Nissan Juke Review (2024)

Introduction

The Nissan Juke is both a friend and foe of the automotive industry.

On the one hand, it’s carved open a market for people who aspire to lease an SUV, taking full advantage of the noughties’ obsession with the infamous Chelsea Tractor.

However, it’s also responsible for the demise of the traditional family hatchback, which took large slices of the saloon and estate markets with it.

To hold the Juke solely responsible is overstating it somewhat – Nissan wasn’t the only manufacturer designing a small SUV at the time, even if it was the first to launch it.

However, it’s widely credited with the genesis of what became a seismic shift in customer leasing and buying habits. This caused more and more manufacturers to follow, resulting in the masses deciding to try out an SUV crossover.

Despite its divisive styling, the Juke was a massive hit – and it’s gone from strength to strength since.

Now in its second generation, the Juke is based on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi CMF-B platform. Nissan has given the Juke a mid-life facelift, offering numerous upgrades to fix some of its perceived weaknesses.

We have taken one for a spin to see what it’s like.

At a Glance

Except for the grille, which now features a double-outline thanks to a black line alongside the previously included chrome strip, there are hardly any other exterior styling tweaks to the Juke. Some new alloy wheels, which now go as high as 19 inches, are available, but that's about it.

The Juke still features its flat-bottomed V-shape grille, the newly revised Nissan badge in the middle, and two large round lights beneath razon-thin LED strips.

Air intakes are located at the sides, and the area above the door features a deep, chiselled indentation with creases.

While it looks like a two-door car, the rear door opens out from handles behind the rear side windows, while the taillights pop out so much that you can easily see them even with the front grille still in view.

The back features a roof spoiler above the rear windscreen, while the taillights taper into the middle. The centre of the boot pops out above the number plate.

Nissan is also making a big fuss about reintroducing the Juke’s bright yellow paint job, Iconic Yellow. Nissan’s looks have always divided opinion – and this Juke will continue that trend – but it’s personality-laden, which has to be better than boring.

Key Features

The old entry-level Visia trim has been withdrawn – mainly because there was little reason to choose it, thanks to a substandard equipment list. As a result, Acenta Premium trim now sits as the base model.

It offers 17-inch alloys, a 12.3-inch NissanConnect infotainment touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, digital radio, a seven-inch digital instrument cluster, voice recognition, Wi-Fi, mono-form sporty seats, manual air conditioning, LED headlights and taillights, and a host of safety features we'll discuss later.

The N-Connecta trim gets SatNav with TomTom Traffic, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a wireless phone charger, front and rear parking sensors, and auto climate control.

The Tekna trim upgrades to 19-inch alloys and gets a Bose premium sound system, heated front seats and steering wheel, a ThermaClear heated windscreen and height-adjustable passenger seat, interior ambient lighting, and additional safety features.

Tekna+ gets two-tone metallic paint, satin grey exterior styling elements, a satin silver front bumper finisher, and midnight black leather and Alcantara seats. The new range-topper, N-Sport, gets black leather and yellow Alcantara seats, gloss black exterior décor and N-Sport badging.

In terms of power, there are three to choose from.

The DIG-T 114 is a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol, producing (as the name suggests) 114PS. Likewise, the Hybrid 114, a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine combined with an electric motor, will provide the same power.

The Hybrid 143 produces (you guessed it) 143PS from the same mill but with a more powerful electric motor.

All models are front-wheel drive only and available as automatics, although the DIG-T 114 engine is also offered with a six-speed manual transmission.

Performance & Drive

We are driving the higher-powered Hybrid 143 in N-Connecta trim.

While this isn’t the entry-level trim, it is as far as the hybrids are concerned, as you can only get the base model, Acenta Premium, with the Hybrid 114 and the DIG-T 114 petrol.

It’s also coloured in magnetic blue paint, so sadly, we won't be testing out the Iconic Yellow colour that Nissan's showing off on all its marketing material.

The 1.0-litre DIG-T 114 gets from 0-62mph in 10.7 seconds, which is hardly athletic but should suffice for most people who lease the Juke, although it's 11.8 seconds in the automatic, with a top speed of 112mph.

It also lacks torque at lower revs, and the turbo is slow to respond, so it needs to be worked reasonably hard to make decent progress.

The Hybrid 114, on the other hand, makes the same power work slightly harder, managing the sprint in 10.1 seconds and topping out at 103mph.

What’s odd, though, is that the more powerful Hybrid 143 – despite a 29PS power advantage over its smaller hybrid sibling – has the same 0-62mph time and the same top speed.

