Yahoo Finance Long-term report: The Nissan Juke gets into the festive spirit
My mother-in-law is nothing if not organised when it comes to the festive season. Christmas cards have been bought in the sales the previous January; gifts are purchased gradually all year round; and the family joke is that she would always be ready for the big day on November 25th – a full month early.
So when we travelled across quite a large stretch of the UK to visit her at her home in South Wales recently, we weren’t remotely surprised to be handed a bumper bag of presents in anticipation of the celebrations.
Fortunately, we had made the journey in the long-term Nissan Juke we currently have on the fleet – so there was no shortage of storage space to accommodate everything for the return trip home. I think I have mentioned this before, but the boot really is ingeniously designed – and a great demonstration of the way the Juke mixes fun with practicality.
It makes it dead easy to get your stuff in and out, and to transport wide, long and bulky items such as furniture boxes and suitcases, thanks to its adjustable luggage board and interchangeable shelves. Clever stuff.
So with Christmas on the horizon, OU69XDF can look forward to a busy few weeks ahead as more trips to visit friends and family beckon. It’s already shown that it’s a car for all seasons – winter is also just around the corner of course, and November has been pretty chilly, at least in our neck of the woods.
Cold weather doesn’t faze our Juke, though. On frosty mornings, the heating system de-ices the windscreen as quick as a flash and the interior of the vehicle is comfortably warm in no time, thanks in part to the heated front seats.
So in short, whatever the time of year, Juke is a very satisfying car to drive. It’s equally at home in busy city streets and the wilds of the countryside, thanks to its sharp handling dynamics and responsive 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged powertrain.
Any drawbacks? Well, apologies again if any readers are getting a sense of deja vu, but I did find the gearbox a little tricky to get the hang of when I initially took possession, and that was also the feeling of a colleague of mine who took custody of it when I had a few days off work recently.
With December just around the corner, are you starting to get into the holiday spirit? #NissanJuke #Nissan📸: reinis_kursis pic.twitter.com/4Q2KLXJzEt
— Nissan (@Nissan) November 28, 2021
That said, I’m sure the same can be said of any car that a driver jumps into for the first time. My wife has replaced her elderly Mitsubishi ASX with something a bit more up-to-date but still misses the quirks of a vehicle she drove for eight years!
One thing’s for certain as I climb behind the wheel over the festive season: I’ll be using cruise control to help me stick to the speed limit. Unfortunately, I’ve just picked up three points for travelling at 36mph in a 30mph zone and I don’t want any more.
Juke’s Intelligent Cruise Control helps maintain a safe distance from the car in front, and supports drivers in reacting safely to sudden braking from the vehicle ahead.
Taking regular breaks on long trips is to be recommended too, of course. To help motorists manage their journey, Juke’s Driver Alertness technology monitors steering inputs and recommends drivers take a break if it detects they could be tired.
To be honest, I’m feeling exhausted just thinking about Christmas. And anyway, I wonder what my mother-in-law has bought me this year…?
Model: Nissan Juke N-Connecta
Price (as tested): £23,900
Engine: 1.0 DIG-T 117
Power: 115bhp
Torque: 200Nm
Max speed: 112mph
0-60mph: 10.0 seconds
MPG: 47.9 (combined WLTP)
Emissions: 112g CO2 (EC combined)
Mileage: 10,546
