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By Jonathan Crouch

The Nissan Juke is wilfully weird but it's hit a nerve with British buyers who love the thing. Jonathan Crouch takes a look at the latest version of the MK2 model.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 71

If you need a car that blends into the background, look somewhere else. Nissan's Juke is a small SUV that's sold like hot cakes because it makes a visual statement. This improved version of the second generation model keeps the design extreme but adds a more practical cabin complete with larger, more sophisticated screen tech. As before, there's the option of a frugal Hybrid engine if you can stretch to it.

Backgroundword count: 187

There's nothing quite like a Nissan Juke, part SUV, part sports coupe, part hot hatch - with a few bike and rallycar genes thrown in for good measure. It sounds an unpromising mix but against the odds, Nissan has made it work and in the original first generation version of this car which sold until 2019, defined once and for all what the market's smallest breed of crossover-class car should be like. What was most amazing about the original Juke was that a company the size of Nissan could build it. The usual procedure is for a maverick designer to come up with just such a concept only for company heads to shelve it, for customer clinics to reject it or for marketing pressure to water it down. Somehow the earlier Juke survived all of these potential trap doors and from its launch, the MK2 model continued with the same divisive but trendy theme, remaining arguably the most distinctive family car on sale. Five years into its production life, Nissan updated this MK2 Juke in Spring 2024 - and it's that improved design we look at here.

Driving Experienceword count: 256

There are no powertrain or handling changes as part of the updates made to the improved version of this second generation Juke. Which means that, as before, the most affordable versions come powered by a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder DIG-T 114 petrol engine, with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Power stands at 114PS with up to 200Nm of torque available on overboost. Nissan claims 0-62mph in 10.4 seconds for the manual and 11.1 seconds for the DCT automatic variant, with both topping out at 112mph.  The alternative is a 1.6-litre Hybrid engine developing 143PS, using an electric motor fed by a 1.2kWh battery and mated to a clever 'multi-modal' clutchless auto gearbox. Nissan claims that with this powerplant, up to 80% of urban journeys can be conducted on electric power alone. All Hybrid versions come equipped with Nissan's e-Pedal Step which, when activated, allows the movement of the car to be controlled using just the accelerator pedal. When the foot is lifted from the accelerator, moderate braking is applied (up to 0.15g) and will decelerate the Juke to a crawl (about 3mph). Of course there's plenty of driver-assistance technology, primarily Nissan ProPILOT, the brand's semi-autonomous driver aid. This is capable of controlling the throttle, braking and steering while driving in a single lane on motorway-style roads. It's optional on N-Connecta trim cars and standard from Tekna grade upwards. In addition, the Juke gains intelligent automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, speed-limit and traffic-sign recognition, lane-keep assist and rear cross-traffic alert.

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