The hybrids tend to turn their engines off when stationary and then pull away on electric power, but the engine cuts in when needed, and it’s a seamless transition.

If you've got your foot buried in the carpet, though, expect a lot of whining as the engine gets up to speed, but other than that, all the powertrains sound reasonably hushed unless you’re revving hard.

If you pick the DIG-T 114, we’d choose the manual, which provides slick gearshifts. The dual-clutch automatic is rather indecisive at low speeds, even though it shifts more smoothly once it gets into its stride.

You have got no choice but to go for the automatic in the hybrids, and while it’s more refined than the petrol automatic, despite only having four speeds, it takes a long time for it to work out what gear it needs to be in.

The Juke offers a reasonable level of ride comfort, and it’s improved over the outgoing model, although some rivals are comfier still.

It does a decent job of ironing out potholes and bumps in the road surface, but it can be prone to feeling unsettled afterwards.

Tekna trim and above get 19-inch wheels, which is excessive, especially as there is a two-inch gap between that and the two trims beneath it. This negatively impacts ride comfort. The added weight of the hybrid powertrains means they have different suspension setups to cope, but they’re less absorbing as a result.

Around corners, it's alright, limiting body roll through faster bends. The steering is pretty well-weighted, but it doesn't provide much feedback to feed your confidence.

Nevertheless, given its high centre of gravity compared with a family hatchback, it's reasonably agile and certainly more enjoyable to drive than softer competitors. If you push things too much, you'll find plenty of understeer on entry, though, which limits the extent to which you can push on. The Juke feels lighter than it is, and while calling it fun to drive would be an exaggeration, it is at least capable of putting a smile on your face.

Road and wind noise are reasonably well-damped out.

Running Costs & Emissions

With the manual gearbox, the DIG-T 114 petrol unit manages 47.9-48.7mpg depending on trim, emitting 133g/km of CO2.

Switch to the automatic, and the fuel consumption reduces slightly to 46.3-47.1mpg, with emissions rising to 137 to 138g/km of CO2.

The Hybrid 114 fares better, returning 58.9mpg and emitting 109g/km of CO2, although it is only available in the Acenta Premium trim.

The more powerful Hybrid 143 achieves similar figures at 58.5mpg and 109g/km of CO2.

None of this sounds terrible, but some other similarly priced cars can offer more economy.

What’s more, despite the Hybrids’ CO2 emissions figures being in the low 100s, Benefit In Kind tax favours ultra-low or zero emissions, which you’ll only find on plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars.

In terms of reliability, Nissan as a brand bucks the trend, given the superb dependability of most manufacturers from the Far East, lagging behind the likes of Hyundai and Kia.

Interior & Technology

One criticism of Nissan interiors has been that they're rather bland – an accusation also aimed at the Juke. While the Juke’s newly revised cabin won’t have premium brands quaking in their boots, Nissan has made a real step forward regarding quality with this fresh version.

The steering wheel is bold, with thumb indentations and a flat bottom. Plenty of silver garnish is along the bottom spoke of the wheel, around the air vents, and on the gear lever, too.

The 12.3-inch infotainment system rises from a large cutout in the dashboard, which extends from the top of the hood above the instrument display. It wraps around the area housing the screen, which is tilted slightly towards the driver. 

The system is also greatly improved compared with older Jukes, offering far more screen clarity, updated graphics and processing power, making it more responsive to your inputs. It is still not the best system in its class, but it's a giant leap forward compared with the old system.

Even better, the air conditioning's physical controls are retained, so they’re not buried in the infotainment screen, making it easy to make adjustments on the move.

The infotainment screen is complemented by the digital instrument display, which replaces more conventional analogue dials behind the steering wheel. It provides a lot of useful information, including a trip computer, speed and RPM readouts, average miles-per-gallon, and time and temperature.

A Bose premium sound system – often reserved for the top trim or sometimes only available as an optional extra – is included as standard on all but the entry-level N-Connecta trim, which is also great news.

The quality of the materials is also noticeably improved. There are plenty of plush, soft-to-the-touch surfaces, although there are more scratchy hard plastics.

Overall, though, the changes are enough to bring the Juke into contention as the best in class for cabin design, bar the premium brands, especially in the higher trims, which feature leather and Alcantara upholstery.

Boot Space & Practicality

Finding a good driving position in the Juke is easy, with plenty of travel in the seat and steering wheel. One drawback is that the Juke doesn’t offer adjustable lumbar support, not even as an optional extra.

