Review: Nissan Juke Hybrid

Nissan, in common with most manufacturers, is slowly edging its way towards electrification of its fleet. Last summer the compact crossover Juke got the treatment and a petrol hybrid joined the range. It’s remarkably good and delivers better than average combined fuel consumption of 46mpg with no need for charging to bring the EV power into play. Acceleration is a pretty impressive 10.1 seconds for the 0-62mph benchmark dash courtesy of the punchy 141bhp 1.6 litre petrol engine and supplementary battery that work independently or together. Nissan claims that 80 per cent of an urban journey can be accomplished in electric drive mode which gives increased efficiency. Cleverly, the hybrid Juke comes equipped with Nissan’s e-Pedal Step. When the foot is lifted from the accelerator, braking is activated and the car can actually be brought to a crawl in this way. The second generation Juke went on sale at the end of 2019 and it was so much better than the model it replaced - as you would expect. It’s smarter from the outside with the familiar circular headlamps accentuated with slim LED lights incorporated into the shape of the Y-shaped grille. Much more streamlined and not so chunky as before. The hybrid differs slightly from those with other powertrains as it is fitted with a different front grille mesh to maximise aero efficiency. It also has two-tone 17inch alloys, an improved spoiler and an uprated 10-speaker BOSE audio system. One feature I loved is that the doors lock and unlock when you approach or walk away with the key about your person. The interior is smart and functional with displays specific to the hybrid and its functions such as a power gauge and battery status indicator. Climate control is by way of two large knobs instead of a complicated digital menu and switches for the heated windscreens are directly underneath. There is a definite separation between the two front seats: the centre console extending from front to back and housing a cup holder small storage box cum armrest and the gear selector. The driver sits high and forward visibility is good although the rear view not so and the camera and parking sensors come into their own when reversing. The N-Connecta trim we tested comes with a decent enough sat nav system but, in common with the majority of people I tend to use my smartphone most of the time. Plenty of room in the boot: 354 litres with the seats up and 1114 litres with them down although the boot lip is a little on the high side for easy loading. Lots of safety equipment comes as standard including cruise control, traffic sign recognition and also intelligent lane intervention – this can become quite annoying at times. Automatic emergency braking is a welcome feature which can detect both pedestrians and cyclists. The Juke is particularly good about town but can hold its own on motorways and B roads without too much trouble. Our test car has an on the road price of £27,250 with the only additional cost the ceramic grey paint at £745. Nissan Juke Hybrid Price: £27,250 (£27,995 as tested) Engine: 1.6-litre, petrol hybrid Power: 115bhp Torque: 151lb/ft Transmission: CVTl Top speed: 103mph 0-62mph: 10.2 seconds Economy: 46.12mpg CO 2 emissions:115g/km