Nissan Juke (10 on) - Review

We tested the 108bhp diesel engined six-speed manual and the 187bhp petrol engine. Both offered decent performance: enough to enable sharp getaways in city traffic and enough to cruise along in reasonable comfort on motorways. You can feel the weight of the car when you are trying to overtake on a B-road in the diesel - you've only got 108bhp after all - but the 240Nm of torque delivered at 1,750 does give you extra reassurance when you put your foot down to pass the car in front. The 187bhp petrol engine is smooth and the power delivery is satisfying and brisk: 0-62mph on the lighter, front-wheel-drive version takes just eight seconds only, although the four-wheel-drive model takes 0.4s longer to get to the standard benchmark. The top-spec petrol model's top speed is 133mph (124mph for the four-wheel-drive), which isn't too shabby for a car that weighs 1,735kgs, while the 108bhp model will get to 110mph if you keep your foot in all the way. The diesel will max out at 108mph. We recommend the manual with all Jukes, but if you are insistent on having the four-wheel-drive petrol you'll have to go for the CVT, which isn't particularly responsive, burns more fuel and is slower. The four-wheel-drive also includes Nissan's torque vectoring system where power is split 50/50 between the front and back wheels and shifts all the power from the left to right wheels depending on conditions.

A game of two halves. While we liked the levels of grip that the Juke offered in tight corners as well as the quick steering, but we weren't that enamoured with the ride and amount of body lean. The Juke, in any guise, tends to lunge quite heavily if you enter a corner with any kind of gusto and that rather stiff suspension can start to irritate when cruising on less-than-smooth road surfaces. Although quick, the steering still is a little rubbery and you never feel that connected to the road. The gearchange can be a little niggly when you changing across the 'H' but it's okay when moving the lever directly backwards or forwards. The Juke isn't a car you would go for if you want driving enjoyment, but as a motorway or urban cruiser it's good enough for the job. On Acenta trim and above you can opt for the Nissan Dynamic Control system that has three settings: Eco, Normal and Sport. This adjusts the steering and throttle response according to the driving conditions. If you want to save fuel in city traffic stick it in Eco but if you are cruising around town or on a B-road you can leave it Normal. Then if you feel the need to have a bit of a blast, shove it in Sport mode and you'll feel a marked, and welcome, change in the throttle response, in particular. A display will give you information about your fuel consumption when in Eco and tell you information about the car's performance in the other modes.