Review: Nissan Juke SV 1.0 (2024)

As Tested: €32,100

The Nissan Juke was a very controversial car when it launched back in 2010, dividing opinions with its design, which had its roots in the Nissan Qazana concept car. With this second-generation Juke, does Nissan continue its sub-compact crossover success, or is Nissan’s struggling financial position beginning to show in their products?

The Looks

The second-generation Juke is an advancement of its predecessor. It is clear that it is still a Juke, but I think Nissan have managed to extract a better design from the overall shape. I actually like the design of the new Juke, with its sharp, sleek DRL’s and more inset fog lights compared to the previous generation. You can get the Juke in lots of interesting colours, bright blues and vibrant reds, and while this “Ceramic Gray” isn’t exciting, I think it suits the car. I’m not entirely sold on the 17-inch “Flex” wheels, being a bit fussy for my liking. Overall, the Juke has come a long way from its predecessor in the looks department, going from what I would have described as an “aesthetically challenged” design to a “funky” one. 

The Interior 

In the last decade, Nissan have begun to struggle financially. In fact, at the time of writing this review they are currently in talks with Honda to bail them out, as they have been haemorrhaging money. I say all this because sitting inside the Juke you feel it. I want to like the Juke’s interior, but it just falls down in too many areas to be truly competitive in this segment. This has to compete with the Volkswagen T-Cross, Skoda Kamiq, and Peugeot 2008, all of which feel nicer inside. The 8-inch infotainment screen is fine, but the graphics are not as sharp as rivals and certain parts of it feel old. For example, the Home Screen Menu, which can be seen in the accompanying pictures, dates back to the previous generation Quashqui, being at least 5 years old already (It has been updated for 2025). I like the one-piece seats, they look and feel sporty, but they add to the claustrophobic feeling in the back seats. The soft touch insert that goes across the dashboard is something I can see being a point of contention, it is very soft and nice to touch and can be upgraded to artificial leather, but it also looks like it’s just stuck on top of the dashboard. 

Now with that said, the interior is certainly well built, with everything feeling sturdy and solid. Another plus is that even this “SV” trimmed Juke gets a nice steering wheel, something that cannot be said for the base trim Skoda Kamiq. You get the sense Nissan really did try with the limited resources that they have, but in the end, it does just feel like a try, not a fully fleshed out interior. 

The Drive 

The Juke shares many of its underpinnings with the other cars in the Renault-Nissan Alliance, and as such uses the same 1.0 litre three-cylinder turbo engine seen in the Renault Captur and Dacia Jogger. Sadly, this means it also uses their gearbox, which I have not been kind to in past reviews. Mercifully, whatever way Nissan has set up the clutch and/or gearbox in the Juke has made it notably less jerky. It still isn’t perfect, but compared to the Jogger, I could live with this version of the 6-speed box. What I couldn’t live with, is the stunning amount of wind noise the Juke generates. I found it was mainly caused by the large wing mirrors, creating an annoying amount of noise at motorway speeds. To drive the Juke is a bit firm, jolting over bumps. This does translate to a sporty feel, with things like the flat bottom steering wheel adding to that feeling. I would put the Juke somewhere between the Renault Captur and the Seat Arona, with it being a more engaging drive then the Captur but feeling like more of a compromised halfway house then the sporty Arona.

The Verdict 

Overall, while there are parts of the Nissan Juke that I really do like such as, the design, the up market steering wheel and interior build quality, it is let down in so many other aspects that it’s a tough recommendation. The Skoda Kamiq, Peugeot 2008, and Mazda CX-30 are all a better choice in this segment.