You sit quite high up for a small-ish SUV, meaning visibility out of the front is good. Nissan keeps the front windscreen pillars as thin as possible, which helps things further.

The view out of the rear, though, is nowhere near as good. The side rear windows taper inwards, maximising the thickness of the back pillar, while the steep angle of the rear windscreen and the roof spoiler means your view is heavily limited.

All models include a reversing camera, which helps to circumvent the problem, while Tekna trim and above get a 360-degree camera.

Space-wise, you won’t struggle in the Juke, with plenty of legroom in the rear and even more in the front. Headroom isn’t an issue in the front either, although the gradual slope in the roofline towards the back means that rear headroom isn’t quite as generous. Nevertheless, it should be adequate for most, and even three adults can fit in the rear seats.

Interior storage is okay, too, with a couple of cupholders, a larger glove compartment than before, and a cubby beneath the centre console’s armrest. All occupants are now within easy reach of USB charging outlets. There is also a tray to store your phone, which can be charged wirelessly on all but the entry-level model.

Boot space measures 422 litres and expands to 1,305 litres with the rear seats folded down in a 60/40 configuration. However, in the hybrids, it's only 354 litres and expands to 1,237 litres. An adjustable boot floor is included, which reduces the loading lip if you need to slide something less manoeuvrable in or out.

Safety

Safety specialists Euro NCAP tested the Nissan Juke when the second-generation model was first launched in 2019. Given this is a mere facelift of the same model, it’s unlikely to be re-tested. The Juke earned a five-star rating five years ago, scoring a highly impressive 95% for adult occupants, 85% for children and 73% for safety assists.

The latter category encompasses several driver assistance systems, including intelligent automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, intelligent lane intervention, high beam assist, traffic sign recognition, and tyre pressure monitoring. You also get active trace control, active ride control, hill start assist and a rear-view camera on all models.

N-Connecta trim and above get front and rear parking sensors, while Tekna trim and above get a 360-degree camera, intelligent cruise control, lane keep assist, intelligent driver alertness, blind spot intervention, rear cross-traffic alert and moving object detection.

Options

There are loads of body colours to choose from on the Juke, with, as we mentioned earlier, the classic, bright, Iconic Yellow returning to the line-up.

Bright ‘flame’ red is the default colour, though, while white, silver, gun metallic grey, ceramic grey, black, burgundy, blue, orangey-red and pearl white are also offered if you’re willing to pay extra. Of course, Iconic Yellow also commands a fee.

N-Connecta trim and above get you the option of a black roof with your chosen colour (unless you pick black as the primary body colour, in which case you get a red roof).

Tekna+ and N-Sport come with a two-tone roof as standard, although the latter has a disappointingly limited selection of body colours. A Comfort Pack adds automatic climate control to the non-hybrid version, rain-sensing wipers, heated and automatic folding door mirrors and heated seats.

Among the other extras are a spare wheel, interior lighting upgrades, larger alloys, and various stripes, including a Union Jack roof. Accessories include boot mats, illuminated door sills, paint protection, towbars, bike carriers, roof boxes, and a dashboard-mounted phone holder.

Rival Cars

As our introduction suggests, there are plenty of competitors nowadays.

The Ford Puma is arguably the best if you're into driving, but the interior lets it down compared with smarter rivals.

Renault's Captur is another car that has recently been facelifted, so that's worth considering, while the modern-day Vauxhall Mokka is much improved.

The Toyota Yaris Cross and Volkswagen’s T-Roc and T-Cross are also worth shortlisting.

Verdict & Next Steps

Overall, the Nissan Juke has plenty of factors in its favour, assuming you’re a fan of its looks. It is smart, practical, reasonably economical, and now has a lovely interior. Plus, it comes with lots of safety kit as standard and has sufficiently good handling.

Performance-wise, the powertrains suffice, while some opponents offer superior ride comfort. The two hybrids’ curiously identical performance and near-identical economy figures make the Hybrid 143 a tougher sell.

In addition, there's nothing wrong with the entry-level DIG-T 114 petrol, given that the Hybrid 114 has the same power yet is much more expensive - in fact, the petrol remains our pick.

Entry-level Acenta Premium trim has everything you’ll need, although we’d understand an upgrade to N-Connecta for its larger digital instrument display. After that, things get too expensive because, at the higher end of the scale, as good as it is, everything the Juke can do, a rival can do better for similar money.

But, if you stick to the lower-spec Jukes, it's highly competitive to lease, price-wise

Where to next?

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Nissan Juke.

**Correct as of 12/09/2024. Based on 9 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 24 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 9 monthly payments, or £1,727.91 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.