“Factory tuning,” if you’re not familiar, has been a thing for decades. Rather than waiting for the aftermarket to create high-performance parts, the manufacturers just bring the development of lucrative go-faster parts in-house, creating special models to showcase the performance potential. Usually, the factory tuners are turned loose on the sportiest members of the lineup, charged with extracting more performance from the hot performers of the lineup.
So when Nissan announced that it was handing the folks at its NISMO performance arm a Juke crossover to go nuts with, it initially had folks checking to see if it was April 1st. But no, Nissan was serious, and the Juke NISMO was born. And when you consider the numbers, the idea’s not quite so ridiculous: compact dimensions coupled with a road-holding wide stance and almost 200 horsepower could be a good recipe for some entertaining driving.
As it turns out, the Juke NISMO is a blast, one of the more enjoyable cars at its price point. From this point forward, it’ll be easy to be in favor of any of Nissan’s crazy ideas.
The idea of turning the Juke into a pint-sized hot-rod crossover brings to mind a poor man’s Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, combining off-road capability with on-road handling and performance. That’s not quite what you get, though. The Juke NISMO feels more like a well-done custom car than a production vehicle.
The suspension retains its stock configuration of MacPherson struts up front and a torsion-beam rear (multilink in all-wheel drive models), but like a proper tuner car it’s been thoroughly tightened. The suspension has been lowered slightly, to bring the center of gravity down and reduce the wheel-to-fender gap. The handling is sharp, but it’s also stiff on the road, to the point that casual drivers need not apply; this little monster-frog will rattle your fillings. Steering response has been tightened as well, so the handling is responsive bordering on twitchy. The Juke NISMO is for drivers who want a modified car and know what to expect from it.
And “torque steer” is one of those things you can expect, too. The NISMO Juke is powered by a 1.6 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Direct fuel injection and variable valve timing are used, and NISMO has tweaked the engine so that output is a healthy 197 horsepower, giving it nine horses on the standard turbocharged Juke. It’s not as refined as some sports car, but it is fun! The Juke NISMO responds just a bit more quickly and fiercely than the stock model, throwing the power eagerly down. What it gives up in outright performance, it makes up in sheer enthusiasm. Front- and all-wheel drive are offered, with six-speed manual and continuously variable automatic transmissions respectively. Drive it nicely and it’ll even deliver 32 mpg on the highway.
The available all-wheel drive is a torque-vectoring system that cuts understeer by sending power to the outside rear wheel. Speed, steering angle, yaw rate and lateral acceleration are measured so the system can predict what the driver’s intent is. Nissan’s Vehicle Dynamic Control is standard.
The biggest reason for the initial skepticism regarding this car is the Juke’s looks, which are unconventional, to say the least. The NISMO Juke runs happily with its weird face, though, adding a new, larger air intake and revised lights to its distinctive mug. A red pinstripe frames the revised fascia and is echoed by red mirror caps. The Juke has large running lights and turn signals mounted high on the short front fenders like frog’s eyes, and on the Juke NISMO the covers are smoked. The front and rear fenders are extravagantly arched, giving the car a tense, ready-to-pounce look, and it’s hunkered down over 18-inch wheels. The added spoilers and design tweaks actually provide a significant increase in downforce, thanks to NISMO’s experience on the track. At the rear, a deeper bumper with an air diffuser helps to improve aerodynamics.
The interior’s snug, thanks to the more heavily-bolstered seats that have been crammed in there. Red stitching matches the pinstripe on the exterior, and there are flashes of red on the instrument panel and on the Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel. There’s a red stripe around the top of the steering wheel at the 12 o’clock position as well, a racer’s trick that helps drivers know which way the wheels are pointed. The NISMO Juke’s interior is blacked out, in traditional sports car style, and piano-black trim on the dash keeps the theme. Privacy glass and a keyless entry are standard equipment, as is the fancy I-CON reconfigurable display that switches from air conditioning to vehicle dynamic control. It’s easy to forget that this little vehicle’s a tallish crossover from the driver’s seat.
Available options include a navigation system with a tiny 5-inch display, a Rockford-Fosgate sound system and a backup monitor.
Sporty and adorable aren’t mutually exclusive traits, as evidenced by the success of the MINI Cooper and Fiat 500. The Juke NISMO belongs in that class as well, albeit with somewhat more polarizing design. This petite sport-crossover has some real performance skills, and it’s not your typical sports car. The Juke NISMO commands a premium over the standard Juke, of course, with pricing starting at $22,900 for two-wheel drive models and $25,290 for all-wheel drive.
