New Nissan Juke will not come with diesel option

When Nissan created the Juke nine years ago, it was the start of a trend of smaller SUV/Crossover cars. They sold more than one million units in Europe in that time with sales in the bracket taking off since.

At that time, along with the Renault Captur, it opened the way for buyers with shallower pockets to join the SUV craze. Last week Nissan introduced us to the second generation on the roads around Barcelona.

Based on the same platform as the Captur, this was Nissan’s chance to right some of the wrongs of the original. Sitting on big 19” alloy wheels, the looks are still quite quirky, yet not as polarising as the initial version. It has leanings towards the signature design of the Qashqai, but still holds on to the big round headlights that dominated the front of the first car.

Tiny dimensions in the back were a major negative with the first model, as was the size of the boot. It is now longer and slightly wider with a stretched wheelbase that allows for more space for passengers.

Seats are fairly supportive all-round; while in the back, it’ll take two adults comfortably enough. You do get a bigger, 422-litre boot that, while still not massive, will at least take a couple of small cases.

Cabin changes are one of the highlights of the new Juke. Gone are the motorbike traits of before replaced by much improved materials and a friendlier cockpit. There’s a vast array of tech bits not seen before, and connectivity to remote services is impressive through Nissan Connect, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Google Assistance through a bigger screen mounted higher on the dash.

There’s only one engine choice, a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbo charged petrol with 117hp and 200Nm of pulling power. It’s the same engine used in the Micra and while not blessed with blistering pace – 0-100km in 10.4 seconds – it is quite capable of doing a decent job here for regular drivers.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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