Nissan Juke (2010-2019) Review
Stand-out styling, strong value and pleasant drive make Nissan Juke appeal
Strengths & weaknesses
- Head-turning looks
- Very efficient diesel
- Raised driving position
- Small back seats and boot
- Automatic gearbox is poor
- Very limited engine range new
Nissan Juke prices from £5,289 Finance from £150.52 per month
The previous generation Nissan Juke looks like nothing else on the road, thanks to its distinctive raised ride height, prominent headlights and funky, angular lines. But despite its radical looks, it was initially aimed at some very mainstream competition, including the Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Polo and Vauxhall Corsa. However, numerous other manufacturers have come up with their own spin on the Juke’s ‘mini SUV’ formula, resulting in cars like the Ford Ecosport, Vauxhall Mokka, Renault Captur and Honda HR-V that aim to steal some of the Nissan’s sales.
In addition to making it look like a scaled-down off-roader, the Juke’s raised ride height also gives you a high driving position, which buyers coming from more conventional superminis may like. It allows you to see further ahead and can boost your confidence in crowded city-centre traffic.
There’s a choice of petrol and diesel power, along with a high-performance ‘Nismo RS’ version. Four-wheel-drive is also offered, but it’s unnecessary on a car like this, which is never going to be a true off-roader or powerful enough to warrant dividing the power across all four wheels, and serves only to bump up your running costs. For this reason, we’d recommend sticking with two-wheel drive.
Keen drivers who enjoy the responsiveness and agility of cars like the the Mini Hatchback and Ford Fiesta won’t be that impressed by the Juke, either. Most of its engines deliver reasonable rather than thrilling performance and its handling isn’t the sharpest. It also gets a bit bouncy and flustered on bumpy roads and leans from side to side a lot when going around corners at speed, though newer versions do offer a reasonable combination of roadholding and comfort.
Inside, the Juke is, in all honesty, pretty cramped – only small kids will be happy in the back seats and you won’t get a great deal of luggage or shopping in the boot. On the plus side, standard equipment is good and many versions offer scope for personalisation with colour-coded interior and exterior trim pieces.
Key facts
Warranty | Three years/60,000 miles |
---|---|
Boot size | 354 litres |
Width | 1,765mm |
Length | 4,135mm |
Height | 1,565mm |
Tax (min to max) | £20 to £205 |
Best Nissan Juke for...
Best for Economy – Nissan Juke 1.5 dCi Visia
The diesel Juke uses a 1.5-litre engine that also appears in some Renault models. It’s very frugal, returning over 70mpg, but it’s not quite clean enough to slip below the threshold for free road tax, so it’ll set you back £20 a year in that department.
Best for Families – Nissan Juke 1.2 DiG-T Tekna
The Juke Tekna includes Nissan’s ‘Safety Shield’ pack as standard. This incorporates a 360-degree camera, lane-departure warning, blind-spot warning and detection of moving objects, serving as a ‘second pair of eyes’ that should give family buyers greater peace of mind on the road.
Best for Performance – Nissan Juke 1.6 DiG-T Nismo RS
‘Nismo’ is short for ‘Nissan Motorsport’ and is the name the company gives to its high-performance models. The hot Juke makes 215bhp and goes from 0-62mph in just seven seconds. It’s not quite as sharp as rival hot hatchbacks like the Ford Fiesta ST, but it’s pretty good fun nonetheless.
One to Avoid – Nissan Juke 1.6 DiG-T Tekna 5dr 4WD Xtronic
Really, we could put any 4WD Juke here. Not only does the 4WD system make the car more expensive to run, it also reduces the boot size from 354 to 251 litres and is only available with the ‘Xtronic’ automatic gearbox. Plus, the Juke is far from a full-on off-roader, even with four-wheel drive, so there’s little point in having it.
History
- May 2010 Nissan Juke goes on sale in the UK
- December 2010 Recall of 69 Nov 2010 Nissan Jukes and Notes for brake problem
- February 2011 Limited-edition Juke Shiro introduced
- January 2012 Recall of 2,700 Mar 2010-Nov 2011 Jukes for possible engine stalling
- April 2012 Recall of 4,600 Jan-Dec 2011 Jukes and Micras for possible fuel leak
- August 2012 Limited-edition ‘Ministry of Sound’ Juke introduced
- January 2013 Nissan Juke Nismo hot-hatchback model arrives
- February 2013 Recall of 2,500 Jun-Jul 2012 Jukes for airbag gas problem
- June 2013 1.5-litre diesel engine improved to reduce CO2 emissions
- March 2014 Revised Juke launched with new in-car tech and new petrol engines
- March 2015 Recall 3,500 Jun 2012-May 2014 Jukes for possible fuel leak
- November 2019 All-new second generation Nissan Juke goes on sale. First generation version is discontinued.
Understanding Nissan Juke names
Engine 1.6 DiG-T
The engine range includes turbocharged 1.2 and 1.6-litre petrols, which Nissan calls ‘DIG-T’ and a regular 1.6-litre petrol. There’s also a diesel, the 1.5 dCi.
Trim Tekna
Nissan Juke trim levels – or versions – start with the cheapest Visia and rise through Acenta, N-Connecta, Tekna and finally the Nismo RS hot hatchback.
