A new player from Nissan enters the arena. The Nismo Juke marks the start of a new lineup from Nissan Motorsports (Nismo) that will include the 370Z sports car and most likely the GT-R. However, Nissan Motorsports says the performance set will differ from Gran Turismo. At the same time, Nismo owners will be able to feel and test the power of their cars, even in everyday driving conditions.
A new player from Nissan enters the arena. The Nismo Juke marks the start of a new lineup from Nissan Motorsports (Nismo) that will include the 370Z sports car and most likely the GT-R. However, Nissan Motorsports says the performance set will differ from Gran Turismo. At the same time, Nismo owners will be able to feel and test the power of their cars, even in everyday driving conditions. The front-wheel-drive Nismo Juke was priced at $ 22,990, while the all-wheel drive version of the car will cost $ 3,000 more. It is worth noting that both models are cheaper than the top-end Juke SL line. The Nismo Juke will have 9hp. and 7lb / ft of torque, which together with the turbocharging and direct injection of the 1.6-liter engine gives up to 197 hp. and 184 lb / ft. These characteristics are not enough to impress, but together with the redesigned suspension and fine-tuning calibration, the Nismo Juke feels slightly more powerful and faster than the base Juke. The suspension of the car has also undergone changes and became 10% stiffer, at the same time, the rigidity was added to the steering in order to increase safety and control over driving the car at high speeds. The Nissan Nismo Juke will also have 18-inch lightweight wheels with Continental ContiSport summer tires. Despite the fact that all these changes individually do not matter much, in the aggregate they led to the fact that the car performed much better on tight corners and on the autocross track, where it was tested. The front wheel drive mechanical transmission was taken from the Nissan Juke. But in the all-wheel drive version, the developers only changed the settings for the continuously variable transmission, adding a sense of limitation, giving the illusion of gear shifting. Despite the fact that this change only affects the aesthetic side of the car's perception, it still adds to the driving comfort and may affect the choice in favor of Nismo. On many cars equipped with CVTs, the tachometer needle simply stays in place near the red line until speed is reached. This is dangerous and confusing for the driver. But in the Juke, the developers have made changes to reduce the risk of using such a tachometer. Inside the Nismo Juke, the seats, steering wheel and armrests are made of Alcantara. And the red mark on the steering wheel means top dead center. All gauges on the dashboard are also highlighted in red, hinting at the styling of a sports car. Like the Juke-R, the seats are slightly taller than the average sedan for improved driver visibility. Visually, the Nismo Juke has several differences from the standard model. The lower front grill was changed and the circular air intakes were replaced with a honeycomb grill. The LED fog lights are finished in a red and gray finish, which will be the hallmark of all Nismo models. Nissan engineers claim the Nismo Juke will have 37% more downforce than the base model. The Nismo tailpipes are even more visible and also feature red and gray stripes that support the overall styling of the car. And the small fenders will be painted in body color instead of the usual black. The Nashville Superspeedway was chosen to test the vehicle's capabilities. We first decided to try the six-speed manual transmission from the driver's perspective. We got the most optimal variant of movement from a standstill using manual control. We were also able to simulate understeer when cornering and track the car's response. We kept the integrated control system in sport mode all the time and brought the traction control system to a complete shutdown. The CVT coil hesitated a bit while deciding which wheels to steer. In addition, we found that the car feels better on the track if it squeezes the throttle a little earlier than usual after braking. Nissan's developers claim that the Juke can travel up to 30 km on the highway in economy mode, using a gallon of fuel in both four-wheel drive models and front-wheel drive vehicles. Having driven onto a winding road near the race track, Nismo Juke behaved quite rudely in several places, therefore, as much as we would not like, the car failed the off-road test drive. A continuously variable transmission must maintain an operating range of power if you want to enjoy the ride. And this is precisely the problem, albeit a small one. Nissan said they have high hopes for the Juke Nismo as a possible global hot hatch competitor. Juke Nismo stands out from other hot hatch models with folding seats and original design, but at the same time, it is inferior in power to such giants as the Volkswagen GTI, Focus ST and MazdaSpeed3. Conclusion: if you have been planning to buy a hot hatch of a high-speed car for a long time, then it is better to turn to already known and recommended models. But, if you are ready for a new trend and appreciate originality, then be sure to pay attention to the Nissan Nismo Juke. We cannot say that the Nissan Nismo Juke is an exciting opening of the season, but, nevertheless, it stands out from other cars. As one proverb states, it is much better to drive a slow car fast than a fast one slowly. And this is what attracts Nismo.
