NISSAN JUKE TEKNA+

What is it?

I drove one of the early Jukes, and being honest, I wasn’t that impressed. I seem to recall it was the seating and driving position that upset me the most, but that didn’t stop folk from buying them by the bucketload as the roads seem to be littered with them. Even the Juke’s distinctive look didn’t put people off.

This second generation Juke is different on the outside, it looks more sleek, yet still retails its quirky style, whilst the interior is, well, I’ll get to that later.

On the road

The 115bhp 3-cylinder 1.0ltr engine has a decent amount of poke, and mated to the slick 6-speed manual ‘box means that was also quite an enjoyable drive, whether you’re in stop start town centre traffic or having a little fun on country lanes.

The Juke’s ride was on the whole comfy, but on certain pot-holed strewn town centre roads it felt a bit harsh with some of that harshness entering the cabin. That said, the Tekna+ is sat on 19” rims, so reducing those to 16” or 17” I suspect would make a bit of a difference. A friend commented on the wind and road noise, and to be fair there is a bit from the tyres, though wind noise is kept to a minimum, in my opinion.

As you weave you’re way through tight and twisty turns you’ll be surprised at how much grip it has, and it doesn’t wallow much, despite it’s height. Its steering feels light, perhaps better suited to city driving than having fun on country lanes, and that’s fine as a sports car it is not. On the subject of sportiness, it’ll get you from 0-62mph in around 10.7 seconds.

Fuel wise, after a week of all manner of driving styles and trips, after just under 300 miles it averaged 46mpg.

Off road

If you enjoy venturing off the beaten track the new Juke has quite decent clearance all ‘round, and despite being only available in 2wd, fitting decent tyres should get you further than you think. By the way, that’s not me giving you permission to go out and push the laws of physics, do be careful.

Interior

It’s much nicer than the last generation, and the quality looks and feels top notch. Up front the dash of the Tekna+ is a curious mix of Alcantara, soft trim and hard plastic. It isn’t unpleasant, just a little odd.

The dash layout is clean and uncluttered, and there are rotary dials for main heater controls, which is a bonus. On the subject of the Juke’s heater, Muddy Madam has never been more impressed by a car's heater, in the history of car heaters! She told me, that it was blowing out heat before she hit the main road.

The front seats seats are wonderfully comfortable, and the BOSE speakers built-in to the integrated head restraints offered a quality sound.

Despite narrow windows and a high waist, visibility was quite decent, the only exceptions being the Juke’s chunky rear pillars and small rear windows, which I can live with due to its overall look. However, the only thing that annoyed me throughout the week was the rear view mirror that dominates forward vision, and on more than a few occasions both Muddy Madam and I had to duck to see oncoming traffic at junctions.

Moving to the back, and with the drivers seat pushed back to accommodate my 6’2” frame I was pleasantly surprised to find more than enough legroom. There’s a decent amount of head and should room, too.

In the boot there’s a false floor that makes loading and removing heavy objects a breeze as there’s zero lips at the boot entrance, and the 60/40 split folding rear seats fold almost flat.

With the rear seats upright there’s 422 litres of space, and when folded flat there’s 1305 litres.

As you would expect from a top model like the Tekna+, there are quite a number of add-ons like full 360º camera and high beam assist.

Engine ‘n’ transmission

Nissan have ditched the diesel which means you only have one engine to choose from, and it’s gutsy enough. You do get the option of the 6-speed manual or 7-speed auto.

Conclusion

The new Juke was one of those rare cars at Muddy Towers that Muddy Madam wanted to, and did, drive more than me, which is a high compliment if ever there was one.

There maybe other vehicles in its class that are a bit better at certain things than the Juke, but overall I enjoyed my week with it, and it looks great, especially in Fuji Sunset Red with a Pearl Black roof.

price: £24,360, with options, £24,530

more at » https://www.nissan.co.uk