Nissan Juke Hybrid review

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Full marks to Nissan for keeping
faith with the maxim while updating
its likeable crossover-hatchback
supermini...”

ON THE OUTSIDE this updated second-generation Juke appears nearly identical to its predecessor — definitely a major plus.

As, too, is Nissan's reintroduction of its vivid, luminous-bright 'Iconic Yellow' paintwork, something that's sure to be big hit with extrovert buyers. But it's inside where you'll find a host of trim and tech improvements.

Not so long ago the burning question for prospective buyers was "How fast does it go?" Today, the Number One question is "Pure electric or hybrid?" This updated Juke gives you the choice. Depending on your 'greenness', it can be either a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turboed petrol mated to a six-speed stick-shift (a seven-speed dual-clutch autobox is also available), or a hybrid-electric utilising a three-pot 1.6 petrol engine working alongside an electric motor and putting the power down through the front wheels via a four-speed automatic gearbox.

“Climb aboard and
regardless of what trim
level you’ve chosen
you’ll find yourself in a
markedly upgraded
cabin.
Thankfully, Nissan has
resisted the temptation
to throw out the original-
gen Juke’s delightfully
quirky interior.
The revamped new cabin
boasts plenty of
interesting detailing to
give it the appeal absent
in many of its rivals...”

The Juke Hybrid is not just one of those half-hearted 'mild' hybrids, but a full hybrid. And a very clever one at that. One that seamlessly teams electric motors and a petrol engine. A smart electronic control module orchestrates the optimum petrol-electric powertrain mix needed to serve up optimum power for acceleration, cruising or plain old pootling all the while ensuring the Juke is performing as efficiently as possible.

And to answer that superseded, but still very relevant question: top speed for the Hybrid is 103mph, with 0-62mph acceleration served up in 10.1 seconds. Emissions are 109g/km.

For the record, if NZ is always on your mind, then 2027 will be your significant year because that's when the third-gen all-electric Juke is predicted to hit the streets. Immaculate timing given that from 2030 the UK Government will compel all motorists to drive an EV — whether you want to or not.

Driving the Juke hybrid is, as they're fond of saying in the ads, 'simples'. Essentially, snick the selector lever into Drive and away you go. More good news is that the autobox feels so much livelier than the 'gooey' CVT transmissions many carmakers still insist on fitting. The Hybrid's default pull-away is crisply done in EV-mode; the result is satisfyingly brisk getaway delivered with the speed and hush of a pure electric car. The hybrid Juke will cheerfully run on pure electric power whenever the 'EV' dash-button is pressed and it's good for speeds up to 34mph for almost two miles with a fully charged battery. Once the battery is discharged the Juke automatically reverts to hybrid mode.

Press down firmer with your right foot and, around 30mph, the combustion engine chimes in, adding extra oomph to the party. Overall, the powertrain behaves well, carrying on calmly in the background while leaving you free to concentrate on the traffic and road conditions. For hassle-free city driving press the E-Pedal button. Doing so summons up noticeably stronger regenerative braking which facilitates one-pedal driving: the 'loud pedal' acting as both accelerator and brake (you can brake to a stop whenever you ease off or fully lift off).

Officially the hybrid Juke returns a smile-inducing 58.8mpg. Over the course of a hard-driven week on mixed roads and in poor weather condition, we averaged 54.3mpg overall. Significantly, a six-hour drive on congested roads from Kent to Devon saw an impressive 56.7mpg. And making the whole thing a hundred times better is a crucial core benefit of Nissan's hybrid drivetrain: No PTSD-inducing range anxiety, something that's fly in the ointment for all EVs. Another big 'plus' underscoring the Juke's very agreeable mpg figures is the reassurance of a 400-mile range.

For many drivers the icing on the cake will be the avoidance of any faffing around plugging in your Juke. Instead, it's charged up the same way as the Honda HR-V and the Toyota Yaris Cross: by its petrol engine functioning as a generator. This ensures the battery is continually being topped up as you drive along. Less obviously, charging also takes place through regenerative braking every time you lift-off or brake.

So much for the essentials. Now onwards and inwards to the smart new cabin… Swing open the driver's door, climb aboard and regardless of what trim level you've gone for, be it the entry-level Visia or the top-end Tekna+ N-Sport specs, you'll find yourself in a markedly upgraded cabin. To their credit Nissan have resisted the temptation to throw out the original-gen Juke's delightfully quirky cabin and this uprated cabin boasts plenty of interesting detailing to give it the appeal absent in many of its rivals.

“With its planted stance,
emphasised by its
wheel-at-each-corner,
the Juke sure looks fun
to drive. And it is too.
This latest version feels
both sportier and more
focused and you’ll be
confident about upping
the pace through the
twisty bits where,
making good use of its
eager steering and
reassuring front-end grip,
you can exploit its
compact dimensions...”

Stand-out new tech notably includes a touchscreen and digital instrument display. Standard-fit on our Tekna+ test was a central landscape-format 12.3-inch TFT screen tilted towards the driver for a clearer view, its 1920 x 720 pixel format guaranteeing pin-sharp clarity; its 'home' screen helpfully features widgets for the most-used functions.

