Compact SUV & Crossover review series: The Nissan Juke 1.6

Auto Arabia is well-known in Egypt and the Middle East region for providing our readers as well as our TV & Radio audience the most comprehensive and unbiased car reviews and test-drives, so that they can take the right purchase decision and chose the car which is the safest and most convenient for them and their families.

We started our comparison and test-drives series with the ‘Small Luxury Cars Comparison Test’ and then extended this series with the ‘Compact Sedans’ and the ‘Compact SUVs and Crossovers’ models, which are very popular in the Middle East in general and in Egypt in specific.

Our first test-drives in the Compact SUV & Crossover segment included the Renault Duster and the Nissan Juke, with other contenders in this segment (e.g. BMW X1, Nissan Qashqai, Daihatsu Terios, VW Tiguan, etc.) to follow shortly.

So, how did the Made-in-England Nissan Juke, which we had been awaiting for such a long time, perform in our test-drive?

Well, to start with the Nissan Juke is one of the very rare models in this segment to come with the live-saving and extremely important Electronic Stability Program ESP. So this alone should be worth 10 extra bonus points, as I personally consider this one of the most important active safety features you should consider when buying a new car.

Although we do not have too many rain seasons in Egypt, the Juke comes with rain sensors for the front wind-screen. You will probably not use it much but it will surely not harm.

The exterior mirrors are both foldable which comes in very handy when you park a lot on Egypt's congested and narrow streets.

When driving long distances the driver has enough leg-room and practical space where he can rest his left foot comfortably. But if your shoe size is bigger than 46, then you might not find this foot rest big enough.

But during those long trips and probably also during the long traffic jams you will surely miss an armrest which is not offered in the Juke. But I am sure that you will find something to compensate the missing armrest in the after-market and at some accessories shops in Demeshk road in Heliopolis.

Nevertheless you will probably not find anything to compensate the missing driver’s roof handle, which is also not available in the Juke.

The two handles for both the fuel tank cap and the trunk are mounted a little bit to low under the dashboard on the driver’s side, but you will probably get used to it once you own the Juke.

Unfortunately neither the buttons for the center-lock nor the glove compartment are illuminated, which I personally did not like. Also the glove compartment is not air-conditioned like in other compact cars such as the Skoda Fabia or the 2013 KIA Cerato for example.

The air-condition is very effective and worked very well during our short test-drive period, something for which the Japanese manufacturer is well-known for.

The ride is a little bit sporty, yet offers enough comfort due to the tire's size 215/ 55 R17 which come on alloy wheels and which I personally think is one of the best tire size and alloy wheel size combination you can have for Egyptian roads, in case you prefer a sporty ride, a little bit of comfort and good-looking rims at the same time.

The ride itself is quite high compared to normal compact sedan, which comes in very practical for drivers who prefer a good over-view. I am sure especially the female drivers will like this high driving position.

Since most of the SUV and Crossover owners do not drive off-road the Juke does not come with all-wheel drive. It is only available with front wheel drive which is more than enough for Egyptian roads and which surely saves more fuel than an all-wheel drive system.

There are enough cup-holders in the Juke but unfortunately it does not come with a sun-roof.

The seats of the Juke look nice, have an interesting and trendy color combination and are quite comfortable. The middle console also comes with an interesting design and color combination, matching well with the seats and doors color.

The Automatic CVT Transmission feels a little bit weird at the beginning, but as soon as you get used to it you would never want to miss it again, because it simply ‘shifts’ and moves you without even noticing any shift-points or interruptions in acceleration. This is very practical and convenient for those who seek a smooth and relaxed ride during Egypt’s hectic traffic.

The interesting thing about the Nissan Juke is that it can be used as self-driving car as well as a chauffeur-driven car, even though it has a quite compact size. If you have a driver or chauffeur then you can simple pull the front passenger seat to the very front, and you will have a huge leg-room on the back seat, as if you were driven in a limousine of the size of a BMW 5 series.

The biggest advantage and the most important thing about the Juke is that it comes with extremely important and live-saving Electronic Stability Program ESP, which makes it the ideal car for young and fresh driving license owners, small and trendy families, as well as for young boys and girls who want to drive a funky, sporty yet safe compact car with a good over-view which you get due to the higher ground clearance.

