- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.6T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
140kW, 240Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 6.5L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto (CVT)
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2018 Nissan Juke Ti-S review
If standing out of a crowd is something you enjoy, the Nissan Juke is one of the more affordable ways to get the job done.
Despite heading towards the end of its life cycle, Nissan has given its city-SUV a minor freshen up for 2018 with the addition of personalisation colour packs for the mid-spec Ti-S.
The ST remains stagnant as the model's entry-level option, while the performance-oriented Nismo RS that was introduced mid-year becomes the flagship variant.
We're testing the Juke Ti-S which uses a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo engine mated to a CVT auto transmission in all-wheel-drive form.
- Head turning styling
- Customisable colour options
- Zippy engine
- Head turning styling
- Lacks safety and tech
- Sluggish CVT auto
Is it right for me?
The Juke was one of the first city-sized SUVs when it was introduced in Europe in 2010, and has been a popular choice in the UK even if it never took off here.
The concept is right - an affordable high-riding hatchback - but its styling is a bit too polarising for soccer mums and empty nesters.
The front end looks bug-like which is okay if you like insects (no judgement) and the rear end isn’t a whole lot prettier. A curvaceous and somewhat lumpy body fills the space in between to create a small-SUV with a big personality. It’s awkward to say the least, and a lack of safety and technology might have you second-guessing whether it’s right for you. It misses out on some important features, but then again those buying a Juke are probably doing so for its quirkiness.
Can I afford it ?
Priced from $33,840 before on-road costs, it’s a more expensive option than others in its class, with competitors like the Mazda CX-3 (from $27,690 plus on-roads) and the Mitsubishi ASX (from $26,990 plus on-roads).
What do you get for your money?
When you’re paying this much for a small-SUV, you’d expect it to come with the whole kit and caboodle. So the fact that it misses out on autonomous emergency braking (AEB), a digital speedo, parking sensors (both front and rear), stop-start function, smartphone mirroring and auto-hold brakes is surprisingly disappointing.
Instead, you’re stuck with the same 5.8-inch touchscreen that’s been in the Juke since it arrived in 2013, making it one of, if not the smallest infotainment systems in the market today. Factory navigation gets a thumbs-up, as does its heated front seats, push-button start, cruise control, lane departure warning, leather steering wheel and gear knob and LED daytime running lights.
How much does it cost to maintain?
Nissan’s Service Certainty program recommends a service every 10,000km or once a year. The first service (and every odd-numbered visit thereafter) will cost $281. Its second service is $347, and the fourth service is where the price creeps up to $503 if you’re still taking it to a Nissan dealer. Nissan’s current servicing prices are guaranteed until December 31, 2018, so after that it’s best to check pricing online or with your dealer.
Is it well built?
The Japanese are known for well-built cars and it terms of build quality, there are no complaints here. But, the interior requires a serious facelift for it be considered worthy of the price ticket is bestows.
Buttons and controls throughout the cabin don’t seem to follow any sort of rhyme or rhythm, and you get a real outdated vibe inside the Juke’s cabin. The steering wheel buttons in particular are unintuitive and look kind of tackily thrown in as an after-thought. Materials used inside the cabin are more impressive, with door trims getting soft leather around the top sections where your arms touch, while hard plastics flow to the bottom parts of the door that often go unnoticed.
What are the Standout features?
The beauty about the Juke is how customisable Nissan lets you get with it. Three colour options are available for customers to spice up their car including Tokyo Glossy Black, Power Blue or Energy Orange. The colour you choose then gets splashed around various sections like the front and rear bumper, alloy wheel inserts, door mirrors, centre console, parts of the door trim and side air vents. Customisation however, comes at a cost - $800 in this case. Premium paint can also be had for an extra $500. Our test car had both options (premium Gun Metal paint with an Energy Orange personalisation pack).
What does it have that others don't?
As we said before, it's got a big personality and a divisive appearance. Most either love it, or hate it, with a passion.
How practical is it?
It’s not as practical as you’d want it to be. A narrow but deep glovebox is about the best hidey-hole you get for anything you’d want to store away while parking. And there’s no centre console - the Juke makes do with a lid-less storage bin that sits right towards the back seat behind two (small) cup holders.
Door pockets in the lower half provide some more space for paperwork, tissues or another drink and there’s one crevice in front of the gear knob that seems like a neat place to put your phone or gum - except it’s not. Anything larger than an iPod mini you can forget - phones, keys and other knick knacks will have to go in the binnacle.
