Nissan Juke: The crazy, sexy, & cool SUV

If you don’t remember your ‘90s music, the title comes from TLC’s 1994 album (the bestselling ever from a US girl group) and it feels very apropos to this subcompact crossover because it undoubtedly comes with qualities that are hard to quantify.

Near “Matchbox-y” in appearance, the Nissan Juke 1.6 Upper CVT looks like a very niche type of a vehicle that only a select few can appreciate. But judging by the number of units now plying the roads of Metro Manila and beyond, it’s plain obvious that Filipinos have taken to the various inimitable features of this vehicle.

What’s crazy, sexy and cool about it? Read on to find out.

Crazy

Nissan B0 platform

Believe it or not, the Juke actually uses an extended version of the wheelbase platform designed for much smaller Nissan models such as the Micra and Cube. So technically, it could have been much smaller than it already is.

Despite that, it is a five-seater that slots right under the X-Trail and looks miniature due to its eccentric styling but is a little larger when you see it in the sheet metal.

 

Interior space

What you’ve been hearing about the cabin is the truth: it is indeed compact. Three normal-sized adults would be a snug fit in the second row and there isn’t much ceiling either.

Two cup holders take the space of the center console with the shift lever right in front of it. There’s a no-slip grip cubbyhole right under the climate control system but it’s smaller than the size of most modern mobile devices.

If you’re planning to use this for an overnighter to Baguio with five friends, the drive’s going to be a blast. The challenge though will be fitting five pieces of luggage, and then some, in the boot.

You could just opt to dump your friends, bring the girlfriend, and use the extra space when you put down the 60/40 split rear seats for pasalubong when you get back and all will be forgiven.

Sexy

Body shape

Listen, there’s nothing out there right now that even comes close to the Juke in terms of uniqueness.

It’s inimitable and it stands out, firstly because of these curvy wheel arches (front and rear) inspired by the Coca-Cola bottle circa 1960s, and the oddly-shaped glasshouse that looks like a funky trapezoid when viewed from the side.

Rear door handles are neatly disguised into the window frame, which helps give the Juke a coupe look.

Alluring lights

Part of the Juke’s juicy exterior package are the stacked lights. It begins with the bulging and hook-shaped turn indicators on top of the front fenders that are simply eye-catching and the classic-looking headlamps on the outer edges of the extended grille.

Cool

Cabin appointments

It comes as no surprise that the shape of the gauges and interior appointments is as unconventional as the Juke’s exterior.

The center stack is framed in an all-glossy plastic and houses the infotainment system, plus the Integrated Control System (I-CON).

Connecting your mobile device via Bluetooth and managing the infotainment system is easy but there’s a learning curve to using the I-CON. The driver must select a function specified by the two buttons just on top of the small monitor at the bottom of the center stack to get it started.

Drive modes

The I-CON manages drive modes and climate control. While the latter is self-explanatory, the drive modes are worth mentioning.

I would stay in Sport mode as much as possible because it’s flat-out fun. But after averaging some nine kilometers per liter on Normal for a couple of days, my average went down to 8.1 kmpl after half a day on Sport.

It has a hyper 1.6 liter with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that allows the Juke to shimmy around in a wonderfully controlled but speedy fashion but it simply struggles to do that in Eco mode.

Normal comes up with a good compromise between performance and economy but Sport mode is what truly epitomizes the personality of the Juke.

Love it or hate it?

I would admit to being skeptical about the chances of the Juke when it was first launched. It seemed to me like a model you’d either only love or hate; no in-betweens.

Well, I’ve never been glad to be proven wrong.

Nissan has been long overdue for a hit, and while it’s not yet at the level of the ubiquitous B13 Sentra – well not yet at least – it’s growing in numbers and that shows where we’re leaning towards with regards this model.

And that’s clear love for the crazy, sexy, cool Nissan Juke 1.6 Upper CVT.