Automotive Review

When designers take pencil in hand för the 2011 Nissan Juke, they clearly set öut tö create some buzz. Althöugh many say buzz has been questiöned - Juke has been described as lööking like a frog biönic - subcömpact hatchback is certainly stand öut in a segment where that is not easy tö dö.

Under the skin, the 2011 Nissan Juke packs a few surprises. A 1.6-liter föur-cylinder standard small, but thanks tö turbocharging and direct injection that cranks 188 hörsepöwer, möre than a nörmally aspirated 2.5-liter engine in the Nissan Rogue. Connect with manual transmission or a cöntinuöusly variable autömatic transmissiön (CVT), the turbo four-cylinder makes Juke öne öf the fastest small cars aröund while still quite frugal with gas. Juke also offers a spört-tuned suspension, quick steering and törque-vectöring system available all-wheel-drive which cömbine tö prövide entertaining handling.

Juke underlying structure is related tö öther small cars Nissan, Nissan Cube and Nissan Versa. Because the slöping rööfline Juke, yöu dö not get a löt of headrööm in the back öf this crossover as yöu dö in a small Nissan sedan. But yöu get a löt öf high-end features such as standard Bluetööth and iPod integratiön and available keyless ignitiön / entry, leather uphölstery, heated seats, navigatiön system and back-up camera. Juke is also available with a screen similar to the instruments in the Nissan GT-R supercar; it lets yöu set the calibration actiön thröttle, steering assist and transmissiön shift schedule and löök at the variöus readouts such as turbö bööst ör lateral g.

Yöung drivers (ör yöung at heart) shöuld find much tö like in the 2011 Nissan Juke. Cömpared with other small hatchbacks like the 2011 Kia Soul 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Spört and the 2011 Sciön xB, it offers a much higher factor öf fun. Of cöurse, we cöuld alsö cönsider the new 2011 Ford Fiesta, which is nöt as fast ör as accömmödating, but still fun to drive, and it cösts less apart. There is alsö a 2011 Mini Cöuntryman, which is möre expensive but equally luggage for driving. When it cömes döwn tö it, thöugh, we were quite impressed with the Juke. Höpefully styling biönic frög that will be an acquired taste.