Easily personalised, it's specced with all the must-haves including built-in SatNav, wireless Apple and Android smartphone mirroring, live info services (courtesy of NissanConnect), rearview camera (excellent 1.3 megapixel resolution) and voice recognition software. Equally welcome is the 12.3-inch driver's digital instrument panel; this too can be customised in keeping with your personal preferences with different 'dials', active mapping and easy-to-read driving info.

While not glaringly obvious this refreshed Juke is a now tad bigger, measuring 4,210mm long by 1,980mm wide. The wheelbase, at 2,636mm, is longer too, by 100mm. Consequently, passenger space is fine. Up front, the driver and his passenger sit high and enjoy excellent views of the outside world while seated in supportive sporty-looking and comfortable seats with Alcantara bolstering. There's a comfy centre armrest, seat-height adjustment on both front seats, BOSE speakers incorporated into the integral head restraints and a sporty three-spoke, flat-bottomed multifunction wheel. Grown-ups seated behind the front pair enjoy decent knee- and leg-room.

The dash is attractively styled, ergonomics are logical with controls and switchgear exactly where you'd expect to find them, and the cabin ambiance is one of the most appealing in its class thanks to stylish touches such as Alcantara trim to the fascia, centre console and door panels, along with practical improvements such as a larger glovebox and a new electric handbrake.

There's also a dedicated climate control panel with proper function buttons. Yay! Throw in new trim materials and tight fit and finish and the cabin looks and feels like it's been put together by people who really do take a pride in what they're doing. And if a black-on-black theme doesn't cut it for you, then brighter colourways for the seats, dash and doors are on the menu.

The range-topping Tekna+ has a long list of standard kit to keep you smiling: heated front seats, 'quick clear' front screen, Bose Personal Plus audio system, wireless phone charging, auto-dimming rearview mirror, front and rear parking sensors, extra USB ports in the rear, heated windscreen, heated steering wheel and front seats, ambient interior lighting, 19-inch alloy wheels, and Nissan's Advanced Safety Shield pack (more details below). There's also two-tone metallic paint and black leather/Alcantara trimmed seats.

These latest Juke models come with increased active safety systems, including stability control which works commendably well and without fuss when you need it. Other new 'assists' include intelligence speed assist (it watches the road signs you pass and audibly warns if you exceed the posted limit), autonomous emergency braking and an event data recorder that stores info that might come in handy in the event of an accident.

You also get cybersecurity protection designed to foil relay attacks, plus a lane-keeping system, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot intervention (during overtaking/lane changing on motorways), driver alert monitor, a very-much-appreciated 360-degree surround-view camera set-up for hassle-free parking, and ProPilot — Nissan's 'piloted driving' technology that enables automated follow-to-stop cruise control with lane steering.

“When travelling two up
you can fold down
the rear seats,
transforming the boot
into a practical 1,237-litre
loadbay that’s made
even better by the
seamless and level cargo
bay floor stretching all
the way forward to
the front seatbacks.
Access through the
good-sized and wide-
opening hatch aperture
is easy-peasy...”

With its planted stance, emphasised by its wheel-at-each-corner, the Juke sure looks fun to drive. And it is too. Underpinned by an all-steel platform shared with Dacia's Sandero and Renault's Clio and Captur models, this latest Juke feels both sportier and more focused. You'll be confident about upping the pace through the twisty bits where, making good use of its eager and light (but not too light) steering and reassuring front-end grip, you can exploit its compact dimensions.

Cool all-new five-spoke 19-inch alloy wheels (each design is unique to specific trim grades) don't corrupt the ride — not even on sad city blacktop. For the most part the Juke simply shrugs off the imperfections. You'll discover the ride quality has been sympathetically fettled to provide a well-judged balance between sporty handling and ride comfort and makes for a far more relaxing travel experience for passengers and driver alike.

It helps too that both road noise and the engine remain pleasantly muted. Simply put, whether you're pootling or pressing on, in its class this Juke is now a much nicer car in which to get from A to B or even to Z. On long motorway trips the Juke notches up the miles smoothly, keeping all aboard relaxed and at ease. Drivers of autobox-equipped models can, should they wish, activate ProPilot to keep the Juke safely in its lane while holding a set speed and maintaining the distance between its nose and the vehicle ahead.

The Juke load-carrying ability is far better than you might think. In non-hybrid guise it offers an accommodating 422 litres. However, on hybrid versions the drive battery does commandeer a chunk of that which reduces the boot to 354 litres. Still that pretty good for a compact crossover.

The Juke's boot benefits from a floor set level with the load lip for easier loading — and the hidden bonus is the out-of-sight extra storage below that will take a couple of biggish squidgy bags. When travelling just two up you can fold down the rear seats, transforming the boot into a practical 1,237-litre load bay made even better by the seamless and level cargo bay floor stretching all the way forward to the front seatbacks. Access through the good-sized, wide-opening hatch aperture is easy-peasy. And, if you have the need, it will tow a handy braked 750kg.

Still a strong contender on anybody's supermini list, this easy-to-like, distinctive-looking and much more refined Juke ticks all the right boxes: fun-to-drive compact crossove; slick city car (with a parking-friendly footprint); economical long-distance trooper. Even if you only buy one for its uber-cheeky looks you'll get so much more than you bargained for, as you'll discover the moment you begin driving. Be bold — go for the Iconic Yellow paintjob! ~ MotorBar

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