Can an interior-focused revamp continue the market-shaping crossover's appeal before it goes electric?
It’s thanks to the commercial success of the original Nissan Juke that the segment known to some as B-SUV (B is the prefix traditionally used to identify superminis) exists at all.In fact, it’s at least partially Nissan's doing that the compact crossover hatchback has become Europe’s biggest automotive market growth area. When the Juke was first launched in 2011, it was the only real model in its class. Within five years, there were 20 rivals. Now, there are more than 40.Inevitably, that success cleared the path for a second-generation Juke. But that also ramped up the pressure. The second-generation Juke arrived in 2020 with plenty of changes. Whereas the original has a specially adapted chassis used only by Nissan, this one is based on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s CMF-B platform, which also underpins the likes of the Dacia Sandero, Renault Clio and Renault Captur.Diesel and four-wheel-drive powertrains have been ditched in favour of a more modern petrol unit that sends its power exclusively through the front wheels.Inside, it has a much bigger boot – almost doubling the original’s tiny 251-litre capacity to 422 litres – as well as extra passenger space and more upmarket materials.The Juke has now received a mid-life facelift, which is set to take it from 2024 until it is replaced by an all-electric third-generation model based on the Nissan Hyper Punk concept.That said, this is one of those cases where 'facelift' isn't the best description: Nissan has barely touched the exterior – aside from the return of an 'iconic' (Nissan's description, not ours) yellow exterior paint option. Why hasn't Nissan changed the look? Well, customer research suggests that design is the number-one reason customers buy a Juke – so why change something that's working?The powertrains are also unaltered, so the focus of these revisions is very much on refining and improving the interior, which was beginning to lag behind key rivals such as the Ford Puma, Skoda Kamiq and Vauxhall Mokka.So how successful has Nissan been in keeping the Juke competitive in the class it invented? Let's find out.The Nissan Juke range at a glance The second-generation Juke was launched in 2020 with a lone choice of engine, the 1.0-litre turbo petrol three-pot that’s also used in the Sandero and Clio, here producing 112bhp. It’s available with a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.It was joined in 2022 by Renault’s E-Tech hybrid powertrain, which combines a four-speed unsynchronised dog ’box with a 48bhp electric motor, a 20bhp starter-generator – drawing power from a 1.2kWh liquid-cooled bettery – and a 93bhp naturally aspirated 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.Trims range from Visia up through Acenta, N-Connecta (renamed Acenta Premium in the 2024 facelift), Tekna and, from 2024 onwards, N-Sport and Tekna+, which comes with 19in alloy wheels, two-tone paint and part-leather seats as standard. Acenta Premium cars have sat-nav, a rear parking camera, cruise control and LED headlights.The N-Sport trim that arrived in the 2024 update comes with a contrasting colour for the roof, wheel arches, mirror caps and A- and B-pillars.
