1. Home
  2. Road Test
  3. So we got a 2012 Nissan Juke
So we got a 2012 Nissan Juke

So we got a 2012 Nissan Juke

by Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury. August 7, 2011.


The Nissan Juke didn’t make much sense to us, considering the Qashqai was already on sale here. But it has apparently become a hit wherever it has gone on sale so far. This is the first time we got to look at the Juke in person, and it is seemingly nothing like the Qashqai on which it is based.

For one, it looks totally weird. Judging by comments by our readers, most seem to hate it, but we secretly find it amusingly unique and likeable. The real headlights are actually those cleverly-disguised circles in the grille, while the pointy ones are just driving lights.

It became clear to us that the Juke wasn’t built to be wholly practical, with its sloping roofline and chopped rear. Still, this thing gets more attention than any Porsche, Bentley or Mini we’ve ever driven, at least until it becomes more common.

The interior is a mixture of premium and cheap. You get a fancy motorcycle-inspired centre-console, some intricate fabric upholstery, a colourful animated screen for the a/c, a starter button and the steering wheel out of a Maxima. But then everything else is hard plastic, there is no centre armrest, and the door armrests aren’t really padded.

The pretty front seats offer plenty of space, both manually-adjusted. And the step-in height is barely higher than that of a Tiida.

The rear is surprisingly spacious, as long as you’re not above 6 feet tall. No cup-holders, a/c vents or padded armrests whatsoever though.

The boot offers as much as space as that of a large hatchback. But there is a tub underneath the floor to stuff some more items in. And the rear bench split-folds.

The interesting part about this entire package is that all of it will cost about the same as a fully-loaded Honda Civic. And for the money, you get a pretty good turbo engine and entertaining driving dynamics. But more on that in the full review.

About the author

Mashfique Hussain Chowdhury

Previous article
So we got a 2012 Honda Civic
Next article
Competition: Win a big Ramadan gift hamper

What do you think?

*

Comments

  1. Uggghh… The designer must have been on drugs, or probably drunk.

  2. ah! finally its here :). the turbo 1.6l, the uniqueness, ah! must surely check it out. waiting for the full review, bro!

  3. what a joke!! hehe

  4. I kinda like it…

    • May be not everyone hates it.

    • Me too Faisal Khatib. I fell in love with the vehicle at first sight and since then, love the vehicle from its design and beauty point of view regarding the exterior, especially. Well, the interior is even better and the car is surely an innovation.

  5. lol biggest joke of the year is here….

  6. Ahan….. Now I know which is the headlights.

  7. Mash is this the 1.6 189 hp engine for real?

  8. It is really confusing. All of car magazines and websites praised this car high while readers hated its design. I would say that for me the external design is bold and different, but the internal design and color scheme is a very very bad. Good performance will not be an execuse for such interior!

  9. It is a bold design, it addresses the issue of character that most mainstream cars lack nowadays, i give thumbs up for trying to make a difference..

    But for god’s sake not like this!! Its just too overdone and too overfunky..

    & I thought the mini cooper was gay..

  10. That center console inspired from a motor cycle is the gayest idea ive ever seen in the history of gay ideas..
    Its undesirable to look at cuz it looks like a motorcycle fuel tank is actually sitting in the middle of the car..

    Also the confusing foglamps and frog eyes on top more like a mutated fish/frog..

    Finally, the nissan maxima steering wheel looks like a bloody magic lamp…

    It is a strong design statement but just too strong that it might get you color blind..

  11. I think they mispelled its name…JUKE or JOKE!!!

  12. Gotta love the mixed response here. 😀
    I sorta like this design. And I think it has something to do with the Juke’s buggy-like profile which depicts a “fun-to-drive” image (even though it isn’t a true off-roader). And I believe most of the reviews on it’s driving characteristics have been mostly positive. Though I’ll admit I do have a niggle with the rear design and the front grille should have been a little less… happy.

    It’s got it’s own unique (and bold) character which turns heads and induces a somewhat interesting debate as we can see on this post and this is, any day, better than a conservative, generic design that Toyota and Honda offer.

    • Too happy looking is the perfect way to explain it… If it had a more masculine/boxy/aggresive character it would be much stronger and bolder..