The current official price-tag of the Nissan Juke in Egypt is 167.000 LE (Egyptian Pounds) only. This makes it one of the very few cars offered in Egypt which had only a minimal price increase during the past few turbulent months. And for this relatively 'small' price our test-car even came with a built-in navigation-system and 17-inch wheels.

One last thing and a little advice from me personally to the car companies who offer good and safe cars in their model range: Always allocate one or two test-drive cars for professional car tester even before delivering the cars to the customers. Because if you have a good and practical car with useful and practical active and passive safety features, then rest assured that professional test-drives and reviews before the official launch of the car will get you even more potential customers, in addition to those already on the waiting list!

Sheta’s Conclusion:

My personal conclusion is that the Nissan Juke is surely one of the best cars in its segment due to its many options, advanced technology paired with a very competitive price.

The fact that is comes with the live-saving Electronic Stability Program (which Nissan calls Vehicle Dynamic Control VDC in all its models) makes it even one of the best and most recommendable cars in the Egyptian market.


MS
15.06.2013
Cairo


General Specifications and standard equipment of the Nissan Juke: (S stands for Standard-equipped)
Central Door Locking System S
17"Alloy Wheels S
Tires 215/55 R17 S
I-CON Advanced System for A/C & Driving Mode Control S
Full Auto A/C Climate Control (Ozone Safe) S
Remote Keyless Entry S
Push Engine starter S
Digital Trip Computer (Fuel Level & Consumption, Outside Temperature Display) S
Engine Immobilizer- Anti Theft System S
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) S
ABS- Anti-Lock Braking System S
EBD- Electronic Brakeforce Distribution S
BA- Brake Assist System S
Cruise Control with Steering Wheels Controls S
Rear Privacy glass S
Rear Wiper with Washer S
Rear Window Defroster S
Power Windows (Front & Rear) S
Power foldable Mirrors S
Auto Folding Mirrors with Key Lock S
Body Colored-Front & Rear Bumper, Outside Door Handle And Side Mirrors. S
Painted center console and door trim S
Double Din Audio System with 6 Speakers (AM/FM, CD/MP3, AUX) S
EPS- Electric Power Steering S
Multi-Function Steering Wheel (Audio Controls,Cruise Control, Call Answer/End) S
Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel S
Tiltable Steering Wheel S
Bluetooth S
Vehicle-speed-sensitive electric power steering (Drive Mode) S
Front Air Bags (Driver & Front Passenger Seat) S
Side Air Bags (Driver & Front Passenger Seat) S
Front Seat Belts Double Pre-Tensioner S
Front & Rear Head Rests S
Front Active head rests S
Child Anchors (ISO FIX) in the Back Seat S
Front Cup Holders (2) S
Rear seat split 60:40 S
Front Halogen Head Lamps S
Manual Front Head lamp levelizer S
Front & Rear Fog Lamps S
Intermittent Wipers S
Map Lamp S
Front Passenger Vanity Mirror S
Sunglass Storage Space S
High Mounting Stop Lamp S
Power outlet (12v)


Dimensions, Performance, Weight & Capacity of the Nissan Juke:

Engine HR16DE
Transmission Automatic-CVT
Overall length (mm) 4,135
Overall width (mm) 1,765
Overall height (mm) 1,570
Wheelbase (mm) 2,530
Track Front (mm) 1,525
Track rear (mm) 1,525
Min. ground clearance (mm) 185
Gross Vehicle Weight (kg) 1,640
Curb weight min/max (kg) 1208/1221
Seating capacity (persons) 5
Min.turning radius (curb to curb) 5.3 meters
Tires 215/55R17
Wheels 17-inch aluminum Sport
Luggage capacity (VDA) L 251 liters


Mechanical Features of the engine:
Code HR16DE
Type DOHC , 16 valve , 4 cylinder , In-line
Displacement (cc) 1598
Bore x stroke (mm) 78.0 X 83.6
Max. power (SAE GROSS) (hp/rpm) 118/6,000
Max. torque (SAE GROSS) (Kg-m/rpm) 17.0/4000
Compression ratio 10.7
Fuel supply Multi Point Injection
Fuel tank capacity (L) 52 liters
Transmission Type Automatic-CVT
Gear ratios Low: 4.006~HI: 0.55
Reverse 3.77
Final gear ratio 3.75
Suspension front: Strut
Suspension rear Torsion Beam
Brakes front Discs
Brakes rear Discs
Parking Hand