Nissan Juke Review (2010-2019)

The Juke has a pleasant interior that’s filled with bold, curving shapes. Some models have really bright colour schemes, too. You’ll soon learn what features the various buttons and dials control and where to find the ones you need to use most often. Most models have a central touchscreen display that controls the radio, Bluetooth and sat nav. The screen isn’t as responsive as those in the newest models, but the menus are easy to use. You can also use the shortcut buttons at the side of the screen to take you directly to certain features.

The seats in the Juke are really comfortable, taking the edge off what can at times be a jiggly ride. They’re lacking in sideways support, but you’ll only notice that if you go into a corner far too quickly.

Getting into the front of the Juke poses no issues unless you’re really tall, in which case you’ll want to mind your head against the sloping roof. The back seat is trickier because the door openings are quite small and the roof is low.

There are other small SUVs with interiors that feel more upmarket than the Juke’s. But it’s stylish to look at, the steering wheel and gearknob feel nice in your hands and everything feels solid and sturdy.

There’s loads of space in the front of the Juke. Even if you’re well over six feet tall, you’re unlikely to have any issues with the amount of head, leg and shoulder room available. Getting into the back seats can be tricky – the door opening is small and the roof is quite low. 

Once you’re in the back, there’s just enough space for a pair of average-size adults to sit behind people of similar size in the front. That means children should fit easily, although the small back windows might restrict their view, making the area feel a bit darker and more cramped than it actually is. Installing a child-safety seat isn’t as easy as it can be in some cars, either, because of the small back door openings. 

Interior storage space amounts to phone-size door pockets, two cupholders between the front seats and a glovebox big enough for a few packets of biscuits.

The Juke’s boot is a pretty good size, its 354-litre capacity matching that of some larger hatchbacks. It should give you enough room for your weekly food shopping or a couple of large suitcases. Loading is no hassle, either. The opening is quite large and the boot floor is level with the back bumper. One thing to consider is that four-wheel-drive models have significantly less boot space – only 207 litres – because of their extra mechanical components.

Two-wheel-drive Juke models have a height-adjustable boot floor. At the upper position, it’s level with the back bumper and you can lift it up to use the space below to store things like shopping bags and umbrellas. Alternatively, you can use the lower position (or remove the boot floor entirely) to take advantage of the full 354-litre boot capacity. There’s a drop of a few inches from the back bumper down to the boot floor, but that extra depth allows you to carry taller loads.

If you need more space, the back seats fold down in a two-piece, 60/40 split. Doing that frees up 1,189 litres of space. Bear in mind, though, that the sloping back end of the car can restrict the size of load you can fit in.

The Juke has responsive steering and feels quite nimble, which is good for nipping around town or threading your way along a twisting country road. Parking can be a bit tricky, though, because you can’t see much out of the back of the car. The parking sensors and reversing camera fitted to some models come in really handy. 

Get out of town onto faster roads and motorways and you’ll notice that the Juke feels reassuringly safe and stable. However, the ride can be a bit jittery when driving along bumpy roads. Not unpleasantly so, but there are other smaller SUVs that give you a smoother ride.

The high-performance Nismo models have suspension that’s tuned to make driving more fun, but the ride is a bit harder.

Most Jukes have an engine with 100bhp to 115bhp. With that kind of power, the Juke feels reasonably nippy – overtaking on country roads isn’t too stressful and it cruises along the motorway easily. You do need to press the accelerator pedal hard if you need to really get a move on, though.

Models with more power accelerate more quickly, particularly the Nismo RS which can accelerate from zero to 62mph in 7.0 seconds.

If you want the most fuel-efficient Juke, go for one with a diesel engine. According to official figures, they’re capable of giving average fuel economy of 58mpg to 70mpg, depending on which model it is. Those figures put the Juke among the most efficient small SUVs. Models with a petrol engine can give average economy of 39mpg to 47mpg, which is decent enough for this type of car.

Looking at carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, diesel Jukes emit as little as 104g/km, while petrol models emit 128g/km to 168g/km. Annual car tax charges for diesel models can be very low; you’ll pay more for the petrol models but the Juke is still a cost-effective choice.

The Juke is excellent value for money. You get a lot of features included as standard for relatively little money. That was true when the car was new and it remains true when buying a used example.

The Juke is fundamentally a very reliable car, though electrical niggles have been known to crop up. Nissan provided a three-year warranty on all new Jukes but that will have now expired on even the most recent first-generation models, which were sold in October 2019.

Safety organisation Euro NCAP awarded a full five-star safety rating to the first-generation Juke when it tested the car in 2011. It has lots of safety features fitted as standard and  should protect you well in an accident. Tekna models have some more advanced driver-safety features, including lane-departure warning and blindspot monitoring.

There are no less than 16 different trim levels available on this generation of Juke. That figure takes into account the ‘core’ trim levels including Acenta, N-Connecta and Tekna, the high-performance Nismo and Nismo RS, and limited-run special editions such as Shiro and Bose Personal Edition.

The three core trim levels – Acenta, N-Connecta, Tekna – are the most popular. They are very well equipped for their price – Acenta comes with air con, cruise control and Bluetooth; N-Connecta adds sat nav and a reversing camera; Tekna includes leather upholstery and heated front seats.

The high-performance Nismo models have more-powerful engines, as well as specially tuned suspension and brakes and some sporty styling upgrades. Special-edition models have unique packages of standard features and styling details.

The Juke is available with one of three petrol engines or one diesel (there’s no hybrid). The petrol options are called the 1.6, 1.2 DiG-T and 1.6 DiG-T. Depending on which model you get, the 1.6 engine has 94bhp, 110bhp or 115bhp, while the 1.2 DiG-T has 113bhp. 

There are several versions of the 1.6 DiG-T engine with 187bhp, 197bhp (on the high-performance Nismo)  or 214bhp (on the high-performance Nismo RS).

Things are much simpler with the 1.5 dCi engine. There’s only one version of it, with 108bhp.

Most Jukes have a manual gearbox but there are automatics available if you prefer. Some models also have four-wheel drive.