The Nissan Juke Hybrid
(Picture: Handout)When the Nissan Juke first appeared in 2010 its slightly wacky styling caught the public’s imagination and it was also fun to drive, and went on to become one of company’s best-selling models.
It was revised in 2019 and now we have the third generation Juke, which includes, for the first time, a hybrid version.
Designed in London and built in Sunderland, the Hybrid pulls off the neat trick of developing 25 per cent more power than the internal combustion engine (ICE) model while using 20 per cent less petrol.
Other new features include new 17 or 19-inch alloys, new keyless entry, a better Bose sound system, new black mesh grille and reshaped wheelarches for better aerodynamics.
The downside is that bootspace is down from 422 litres in the ICE car to 354 litres in the Hybrid, which has to accommodate the battery under the floor. However, acceleration from nought to 62mph is better – 10.1 seconds in the Hybrid, 11.8 in the ICE car.
In the good quality cabin, the rev counter has gone, replaced by a power meter, and you can watch as the power swaps from pure electric when the car sets off to when the petrol engine kicks in when greater power is required. It can be driven in pure EV mode up to 35mph, with a pure electric range of just 3km.
The way the powertrain swaps from electric to petrol power and back is pretty much undetectable when you are on the move, and if you want one-pedal driving with the e-Pedal system you have to press a switch on the centre console. The car automatically defaults out of e-Pedal mode when the ignition is turned off.
The petrol engine is a 93bhp 1.6-litre four-cylinder unit, mated to a 48bhp electric motor and a 1.2kW battery, and the automatic gearbox has four gears for the petrol engine and two more for the electric motor.
On the road, the Juke responds well to being shuffled along. There is no discernible body roll around bends, the steering is precise and the engine makes a pleasant noise. It doesn’t feel quite as sharp as the class-leading Ford Puma, but it feels brisker than most of its rivals. My co-driver and I both did around 44mpg over several hours of town and motorway driving.
I thought there was better legroom in the rear than in the last model but apparently space is unchanged. Low-speed ride seems to pick up every dimple on the road surface but it improves a higher speeds. That is the price to pay for the rather firm suspension which comes into its own on faster roads.
The Hybrid version costs around £1,800 more than a comparable ICE version, but its residual value is three per cent better, according to Nissan, which should take some of the sting out of it.
Overall, this is good-looking and efficient package which is fun to drive and practical, especially in hybrid form. It should do well.
The Facts
Nissan Juke Hybrid
Price: £27,250 to £30,150
0-62mph: 10.1 secs
Top Speed: 103mph
CO2 emissions: 114 to 115g/km
