the sound system’s a banger.

Iain: That means good, right? The top Juke grade gets Bose sounds, but I agree, our car’s audio is a high point. There’s no radar cruise control or built-in satnav for this model — you need the grade up.

Jules: I don’t like the Juke’s gearbox at low speeds.

Iain: Nissan usually slings CVT single-speed autos in these cars but the new Juke has a dual-clutch auto. It’s great when racing but jerky and hesitant at low speeds.

Jules: Its response time is a worry. It hesitated coming out of junctions.

I ain: The Juke’s three-cylinder turbo engine’s actually quite lovely, if only they offered a manual — as with other markets — it’d be a gem. In Australia, we’re not given the choice.

THE SHOPPING

Jules: Rear camera and sensors front and rear avoids bingles, but when parking that gearbox again made life difficult. While trying to manoeuvre, it’d offer nothing then suddenly jerk forwards.

Iain: Positively, what a great boot for a light SUV. Deep and long and far more practical for family life than expected.

SUNDAY RUN

Jules: It’s a car for being seen in, if you like attention. I’d suggest it’d be a hit outside favourite cafes or in university car parks.

Iain: Here’s the thing. I really enjoy the Juke on a back road. It handles nicely and like most three-cylinders, it’s revvy and quite charming. The double-clutch gearbox works well when you’re booting it through corners, and steering wheel paddles mean you can quickly drop down gears for extra zip.

Jules: Fair point, but who uses a Juke this way? It’s a city slicker. It doesn’t suit a sporty gearbox.

THE FAMILY

Iain: See how those high-mounted rear door handles keep the Juke’s rear so fluid? Nice touch, unless you have a five-year old and the handles are too high for her to open the door.

Jules : Rear space is kid-friendly though, and there’s enough head and leg room for two adults to be comfy.

Iain: But no rear air vents or USB points shows our Juke wasn’t really designed with rear travellers in mind.

Jules: Amazing safety systems make it family-friendly. It will stop me crashing into cars, pedestrians and cyclists, keeps me in my lane, tells me the speed limit and checks my blind-spot and traffic crossing while I reverse. Well done, Nissan.

Iain: The family budget must consider the Juke’s quite high purchase cost and it swallows pricier 95 petrol, but our return of 6.2L/100km was good, and fixed price service charges are reasonable.

THE VERDICT

Jules: Snazzy styling, classy cabin plus loads of safety and included kit are strong points, and the new Juke’s big for a light SUV. But sorry, I can’t live with that gearbox.

Iain: If most of your journeys are low-speed, stop-start affairs, I agree, the gearbox isn’t smooth enough. A good package otherwise, but I’d take a good hard look at the competition.