Nissan Juke Nismo Review

The Nissan Juke Nismo can be described in so many ways. Its looks are cute, yet its power is mean, its curves are sporty, yet it still holds a degree of subtleness. This is one of those cars that gets looks from the punters. People are attracted to it, whatever the reasons. They want to know more. It’s well designed.

Style

The Juke Nismo is of course not a thousand miles in terms of design from the regular Nissan Juke, which in itself is an unusual, yet-attractive-enough, looking car. The Nismo version however, is sleeker, more sporty and definitely stands out by comparison. The bumpers are extended and the body kit is angrier. The 18" alloy wheels also say that this car means business.

Drive

All of you Gran Turismo fans will be utterly aware of what Nismo means – Nissan Motorsport. Sure, this Nissan Juke Nismo is nowhere near as mean and angry as what you would get in the Juke R, but it is still a force as a road car. The Juke Nismo I drove was designed for the road, and instead of the 400+ hp which is on offer with the Juke-R this machine offers a not-too-shabby 197hp. This horsepower is delivered through a turbo-charged 4 cylinder 1.6litre DIG-T engine. This car should get you from 0-100km in about 7.8 seconds and according to Nissan it has a top speed of 215 k/mh. The engine does of course offer some nice, yet subtle enough, noises.

Because the vehicle is small in size I found the handling to be impressive too. During our test drive we brought this car on some very windy country roads, through cities and on motorways and found that the Juke Nismo was well-capable of dealing with them. The suspension of the vehicle is tight. This is most noticeable while driving over speed ramps and/or potholes. I found the steering to be immaculate and the gears proved to be very pleasant.

Inside

Inside the car is comfortable to the front and the suede seats truly hugged my back. I am a massive fan of the dark interior. There is an enclosed and safe feeling to the front. It’s not claustrophobic, yet it is tight. The rear on the other hand is a bit short for my liking. I measure in at nearly 6 foot and I would find it to be uncomfortable to journey in the rear. My kids loved it though!

In terms of technology, this car has buckets of it. There are three drive choices, “normal”, “eco” and “sport”. When you put it to “sport” you can feel the car tightening up and it informs you of how much boost is going through the engine. When you choose “eco” the car rates how you’re driving with a star system, and in “normal” it’ll tell you what torque you are hitting and how you are hitting it. The dash and all of the electronics on the vehicle are very informative, and all of this comes through the impressive 5.8 inch touch-screen in the centre console.

Fuel economy, Price, etc

Everything is pretty dandy so far in this review. One of my problems with this car however is to do with the fuel tank. This is something that irritates me about the Nissan Juke Nismo. The tank is too small. It’s a 46 litre tank, and in my experience I found that despite the “eco” drive option, this car runs out of fuel too quick for my liking. I’m not saying that this car doesn’t offer good fuel economy, because the fuel economy isn’t too bad. I am saying that because the fuel tank is so small you will be visiting the petrol station a bit too often. This is a car that potential owners will want to drive – a lot. After my full test drive I averaged 7.6 l/100km, which is not a terrible figure, especially considering the power and nature of this beast - but the needle went down far too quickly in terms of fuel.

The Nissan Juke Nismo is available in 2WD and 4x4 and respectively the prices are €29,875 and €33,575.

The CBG.ie verdict

This really is a nice car. I wouldn't have called myself a fan of the run-of -the-mill Juke, but believe it or not this particular car has certainly opened my eyes to the unique styling on offer here from Nissan.

Would I recommend this car? Absolutely, especially if you're into a road car that offers great performance.