We were taken deep into the heart of the Johannesburg CBD, given popcorn and a Slush Puppy and led into a dark makeshift cinema to experience the Nissan Juke. And what an interesting way it was to introduce this rather questionable-looking vehicle. A new kid on the block in the old Jo’burg city was the ideal environment to launch this car. And what better way to feel like a kid again than with a Slush Puppy.

There wasn’t one journalist who didn’t have a comment on the styling of the Juke, which I suppose can be a good or a bad thing. But, by the end of the drive, most journos felt the Juke had grown on them. You just need to glance at it to see some sort of amphibian characteristic; before I had even expressed these thoughts to my driving partner, he pointed to the Juke driving in front of us and said, “Follow that frog!”

Climb inside and you are met with great attention to detail and a retro approach. I was impressed with the centre console, which is inspired by a motorbike. An interactive driver-control system with three driver modes (Eco, Normal and Sport) is easy to use and even a bit fun. When in Sport mode, you can view a g-force meter. You can view all your driving info, such as total driving time, total kilometres and your average driving speed. The only negative we found was the cheap-plastic feel of the dashboard. We were both in agreement that a softer-touch material would have lifted the cabin to another level.

Space was ample, although we had a Nissan representative in the back for part of our drive and he was a lot more comfortable sitting behind me whilst I was driving than when he had to sit behind my partner who is a bit taller. But it’s not to say the space in the back is too limited.

We drove all around the Johannesburg CBD right out to Pretoria and back. I sat in traffic, went through what felt like a million robots and dodged pedestrians rushing home from work. For me, this is the kind of driving that most of us experience every day and the 1,6 DIG-T Tekna we had handled it with ease. Whilst driving around the CBD, I opted for the Eco mode. But the minute we got onto the highway, I chose Sport, and what a difference! There’s quite a bit of force behind it. We had no problem overtaking any vehicle. It’s no real shock, I suppose; the 1,6-litre direct-injection petrol engine with turbocharger and intercoole delivers a stout 140 kW of power and 240 N.m of torque. It is mated with a six-speed manual gearbox and reaches the 100 km/h sprint in 8,0 seconds.

The ride is smooth with short gear shifts and the steering direct. And all in all, it is really fun to drive. Which makes sense: with its off-beat looks, the Juke needs a great personality!

PRICES:

1,6 5MT 2WD Acenta: R198 000

1,6 5MT 2WD Acenta+: R218 500

1,6 DIG-T 6MT 2WD Tekna: R253 000

1,6 DIG-T 6MT 2WD Tekna (leather): R258 800

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Original article from Car