BY MIKE DUSHANE, PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK M. HOEY AND JORDAN BROWN
August 2011
Date: July 2011
Months in Fleet: 5 months
Current Mileage: 10,060 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 25 mpg
Average Range: 330 miles
Service: $59
Normal Wear: $0
Repair: $0
Damage and Destruction: $39
We try to send our long-term test cars on road trips as often as we can, but our Nissan Juke has only left Michigan once since we last wrote about it, a testament to its popularity as an in-town runabout. Or maybe it’s a statement on the lack of space behind the front seats. We were able to cram a large mountain bike in the back, but it’s a good thing we have no friends. Fitting the bike necessitated all seats but the driver’s being folded forward. Even with its snug cargo hold, the Juke’s agile handling, slick shifter, peppy turbo, and firm steering (in Sport mode) make it a convincing hot hatch, albeit a tall one.
Surprisingly for a front-wheel-drive car with a turbo, torque steer hasn’t been an issue. However, the Juke more than makes up for that with copious wheelspin: Powering out of most any turn, the inside tire spins helplessly. We’re expecting to spend a lot of money on front tires over the course of the next 30,000 miles. A limited-slip differential—even a brake-based impostor—would do wonders for the Juke’s ability to make full use of its spunky motor.
You Get What You Pay For
We’ve praised the Juke’s feature-per-dollar quotient before, and we still like having a navigation system, satellite radio, leather seats, and iPod integration for under $25K, but the refinement-per-dollar equation doesn’t work out as favorably. Sound deadening is only adequate, the interior materials haven’t improved with age—the number of scratches on the red-painted center console suggests a catfight took place in the front seat—and we’ve scheduled an appointment to have the dealer examine rattles from the driver’s door and rear hatch.
The Juke’s Nissan Versa econobox roots show in some of its featured technologies, too. The digital lateral-g meter is positioned low enough on the dash that monitoring it during cornering would be hazardous, and if the passenger watches it, there are no units indicated anyhow—just some lights bouncing around that tell you what you can already feel with your butt. And the navigation system’s tiny screen, slow responses, and frustrating lockout make a strong case for buying an aftermarket system instead.
Cheap Maintenance
If the Juke doesn’t feel high-quality, the car has made up for it by actually being high-quality. Other than the minor rattles, the only issue so far has been a vibration in the steering wheel, which we cured with a tire rotation. Our only service thus far was an oil change and inspection at 7500 miles that cost us $59. During that check-up, the dealer also performed an ECU reflash in accordance with an outstanding technical-service bulletin. We’d experienced no problems associated with the TSB, and it was performed at no cost to us. We did manage to shed a mudflap plowing through a snowdrift over the winter, but figured we’d save the labor costs and install the $39 replacement ourselves.
In the introduction of our long-term Juke, we logged our dissatisfaction with the car’s preference for premium fuel. A few readers promptly noted that premium fuel is recommended but not required in the Juke. We always use the recommended fuel in our test cars, lest we hamper their performance or fuel consumption. Using premium petroleum spirits, our observed fuel economy has improved as the weather has warmed, this despite the dearth of freeway-intensive long trips. The Juke has averaged 26 mpg over the 5400 miles we’ve covered since April, raising the running tally to 25 mpg over 10,000 miles.
We’re Still Not Calling It Pretty
One thing that hasn’t improved over time is the styling. One editor warmed to it enough to call it “ugly but charming,” but another asks, “If Nissan managed to recreate the spirit of the BMW 2002 with the 1990s Sentra SE-R, is this the company’s proposal for a modern-day Pacer?” We can’t answer that question, but we can say that we still like the Juke, which is a testament to our preference for substance over flash. Now if only we could find a few staffers who would prefer the Juke for a long trip.
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 5-door hatchback
PRICE AS TESTED: $23,870 (base price: $23,300)
ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 99 cu in, 1618 cc
Power (SAE net): 188 hp @ 5600 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 177 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 99.6 in Length: 162.4 in
Width: 69.5 in Height: 61.8 in
Curb weight: 2939 lb
PERFORMANCE: NEW
Zero to 60 mph: 7.0 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 18.3 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 8.1 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.4 sec @ 92 mph
Top speed (drag limited): 130 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 171 ft
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 24/31 mpg
C/D observed: 25 mpg
WARRANTY:
3 years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper;
5 years/60,000 miles powertrain;
5 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection
Continued...
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