Can you believe it’s been 14 years since Nissan unveiled the Juke? What was once a target of vitriol has now faded into the roadscape thanks to weirder and weirder-looking crossovers being launched over the past few years. We even gave this little crossover its own redemption piece, because man, people were way too hard on it. Not only did it have some funky stuff going on, it even spawned a manual high-performance variant that promises to be an underrated hot hatch for truly reasonable money.
In North America, even the regular Nissan Juke wasn’t exactly dowdy in the mechanicals department. It came standard with a 188-horsepower 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and you could even get it with a six-speed manual transmission. You don’t have to rub many brain cells together to wonder what would happen if someone turned up the wick at least a touch to create one seriously weird hot hatch.
That’s where Nismo comes into play. The same skunkworks branch of Nissan previously known for seam-welding 350Zs and building insane Skyline GT-Rs took one look at this weird little crossover and instantly saw its potential. It started with the Nismo version, a hotted-up Juke with a body kit, sports suspension, new wheels, red accents everywhere, and a power boost to 197 horsepower. However, this wasn’t all that Nismo could do. If you were a particular type of lunatic, starting for the 2014 model year, you could buy a Nissan Juke Nismo RS.
To justify adding two little letters to the end of the model name, Nismo threw some more power at it, elevating output to 215 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 210 lb.-ft. of torque from 3,600 rpm to 4,800 rpm — squarely in hot-hatch territory. Stronger connecting rods boosted longevity and a reworked exhaust system added a hot hatch soundtrack too. This was more than just slapping a different tune on an ECU, Nismo really did make some small but key upgrades to make the hottest regular production Juke punch harder than people expected.
Of course, power is nothing without control, so on models equipped with the six-speed manual transmission, Nismo threw in a helical limited-slip front differential to really get the power down to the ground. Speaking of that six-speed manual transmission, it was a close-ratio unit, with shorter gears in first through third, and it gained a stronger clutch cover to handle a little drivetrain abuse. You could also get the Nismo RS with a CVT and all-wheel-drive, but the manual is where it’s at.
Since this is Nismo we’re talking about, the Juke Nismo RS also got a whole bunch of body stiffening over the regular Juke, along with beefier spring rates, re-tuned KYB dampers, vented rear discs, front discs nearly an inch bigger than the ones on the standard Nismo, and re-tuned electric power steering. Decent stuff, but the real centerpiece was in the cabin.
One of the best performance upgrades you can do to just about any car is ensuring the driver stays comfortable and supported, even in high-performance driving. Believe me, I’ve tracked cars that had me falling out of the seat. To solve this, Nismo went straight to Recaro and installed a pair of gorgeous, supportive, and undeniably expensive Sportster seats.
The result was a hot crossover with a shockingly reasonable curb weight of 2,951 pounds that dashed from zero-to-60 mph in 6.4 seconds during Motor Trend instrumented testing. The result was a car that drove like a proper old-school hot hatch, as Motor Trend attests:
Although the 2015 Nissan Juke NISMO RS offers great performance, it’s also fun to drive. It has an abundance of torque steer, and if you’re not careful, you could end up in the next lane. But when needing that extra power off the line, the Juke NISMO RS delivers with ease. Getting up to speed is quick, with a 0-60 mph time of 6.4 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 14.9 seconds at 94.8 mph. Weaving in and out of traffic was a breeze thanks to smaller proportions and good pickup. When accelerating out of a corner, that limited-slip differential allows the Juke NISMO RS to power through and stick to the road.
We may not be the biggest fan of the 2015 Nissan Juke NISMO RS in terms of its looks, but the drive alone is enough to make up for this polarizing model’s design flaws. We would ask for slightly less bolstered seats and a bit less of the Alcantara, but the Juke NISMO RS shines on the road. A bigger cargo area would go a ways toward boosting this model’s appeal, but we’ll just have to be happy with a zippy model that sips fuel despite its strong performance numbers.
If that doesn’t sound like a bundle of weird fun, I don’t know what does. Nissan managed to make a business case for these things in America from model years 2014 through 2017, when the plug was pulled, ending the marque’s stateside hot hatch run. It’s a run most people forgot about, which means that once you factor in the polarizing looks, you can pick up a Juke Nismo RS for seriously sensible coin.
Take this 2014 Juke Nismo RS manual, for example. Sure, it has more than 122,000 miles on the clock and a hit on its vehicle history report, but it’s also listed for sale in Washington for $8,995. That’s a four-figure price and it doesn’t even look roached. The black paint still gleams, the Recaro seats are still present, and even the sueded material on the steering wheel ought to come back nicely with a little detailing.
