JOE’s Oisin Collins was recently invited out Castle Durrow in Co. Laois to test-drive the newly updated Nissan Juke. Take a look…
After taking the all-new Nissan X-Trail for a spin (read our review here), we were given the chance to test-drive the newly updated Nissan Juke that now features a whole host of personalisation options and new engines.
Our day started out testing the all-new X-Trail, but as soon as we arrived in Castle Durrow we were handed the keys of the new Juke to take for a quick spin around the local area. The key word being ‘quick’. If only it was that easy…
Unfortunately for this particular JOE, it was only when we arrived in Laois that I remembered I had left my laptop in the boot of my own car, which was back in Nissan’s HQ… all the way back in Dublin.
So instead of a ‘quick spin’ around the local area, I found myself racing back up the M7 (within the speed-limit, of course) hoping to reach Park West on the Nangor Road before Nissan HQ closed shop for the night.
Thankfully, I managed to make it just in time and while the hour-and-a-half diversion was right pain in the arse, it gave me a chance to really get a feel for the new Juke.
The Juke I was driving featured a 1.2L DIG-T 115 petrol engine, which comes as an option to replace the outgoing 117PS 1.6-litre unit. Even for its small size the 1.2L engine performed phenomenally at motorway speeds and I have to say, I was very impressed with it.
The big selling point with the latest version of the Juke is the fact that it now features plenty of personalisation options that are available on the Acenta Premium and Tekna grades. The customisation packages allow you to add individual touches to the new Juke, with a rake of colours and funky quirks to tailor the look of the interior and exterior to how YOU want it.
The customisation packages include brightly coloured inserts that can be added, free of charge, to the aforementioned Acenta Premium and Tekna models. You can also change the colour of the centre console, door finishers, air vent rings, stitching on the gear knob, steering wheel, seats and the spedo hood lid cover. Outside, you can change the colour of the mirror cap covers, rims and headlamp finishers, right through to the front and rear bumper finishers. The video below will show you exactly what we mean…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpeIgrVu9ec
Standard equipment on all new Juke models includes LED daytime running lamps, CD radio with an AUX-In socket, driver seat height adjustment, drive computer, gear-shift indicator and tyre pressure monitor system.
The options get even better as you go up through the model grades and the most expensive package, the Tekna, will see you getting 17″ ‘Urban’ alloys, Nissan Safety Shield, ‘Premium’ leather seats, Heated front seats, Intelligent i-Key, Engine start button, Automatic lights, Rain-sensing wipers and Electric folding mirrors.
All-in-all, I really like the idea of the new Juke’s personalisation options, which is something that you can probably expect to see on more new cars in the not too distant future (see Opel Adam for example), and the 1.2L engine really performed well, especially on the long spin from Laois to Dublin – and back. While I personally like the look of the Juke (and love the look of the Nismo version), I still think it’s a bit of a Marmite car for the wider public in the sense that you either love the looks, or hate them completely…
For more on the new Nissan Juke, head over to Nissan Ireland’s website.
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