The sun visors are a great size and both driver and passenger get vanity mirrors, but alas, no lighting for them.
Is it comfortable?
The Ti-S model gets leather seats as standard and, as mentioned earlier, they’re quite comfy without being overly bulky even without lumbar support for either side. Soft-touch leather flows from the seats to the door trims, steering wheel and a little hood sheltering the instrument cluster, which doesn’t seem to serve much purpose. Front seats get manual adjustments (six for the driver and four for the passenger), but the levers are hard to get to as they sit almost butt up against the door trims, so getting your hands down there can be tricky.
The steering wheel gets handy tilt adjustment but no reach adjustment.
Easy in, easy out?
Most people will find entry and exit easy for the front seats. With 170mm ground clearance, the average person won’t have to bend too much when scooting in.
But getting in through the rear doors presents more of a challenge. The cut of the rear door frame strikes again, which was noticeable when testing the performance-oriented Nismo Juke. Some bending and twisting is required from (mostly) anyone average-sized or more.
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Space and versatility?
Leg and headroom is good for those up front, but back seat passengers suffer from a claustrophobic feeling area. There isn’t a huge amount of leg room, even with the front seats pushed mostly forward. And, if you find someone small enough to fit comfortably in the centre seat, they’ll have to deal with squashed knees and tootsies thanks to the centre console which obtrudes into the second half of the cabin.
Storage areas in the rear section of the Juke aren’t much better with a space for only one drink per side in door pockets and a map pocket in the back of each front seat. And, there isn’t a whole lot to look at for back seat passengers with a high window line and large headrests on the front seats.
Boot space is sacrificed by the location of the spare tyre which is disappointing considering it doesn’t come with a full-sized spare. A space saver sits underneath a lidded compartment in the boot, leaving just 207 litres of boot capacity.
What's the engine like?
The base ST Juke gets a 1.2-litre turbo-four, while the mid-spec Ti-S and Nismo RS get a bigger 1.6-litre turbo four-cylinder, although the RS gets a more powerful tune.
Paired to an automatic CVT transmission in all-wheel-drive form on our test car, the Juke’s engine is one of the more powerful ones in the small-SUV segment, producing 140kW of power and 240Nm of torque. It feels relatively strong, but not significantly more powerful than the Mazda CX-3 or Toyota CH-R.
Unless you really plant your foot, take-offs from a standstill take a considerable amount of time to build speed and the CVT is sluggish. Highway speeds are more comfortable and it coasts nicely once you’re going.
How much fuel does it consume?
The Ti-S Juke has a combined fuel economy of 6.5L per 100km when using the recommended 95RON premium petrol. Driving on normal motorway conditions still had our test cars range up around 8.5L per 100km after a week of driving.
Is it enjoyable to drive?
Without being overly impressive, it’s not a bad proposition. Having come away slightly uninspired from the Nismo RS Juke, expectations for this to not be as ‘try-hard’ were met.
With one of the more powerful engines in its category, it’s relatively zippy making it easy to forget you’re in a small-SUV and not a little hatchback as you can feel the turbo kick in when you start to get up it.
It gets three drive modes thanks to Nissan’s Dynamic Control system: normal, sport and ECO. Driving enthusiastically feels much better in sport mode, where the pre-set gear changes are more responsive, but the CVT feels sluggish in both normal and ECO modes. Manual shifting with the gear stick makes the drive more enjoyable as you can choose gears yourself instead of waiting for the CVT to decide.
It’s well sorted in term of handling, without much body roll, but the firm suspension can make potholes and speed bumps uncomfortable.
Also, the indicator stalk lives on the European (left) side of the steering wheel which might take some getting used to and the Juke’s lane departure warning is also eager to beep you back into your lane when flicking your blinker on a whisker too late before a lane change.
Does it perform as you expect?
The best way to describe the Juke is a ‘mildly-sporty small-SUV’. If you like the way it looks, you could live with it quite easily but if you often carry more than one extra passenger or you need a decent-sized boot, you should probably consider other options.
Ultimately, it's starting to show its wrinkles and something more intuitive with the latest in tech and safety would be preferred but the Juke is for someone who wants a car with personality and flare. If you don’t care so much for the other details, it’s a good option.
2018 Nissan Juke Ti-S price and specifications
Price: From $33,840 plus on-road costs
Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol
Power: 140kW at 5600rpm
Torque: 240Nm at 1600-5200rpm
Transmission: Xtronic CVT automatic, all-wheel-drive
Fuel use: 6.0L/100km