‘Stylish and well-equipped’ - Nissan's new Juke hybrid SUV

The car on test this week is Nissan’s new Juke hybrid. While this Juke may look identical to its siblings it is not as it boasts a hybrid powertrain that is self-charging.

So no plugging in! I personally believe this is the real solution as it is proven that many owners of plug in hybrids often don’t bother to search for a charging station when away from their home charger (if they even have one!). So this Juke hybrid certainly seems to make sense.

The engine and regenerative braking recharge the battery and the car then seamlessly switches between battery and petrol power. Prices start at €34,600 which is quite a premium over the entry-level pure petrol model which starts at €26,995.
So how did it fare?

How does it look?
I think the Juke has matured in its styling. I found the original version a bit too odd looking but this latest model really does look the part. Its still quite distinguished and individualistic looking. I like it!

What’s it like inside?
I for one welcome Nissan’s use of tactile controls for the main functions rather than have everything operated through a touchscreen. There is a touchscreen of course and it works pretty well though the graphics look very dated now. The Clear instrumentation is a clever blend of analogue and digital and again a refreshing release from the overly fussy fully digital displays of some rivals.

The Juke hybrid is also very well kitty with apple Car Play, Android Auto, auto lights and wipers LED headlights, diamond cut alloys, folding mirrors, keyless entry, start and lock, and a reversing camera. There are also a host of safety features. One item I feel deserves praise is that Nissan put a simple button on the dashboard to turn off lane assist. A must in this country when travelling off the motorway as lane assist can be intrusive and even dangerous as I have had cars try to adjust the steering when the camera mistakes a line of tar in the road for a road marking.

Well done Nissan, others take note please.

The compact exterior dimensions belie the reasonably roomy interior. Up front there is plenty of head and legroom, the rear is strictly for two adults and its a cosy fit but with adequate head and legroom nonetheless. The boot is reasonably small (the battery no doubt taking some space, you loose 68 litres over the standard petrol model) but you can fold down the rear seats if needs be.

What’s under the bonnet?
The Juke hybrid has an all new power plant, which features a 1.6 litre petrol which produces 94 bhp and a 49 bhp electric motor with power gong to the front wheels via an auto gearbox. The whole set up does work well and the car seems to re charge the battery pretty quickly. In the city environment it does run as an EV for quite a bit of the time, obviously less so on the motorway. Overall durning my weeks test it averaged 6.5 litres per 100km.

Will I enjoy driving it?
I don’t think you will jump into the Juke to drive it just for the hell of it. The Juke hybrid does everything well and nothing badly without overly impressing in any one area. That is indeed what most people want. So in short it drives well, handles well and stops well. Its fairly quiet and is easy to manoeuvre around town.

Hugh’s Verdict.
The New Nissan Juke hybrid is a good all rounder and the fact that its a self charging hybrid for me is it’s biggest virtue.
It's stylish, well put together and very well equipped. Worth a closer look if you are in the market for a compact hybrid SUV with style.