THREE years ago Nissan won the Continental Irish Car of the Year with their funky-looking Juke. It didn’t win everybody’s approval, but then show me a car that pleases everyone.
Now Nissan has brought more Japanese technology to the Juke and we have the Juke Nismo. You probably have heard of Nismo from computer games series such as Sony’s Gran Turismo.
The launch of the Nismo in Europe is the latest chapter in the story of maverick engineering and innovation that began almost 50 years ago. The story began in 1964 when the Prince Motor Company, a local car manufacturer in Japan, was taken over by Nissan whose engineers realised it was possible to boost sales through competitive motorsport.
Engineers took the 2.0 litre six-cylinder block from the Gloria, a large luxury saloon and shoehorned it under the bonnet of the much smaller Skyline by extending the wheelbase. With a vastly increased power-to-weight ratio, they realised the racing potential of what they had created, the Prince Skyline.
Now the Juke is the first Nissan car to get the latest form of Japanese technology. It could be described as a
‘pimped up’ edition of the regular Juke. I drove a black version, with 18-inch alloys, red side mirrors and a red trim all round the base which meant that the car looked really attractive.
The regular Juke with its bulging headlamps always attracted much attention from passers-by and people in supermarket car parks, but the attention gets even more intense in the Nismo; I even had a traffic warden come over and enquire about it as I sat in the car in Parnell Street. It’s also available in silver and pearl white.
The Nismo makeover continues inside the cabin, where the steering wheel, pedals, gauges, gear knob and door trims have been redesigned. I drove a 1.6 petrol model with 200 brake horse power and it sure could move. But all that power means that it’s a bit thirsty. It has three settings, normal sport and eco. What I liked most about the car was the comfortable seats. I think they must have been the most comfortable car seats I have ever sat on and my front and rear passengers were in agreement with me on the seating.
In the back you could squeeze in three adults, but it would probably be much more comfortable with two back seat passengers. Leg room is tight in the back and much depends on how far forward the front seat passengers have their seats.
I liked the funky-look of the Nismo. Initially you might think it was a two-door car as the handles to open the back doors are hidden. However, the interior was a bit too black for my liking and all that black made it a bit claustrophobic at times, but I suppose black was necessary to achieve the sporty look.
The traffic warden liked the Nismo, but I think he would need to clamp a lot of drivers to be able to afford the price tag of
?¬29,675 for the two-wheel drive, while the four-wheel drive will cost you
?¬33,375.