      Yes it stands out of the boring crowd of mainstream softroaders (which is a segment i hate and despise) but it stands out just too high!!

  13. Author

    Let it be known that this thing is insanely fun on gravel. Nothing else this small I can think of has a high-torque turbo engine, handbrake, ground clearance and all-wheel-drive, except for the Mini that costs twice as much. Let’s not even talk about the bloated Range Rover Evoque.

  14. FUGLY

  15. This would have been such a hit if only it wasnt so ugly ;P

  16. I know of 1 group of people who will like it; the same ones who think a Pathfinder is too big and will never buy any German/American car; in fact even if you hand them 100000 dhs they will buy a Hyundai Tucson….

    • Ya people would buy Tucson, since its more comfortable than Pajero, Xterra or Fortuner version that comes in 100,000 range. You seat rarely 5 people together. Most of the times you are driving single to office, why waste another 30-4000dhs in gas guzzling 7 seaters. A Tucson is more practical choice unless your road consists of trail to office or you need 4x4s with strong pickup chassis. Half of the people buy proper 4×4’s and compromise ride quality and leg spaces, just to show off and bully around people in road.

    • then you may change your nick name from (v6turbo) to v4turbored

  17. If the front look like the new qashqai then it would be a pretty cool car, or else drop that engine in the qashqai up the power to 200hp+, Or just bring back the 200sx/Silvia and proper Skyline Sports cars. Nissan obsessed with suv’s, when they use to make some amazing sports cars

    • So you calling the GTR a fake?? Nissan is the only true japanese car maker still making sports cars..do you see toyota, honda, mitsubishi, mazda come up with anything?? apart from that over priced LFA which is pointless, has no pedigree and beat for performance before it was even made..

    • @Spyke Only Toyotas and Hondas are the ones who went back from making a sports car. Mazda has the RX-8 with rotary 1.3ltr engine which can rev upto 10,000RPMs. But though its not coming here. And Mitubishi still have their EVO 10 on production. New Nissan GT-R R35 was lacking the true Skyline edge. But they made it up almost in the new 2012 Nissan GT-R. But not completely.

    • @Rahul-mate the new skyline is as a godzila now as it was when it first came out period!And in terms of driving edge its an evolution of the original,meaning its better.
      It beat everything when the new GTR R35 first came out and now it just owns everything with the new one.and neither the evo nor the rx-8 can match that thing.
      Im talkin about the era when toyota had the supra, mitsubishi had the 3000GT,honda had the NSX, mazda had the monster RX-7,and nissan had the Skyline..Where are the cars from that era?? For now the GTR is in a class above evrything else from japan.

    • But if you look at owners reviews not everyone has a good opinion. But yes majority are with good reviews. But previous generation owned people are mostly disappointed with the new R35.

    • @ Rahul-Thats human psycology. Whenever a newer version of their car shows up, they will loath it. The catch is this – the GTR is supposed to be a ‘Super Car’ and has managed to beat almost everything to come out of Italy and Germany while being priced at 1/3rd of their price. As for the NSX and the RX-8, they are just sports car and not GTR rivals. I don’t see any reason why the GT-R should be rated less than the 911. Now before you guys start rating ‘me’, I’m not a Nissan fanboy.

    • This is the reason why I find newer not better. My friend in his college days got to keep the R33 Skyline for a months to two. Then the time he was working in Abu Dhabi that’s when the R35 released and he bought it. Must say it was an awesome ride. But according to him it was not as good as the R33. And the thing which scared him was the transmission at times it didn’t downshift at times and had hesitation for acceleration. It was later fixed by the dealer. Those who straight away get into R35 would find it really really awesome. But it wouldn’t be the same experience for those who have driven the previous generation. And the 2012 model GTR just got better.

  18. i don’t know whether i like it or hate it.
    its an ugly car but its different the side of the car is the nicest part of it and the interior omg that’s the ugliest interior iv ever seen.

  19. It’s a fun car. The interior might be a gimicky but that engine makes up for it. I’d love to see that engine in a more sporty smaller car…maybe a Zelas competitor. Anywho I repeat, I like it. It looks better in reality than in pictures.