Alright, let’s say you’re really into the vibe of this thing and want a creampuff example. Well, good news, because even the cream of the Juke Nismo RS crop probably won’t burst your budget. This manual 2016 Juke Nismo RS has just 70,018 miles on the clock, and although it has a minor claim on the Carfax from when it was pretty much new, its history out of the rust belt means it should be pretty clean underneath. It’s currently up for sale in Oregon at an asking price of $15,138, and that’s not bad considering the overall car market.
So, if you’re looking for a quick, fun, and left-field hot hatchback, why not consider a Nissan Juke Nismo RS? It’s the right kind of wacky to brighten up the roadscape, and ripping gears in a turbocharged terror is always a riot.
(Photo credits: Nissan, Autotrader sellers)
Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.
-
The Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R-Spec Is A Luxurious V8 Sleeper That Can Keep Up With A Camaro SS
-
For Five Short Years, You Could Buy A Demure Volvo S80 With A 4.4-Liter V8
-
The Acura TL SH-AWD Manual Is The Stick-Shift All-Weather Sports Sedan You Forgot Existed
-
The Cadillac STS-V Is The 469-HP Supercharged V8 Cadillac You Forgot About
-
The Forgotten Audi A3 3.2 Quattro Is A Golf R32 In Disguise For Thousands Of Dollars Less
Got a hot tip? Send it to us here. Or check out the stories on our homepage.
More wagons, fewer ugly horrible lifted hatches.
Nah, it’s still ugly
Why not consider one… Do you have eyes?
As a former Juke Nismo owner, AFAIK, The RS was NOT available with AWD. The only way you could get AWD was with the more garden-variety NON-RS model. In light of that, the torque-vectoring AWD did make it awfully sticky. You could practically drive it up a wall. Overall, still very fun and a spunky little driver. A bit harsh in the suspension department IMO, but they drive and handle well. Just hope that the LED DRL (that is shared only with the GT-R, purportedly) doesn’t fail. Good gracious. A pair of malfunctioning LED DRLs will total your poor lil’ Juke NISMO.
It’s still a Juke, so, No.
I spose, get one now while they are still considered a joke. The 6 speed versions are the only ones that may survive. the CVT versions are already probably scrap balls. These things always made me think of the Nissan version of the much maligned dodge Caliber, which incidentally is also likely only to have the SRT4 variants perhaps survive into the next decade.
Mom had a Juke after her Audi TT. The repair costs on the TT made her get off the German bandwagon, despite the driving dynamics.
She is now in an Infinity QX30, which is based on the Mercedes GL250 or some shit.
People love to hate the juke but they were perfectly competent, comfortable for the most part, and fun to drive CVT be damned. There was a bit of turbo lag there but when it whooshed it whooshed you up to illegal speeds in no time.
lets not forget the most bananas of them all, the Juke-R
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15353776/nissan-juke-r-2-0-600-hp-gt-r-nismo-powertrain-17-may-be-built/
that thing is quite possibly the silliest, most unholy hot hatch on earth. i love it
I bought the awd due to it having the independent rear suspension. I reluctantly took the cvt with it. The cvt was absolutely horrible due to it constantly up shifting. I’m chasing a gt3 (don’t laugh , it could happen) on Mulholland trying to stay in the power band and it upshifts. I’m constantly down shifting . So annoying. There was a misprint in the brochure about the fuel tank size so Nissan offered to buy it back. I jumped at it . They “lost my paper work” but i kept hounding them. Made money ont that one.
I like the Juke, but it’s much better with the CVT for all the usual reasons: no needless, clunky shifting of gears, superior efficiency, and better “gearing” for all that wonderful turbocharged power. Yes, the Juke Nismo is an excellent car, but with the CVT is the way to go.
Username checks out 🙂
Also the Jatco CVT’s are hot garbage, and the main reason most Nissans end up in a junkyard, since they can’t be repaired and replacements cost more than the cars are worth.
This is, by far, my favorite running gag in the Autopian comments section.
“If you could have dinner with one famous person who would it be?”
“Easy, Jatco Xtronic CVT”
Question is would they make it to the restaurant?
I needed to hear this to be sure I wasn’t going crazy. Now I’m privy!
There was a house near me in MN that had 2(!!) Juke NISMO’s side by side in the garage. Both painted the pearl white color, but one with the red accents and the other with orange accents (mirrors and rear spoiler, plus maybe another trim piece). (Circa ’16/17)
Obviously one household found a fondness for them.
As I recall the AWD ones lost like a third of the rear storage as a result of the rear end changes (below the floor level space). I definitely was in the demographic for one of these, but given I already had a Fit, RAV4 V6, and 2nd Gen CR-V (winter car) there wasn’t a reason to subtract two of these for one of them at the time.
I test drove one of these back when they were new. It was a lot of fun.
I looked at these when they dropped, but the lack of stick with AWD was a deal killer. They handled well, but the CVT was a fun killer compared to the stick. Back then, like now, I lived on a steep hill that required AWD and snow tires to get up on the winter months, so the Juke NISMO was off the table.