Driven wheels 4WD
Juke is front-wheel drive as standard, but four-wheel drive can be specified.
Gearbox Xtronic
Six-speed manual and an automatic that Nissan calls ‘Xtronic’ are offered.
Nissan Juke Engines
Petrol: 1.2 DIG-T, 1.6, 1.6 DIG-T Diesel: 1.5 dCi
Like many manufacturers, Nissan has developed small turbocharged petrol engines to help meet the latest emissions regulations while retaining the performance buyers expect.
The 1.2-litre DIG-T turbocharged petrol should be the pick of the range for most buyers, as it offers a reasonable compromise between affordable running costs and acceptable performance for day-to-day driving.
There’s also a less sophisticated, non-turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine that is both less efficient and less powerful than the 1.2 – but it’s cheaper to buy in the first place. A more powerful version of this engine, with 115bhp, is your only option if you want a front-wheel-drive Juke with an automatic gearbox.
There’s also a more powerful turbocharged petrol, the 1.6-litre DIG-T, that makes 187bhp. It feels a bit like overkill in a car this small and is only available in the two highest trim levels, N-Connecta and Tekna. A modified version of this engine with even more power (215bhp) sits under the bonnet of the Juke Nismo RS hot hatchback.
If you want a diesel Juke, you have one option: the 1.5-litre dCi. It’s a little noisy on the move, but performs reasonably well and is head and shoulders above any of the petrols when it comes to fuel economy, returning just over 70mpg as long as you drive gently.
|
Fuel |
Mpg |
Bhp |
0 - 62mph |
top speed |
1.2 DIG-T |
Petrol |
48.7 - 49.6mpg |
113bhp |
10.8s |
111mph |
1.6 |
Petrol |
47.1mpg |
93bhp |
12.0s |
104mph |
1.6 |
Petrol |
46.3 - 47.1mpg |
115bhp |
11.5s |
106mph |
1.6 DIG-T |
Petrol |
43.5 - 47.1mpg |
187bhp |
8.0 - 8.4s |
124 - 134mph |
1.6 DIG-T |
Petrol |
38.2 - 39.2mpg |
215bhp |
7.0 - 8.0s |
124 - 137mph |
1.5 dCi |
Diesel |
68.9 - 70.5mpg |
108bhp |
11.2s |
109mph |
Nissan Juke Trims
Visia, Acenta, N-Connecta, Tekna, Nismo RS
The Nissan Juke range is quite straightforward compared to some rivals, with four regular trim levels – or versions – plus the range-topping Nismo RS hot hatchback.
Visia is the cheapest model, available as a two-wheel drive only with either the basic 1.6-litre petrol engine or the 1.5-litre diesel. You get a full set of airbags, a CD stereo with an MP3 player socket, 16-inch alloy wheels, air-conditioning, split-folding rear seats and electric windows all round as standard.
Next up is Acenta, which adds Bluetooth phone connectivity, a USB port, 17-inch alloys, darkened rear privacy glass, front foglights, a leather steering wheel and cruise control to the mix. The 1.2-litre turbo engine also becomes available here, but not the 1.6-litre turbo.
The N-Connecta majors on in-car technology, with a 5.8-inch touchscreen sat-nav system, digital radio, a reversing camera, power-folding heated mirrors, automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers. It also has sports seats and the option of personalising the interior with custom colours, plus it’s available with any engine save the most basic 1.6-litre petrol.
The Tekna includes all the N-Connecta’s features and available engines, but also adds the Nissan ‘Safety Shield’ system, with sensors to warn you of cars nearby when changing lane and a 360-degree camera to help with parking. It has comfortable heated leather seats, too.
At the top of the range, the Nissan Juke Nismo RS model gets its own 215bhp version of the 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, as well as a host of visual enhancements inside and out to set it apart from the regular Jukes. Sports suspension, upgraded brakes and 18-inch alloys also feature.
Nissan Juke Reliability and warranty
Warranty-wise, you get a fairly standard three years or 60,000 miles of cover, which is okay, but the rival Hyundai ix20 is more impressive in this regard, covering you for unlimited mileage for up to five years.
Used Nissan Juke
The Nissan Juke’s love-them-or-hate-them looks and less-than-stellar practicality mean it isn’t as popular on the used market as more conventional rivals, so its residual values suffer as a result. Depreciation is particularly steep in the first year of ownership (more than a quarter of the original value in the case of our top pick for families, the Juke 1.2 DIG-T Tekna), so a low-mileage, year-old Juke can be a real bargain. The small Nissan is a popular rental car, however, so watch out for examples that may have been used and abused by numerous drivers despite their short life.
With some cars, the high-performance versions are sought after by enthusiasts and so hold their value better than the more humdrum models in the range. That doesn’t really hold true for the Juke, though, as the Nismo RS isn’t as highly rated by keen drivers as the Ford Fiesta ST or Vauxhall Corsa VXR. A three-year-old example approaching 50% of its new value does give you a lot of performance for your money, however.
Other Editions
Juke (2019)
The first Juke's radical looks may have matured with this new model, but this reflects the newfound comfort, practicality and high-tech kit