  20. It’s a disgrace to SUVs, an experiment totally gone wrong!

  21. who the heck said it was an SUV??Its a crossover to begin with and a funky at that.. and i kinda like the design,,its different..and something new..

  22. HUH,

    very small for me,

    the seats, i wont fit innnnnnnnnnn,,,

    and no arm rest, its a big pain, i cant drive then,

  23. its the interior that I did not like….but from outside, it looks different and nice! dunno about performance, but from spec figures, Mash and Faisal, it seem to be a lot of fun!

  24. this thing would look good if they dint have those headlights

  25. So We Have A Cross Over With 188hp With a Very Good Handling And I Think A Four Wheel Drive Is Offered Too Which Means its Enjoyable And It Can Go 0-100km/h In 7.5sec..Really Good..Maybe For Some It Is Ugly And Others Could Say Its Great About Its Design And The interior is A Bit Cheap But Indeed its A Good Deal With A Great Price..

  26. Purchased this car in California in May, and absolutely love it. Very responsive, quick, elevated profile, love how it handles. Best in busy, urban environments, but was pleased with its highway performance as well. My previous cars have been Lexus es330, Camry and accord. Like this better than those. Fun and gets attention.

  27. does the interior only come in that red?does it have bluetooth and cruise control?

  28. I’d ditch the big round headlamps for nissan pathfinder style lamps embedded into grille..

  29. While I think the exterior is unique, i have a problem with the interior color scheme. In the pictures, the red bits looks a bit too much plastic / cheap. I wonder if more sober colors are available.

    The interior maybe small, but likewise an all-wheel drive, and a pretty powerful engine is rare in this segment. I’m just hoping, with the arrival of this particular model, they will introduce the new Tiida (sport) hatchback with the same engine.It’s already out in China, and its expected to come to the U.S. this fall, so I’m hoping the same happens here.

    I visited the showroom yesterday, its not on display in the Deira showroom. Wonder when its coming though. Any idea when is the showroom launch? or is it coming after Ramadan?

  30. —-PUKE—-

  31. in my view, toyota iQ much juke-able then this nissan juke,

  32. This car hit peoples minds including myself.. I think it stands out as a contreversial design statement just like the 1st generation Audi TT did.. Except the TT looks brilliant..

  33. all what i know is that this car looks better in personal then in pictures!! but i dont get the point of a 90000+ (full opt) car. it isnt even a 4 whell i guess..

  34. yeah but then again even civic also cost somewhat the same..

  35. its made for young people who like funcky and cheap stuff..

    the price is very good and the stuff inside are good and enough to engoy with your friend…

    the design is a try from nissan as usual to introduce new one instead of copying and duplicating with minor changes and stretches..

    the engine is what matters with me…1.6 with a turbo..easily can be modified and get more power with 4 wheel drive and good clearance..i would take it any where and dont care about it…
    it will be cheap..

    its acc. as i can see is in the high 6 seconds..which is perfect for this car.

    if the new tida came with the same engine, just cant imagine what people can do with a bit of remapping

  36. The sports car of the masses for right now. But the engine is too small. Make it at least 1.8 L turbo or 2.5 non turbo & i’ll buy it.

  37. Its 1.6 engine & priced from between 80 under 100 & thats where they have got it wrong. Currently the market has some superb cars in less than 90 range & superb as well. you get sportage 2.4 , optima 2.4 , u get sorento 2.4 around 90. Well there are others as well but stick to kia, they r hot

  38. What shape is it???????? Confused and that too a 2WD!!!!!!!
    Its a joker car

  39. butt ugly….

  40. hate it or love it , one thing is for sure sumthing abt dis car has got every1 talking

  41. All you haters are High. this car is amazing and its my Dream car so all of you need to stop smoking your stupid marajuana shxt and get a life.

  42. all of you commenters are jokes haha funny.

  43. ppl who say its ugly just don’t have a sense of style…its amazing its for the younger age,not for 30 year-old ppl who just want a car that is relaxing and pretty much boring, this car puts the f in fun, so u ppl who dont like it go get a life and go talk about a lexus or a toyota which will actually fit ur boring lives….XD

  44. i drove this car for 6 minth..its the best car recomended for ladies or girl..no complains so far as im happy..but i rather it added with turbo since im into sport car

Recent Comments

Browse categories

Browse archives