You don’t like the CVT, you say?
Uh oh…RUN AWAY! (insert Monty Python running from the bunny .gif)
I though you were referencing the “Home” movie. lol
Search “Nissan CVT class action lawsuit” and try to keep track of the number of suits that have been raised. You’ll find descriptions like
“The plaintiffs who sued claim Nissan knew years ago about the transmission problems because the automaker has issued multiple technical service bulletins (TSBs) to dealerships.Those bulletins refer to CVTs that shake, shudder, vibrate, cause the vehicles to hesitate and suffer a lack of power, and in some cases dealers were told to replace the transmission assemblies.”
My niece had a Juke with a CVT that started to slip and cause the car to stall/stop occasionally on long trips. She got rid of it after leaving her and my sister-in-law stranded. Anecdotal evidence yes, but it is backed up by the lawsuits. Love my gen 2 Nissan Leaf, but I won’t own a Nissan CVT.
For a while I had a 2013 Accord CVT. It was generally fine except shortest available ratio was not nearly short enough. Like if your traditional transmission was missing 1st gear and you had to start from 2nd.
You should probably upgrade to a Ford Focus. the Powershift DCT is far superior. 2012-2016 are the best years I hear.
I do enjoy the running gag, but…
In 2014 Nissan corporate was sticking to the ‘There’s no way to check the fluid because it’s Lifetime Fill: you don’t NEED to check it’.
At the time, waitlist for a new Jatco for warranty repair was 9 months
If you get a Nissan it CANNOT be a CVT, Nissan CVTs are a dumpster fire in another dumpster fire headed into a volcano.
Who hated the Juke?
I guess some journalists complained about the styling, but when this thing came out I remember being very intrigued.
The 1.6T with that kind of output wasn’t the common formula that it is today. Nissan were early with this kind of engine, and attached to a six-speed, it made for a compelling package for an enthusiast.
I hadn’t realized just how special this RS model was. I’m in the market for something fun and you’ve convinced me to give this a second look.
Those prices are attractive for what you get. I feel like it’s the Kona N predecessor. Curious what you find…
I have been strongly interested in this thing ever since I saw a lifted Juke with flares and 35s… and it turns out there’s drop in turbo upgrades that lead to almost 400hp. So, yeah. Interesting stuff. If nothing else, having a 400hp Nismo on coilovers and chunky tires is some bragging rights and a half.
They should have called this one the Juke Box
“Juke in the box”
“It has an abundance of torque steer, and if you’re not careful, you could end up in the next lane.”
Reminds me of the Mazdaspeed3, and is what made it ridiculously fun to drive. Taming a car that wants to kill you is so much more fun.
It is so true!!! I was looking for a Speed3 and ended up buying a Focus ST. I figured they’re basically the same but with the Focus you can get a newer car, with lower mileage, that is objectively better for the same coin
Well, I quickly learned that “objectively” leaves a lot of room for x factors. The ST is an amazing car and an even better bargain, but there is just nothing quite as joyous as a Speed3
I was disappointed with the Speed3. I thought it felt much like the regular 2.3 hatch I had, but with a tuner engine and some kid’s patchy idea of suspension tuning and that the regular 3 was highly overrated as a driver’s car. I expected the same of the ST compared to the Focus SE, but it felt like a different car that had been properly engineered. Maybe it’s because my standard for torque steer is a modded Saab SPG, but I didn’t think the torque steer was all that crazy in the Speed—even at full lock from a stop, it basically just didn’t self center—and virtually nothing in the ST, so now I assume journalists rate things based on stuff only an idiot would do and be surprised by, like floor it on rutted, potholed pavement (which I did once as a test and, sure enough, it was all over the place).
I would have gone for one if it was done to the versa hatch the juke was based on. The versa hatch was gigantic inside, and the juke had a laughable back seat.
I’m still upset at Honda for not giving us a Fit Si!
2nd Gen with a R18 (tuned for premium at say 150-155HP) would do the ticket and still stay down from the K-series Civic Si. Pricing would be in the Civic LX bracket, but manual only)
Unfortunately for both of us, Honda and Nissan lost much of their direction in the late aughts (Great Recession triggered in some regard+Ghosn for Nissan) and we missed a potential fun era of what ifs from manufacturers.
Expand that statement and picture a Nismo Nissan Cube.
The Cube was a hoot to drive as a 6MT and a cavernous little economy car. If it got an extra 100hp, it would just be completely silly.
I honestly wished Nissan gave the Juke AWD with the 6MT. It would have made up for a lot of its other sins (bad packaging, and polarizing styling). But, then, it’s still a Nissan… so I’d probably not buy one.
My sister liked the Juke, but after looking at them, she said she a MINI had more interior space (exaggerating). She bought a Rogue [shudders]. That POS limped on a failing transmission to the dealer as a trade with under 100k miles.