Juke-not-a-box hero.
The Juke puts the “fun” in “funky,” making it perfect for those who want
a spry and speedy little runabout that also stands out in traffic. It’s
powered by a 188-hp 1.6-liter turbo four-cylinder with front-wheel
drive; all-wheel drive is optional. Sadly, a CVT is the only available
transmission, which takes some joy out of driving. On the plus side, its
light and informative steering makes it easy to fling around
back-country curves or to jockey for position on a crowded interstate
Quirky. Offbeat. Funky. It seems wherever Nissan’s Juke
goes, those three adjectives seem to follow. And we get it: A
subcompact crossover, the Juke wears its high wheel arches and an even
higher beltline as badges of nonconformist honor, their effect only
amplified by the slivers of side glass, ambiguous rear doors, bulbous
tailgate, and twisted front and rear lamp lenses that rise, blisterlike,
from the body surface. But to write off the Juke as a cheap carnival
trick on wheels would be a disservice.
Engine Work
If you’re looking for an indication of how seriously Nissan takes the
Juke, you’ll find it in the comprehensive round of revisions its
engineers performed on the 1.6-liter inline-four for 2015: The pistons
are reshaped, the compression ratio is increased (now 10.5:1, up from
9.5:1), internal friction and engine weight have been reduced by
switching from iron liners to “spray-coated and mirror-finish cylinder
bores,” and turbocharger inertia is lower. There’s more. Nissan also
added a new intermediate lock function on the intake side of the
Continuously Variable Valve Timing Control System, fitted a low-pressure
EGR system to lower exhaust-gas temperature, switched to a
variable-pressure oil pump, and optimized injector performance. This was
definitely more than just a tuning tweak.
Despite the significant hardware updates, the second-gen 1.6-liter turbo
four produces the exact same 188 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque as
the previous version. The good news is that peak torque is now available
at 1600 rpm, whereas the previous setup didn’t get its full grunt until
2000 rpm. It’s still a little buzzy but noticeably less so than before.
Nissan maintains that additional benefits are lower emissions and
better fuel efficiency, the latter evidenced by a 1-mpg improvement in
both city and highway mileage ratings, which now stand at 26 and 31 mpg.
We recorded 26 mpg in combined driving.
Paired with the CVT as its sole dance partner (two-wheel-drive Jukes
could be had with a six-speed manual through the 2014 model year), our
all-wheel-drive Juke SL’s powertrain was well suited to propelling the
3205-pound hatchback. With zero-to-60 and quarter-mile times of 6.9 and
15.4 seconds, it easily out-accelerates competitors such as the 2015 Jeep Renegade 4x4 with the 180-hp 2.4-liter four and nine-speed automatic (8.8 and 16.8), and the 2016 Honda HR-V AWD
with a 1.8-liter four and CVT (9.5 and 17.4). Nissan’s Integrated
Control (I-CON) system provides Normal, Sport, and Eco drive modes,
which tailor throttle, steering, and transmission response. It goes
without saying which setting we favored.
Segment-leading acceleration aside, this is not the type of powertrain
that inspires deep analysis or critique; despite Nissan’s inclusion of
gearlike “steps” in the CVT, we found the easiest way to get the most
smiles per mile was to simply put the transmission in drive, select
Sport mode, and mash the accelerator. (Not to mention the fact that we
noted a “slipping” feeling in the CVT when manually shifting at 6250
rpm.) All 177 lb-ft of torque is available from 1600 to 5200 rpm, which
helps to take the drama out of merging maneuvers. Conversely, the CVT
isn’t shy about letting the engine wind up and mingle with the 6400-rpm
redline. With the AWD system varying the amount of torque sent fore and
aft up to a 50/50 split, traction is abundant.
Equipped with 17-inch 215/55 Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires, our Juke managed
a lateral-acceleration figure of 0.84 g on our 300-foot skidpad,
handily beating the aforementioned Renegade’s 0.78 g number and the 0.80
g recorded by the all-wheel-drive Honda HR-V. Speed-sensitive electric
power steering gets the job done with good directional accuracy, but its
synthetic feel is uninspiring. Still, the smallish 99.6-inch wheelbase
and rear-axle torque vectoring—which increases the amount of torque sent
to the outside rear wheel in hard cornering—add to the Juke’s already
nimble behavior. Tromping on the brake pedal revealed firm and easily
modulated braking action. Hauling the Juke down to a stop from 70 mph
required 177 feet of tarmac.
Tight Spots
Even though this Nissan is ostensibly a five-passenger vehicle, we found
it hard in most circumstances to squeeze even two people into the back
seat. While it’s quite possible for a pair of long-limbed individuals to
get comfortably situated in front, sliding the front seats rearward
renders the rear seat essentially unusable. We found it much preferable
to fold the rear seatbacks forward, increasing the diminutive, 10.5
cubic feet of cargo room to a slightly less-diminutive 35.9 cubic feet,
creating a quasi–shooting brake of sorts. In this configuration, the
Juke displays a modicum of genuine utility.