New Nissan Juke Review

The second-generation Nissan Juke is in showrooms now, priced from £0 Advance Payment for Motability Scheme customers. For this you get the N-Connecta trim, which comes with a rear view camera, TomTom navigation, push button start, ambient lighting and automatic climate control. Upgrade to the Tekna model and for £699 Advance Payment you also get upgraded alloy wheels, a 360-degree colour camera, intelligent cruise control, an upgraded BOSE stereo and heated front seats. A Juke with an automatic gearbox is a little bit less this month, down from £499 to £399 Advance Payment (section updated July 2020).

Nissan Juke Motability Advance Payment Offers

There's nothing quite like a Nissan Juke, part SUV, part sports coupe, part hot hatch - with a few bike and rally car genes thrown in for good measure. It sounds an unpromising mix but against the odds, Nissan has made it work and in the original version of this car, defined once and for all what the market's smallest breed of crossover-class car should be like. 

What was most amazing about the original Juke was that a company the size of Nissan could build it. The usual procedure is for a maverick designer to come up with just such a concept only for company heads to shelve it, for customer clinics to reject it or for marketing pressure to water it down. Somehow the earlier Juke survived all of these potential trapdoors and this MK2 model remains singularly the most distinctive family car on sale today.

The Juke range kicks off in second generation form with the 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine we've already seen in Nissan's Micra supermini, with either a six-speed manual gearbox or an all-new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, replacing the CVT transmission previously offered. Power stands at 115bhp with up to 200Nm of torque available on overboost. Nissan claims 0-62mph in 10.4 seconds for the manual and 11.1 seconds for the DCT automatic variant, with both topping out at 112mph. Expect a plug-in hybrid version to be added in due course.

At the wheel, long-time Juke owners will find the driving position is massively improved - there's at last a reach-adjustable steering wheel wheel (something MK1 Juke Motability drivers often complained about) and smart Monoform sports seats are standard. In the manual model, the gear lever now sits more purposefully on the centre console and operates with a shorter throw.

Plus of course there's plenty of driver-assistance technology, primarily Nissan ProPILOT, the brand's semi-autonomous driver aid. This is capable of controlling the throttle, braking and steering while driving in a single lane on motorway-style roads. It's optional on N-Connecta trim cars and standard from Tekna grade upwards. In addition, the Juke gains intelligent automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, speed-limit and traffic-sign recognition and lane-keep assist.

If you wanted to buy a new Juke outright, pricing starts at about £17,400. Scope for exterior personalisation has always been key to Juke ownership, so this MK2 model can feel very bespoke if you want it to be. It's available in 11 different colours, with wheels ranging from 16-inch steel rims with covers to 19-inch alloys. 

Drivers also want cutting-edge media connectivity, so on-board Wi-Fi now appears, as do TomTom maps with live traffic and a voice-controlled Google Assistant on certain trim levels. The NissanConnect remote services app is now compatible with the Juke, allowing drivers to interact with their cars from wherever they are via their smartphone. Three optional interior schemes in orange, white or black introduce leather and Alcantara upholstery, too. All cars from Acenta grade upwards get the latest eight-inch infotainment unit as standard, while every car gets cruise control with a speed limiter function and high beam assist.

The second generation Juke retains its predecessor's reputation as being inexpensive to run thanks to its 1.0-litre three cylinder engine and a 23kg reduction in weight, despite this model's increase in size. The weight improvement is down to the use of more lightweight, high-tension steel in the body, plus the introduction of a new CMF-B Nissan/Renault Alliance platform, shared with one of its closest rivals, the second generation Renault Captur. All of this should mean a competitive set of running cost stats. Expect a WLTP-rated combined cycle fuel figure of around 45mpg and an NEDC-rated CO2 figure in the 113-118g/km bracket.

Service intervals are every 12 months or 12,500 miles, depending on which comes first, and all servicing and maintenance is included as a part of the Motability package.

You probably know the guy who complains that all new cars look the same but has nothing good to say when a brand like Nissan brings out something different and fresh. Don't be that guy. The Juke has deservedly carved itself a lucrative niche for itself as an inexpensive vehicle that drives well, is cheap to run, can be leased with a low Motability Advance Payment and which isn't afraid to assert its own personality. The design of the new Nissan Juke doesn't alter that fundamental appeal but smartening the looks, creating a bigger cabin, a bigger boot and adding more technology is bound to make the new Juke even more appealing to Motability customers.

It remains an unusual proposition, with an appeal that extends beyond the small crossover segment and also attracts the kind of Motability customers who might otherwise consider trendy small runabouts like the MINI Hatch. Go take a test drive in new Juke and see for yourself.

People with a disability and carers who choose a new Nissan Juke through Motability will receive a brand new car, delivered by a Motability Specialist at a local Nissan dealership, complete with insurance, servicing and maintenance, full breakdown assistance, replacement tyre cover, windscreen repair or replacement cover plus a mileage allowance of 60,000 miles over three years.