The Nissan Juke Was The Antidote To The Boring Crossover And We All Ignored It

There’s a meme that’s been circulating the Internet for as long as I can remember. It shows a bunch of SUVs and crossovers all edited to be flat white, edited to appear the same size, and edited to have blank wheels. The meme, which we’ve written about, is usually followed with some commentary about how every crossover looks the same and boring. The antidote has existed for a while, but we collectively ignored it. The Nissan Juke was a total weirdo and the automotive industry needs more vehicles like it.

While that meme has been exaggerated to the point of being arguably inaccurate, it’s hard to deny that at least some automakers aren’t having the kind of fun they used to have less than 20 years ago. Manual transmissions are fighting for their lives, convertibles are an endangered species, and we probably shouldn’t talk about sedans and small work vans. Look no further than what Volkswagen has become. This was a company that was once willing to sell you a hot hatch with a narrow-angle VR6 or a sleeper off-road SUV. Now it wants to sell you a chunky Atlas with a 2-liter four that isn’t worth writing home about.

The subject of the Nissan Juke has entered my brain again thanks to Regular Car Reviews.

“Mr. Regular” Brian was harsh to the Juke and in ways it did earn it, but I’m left feeling that eventually, we’ll come to miss cars like these. Sure, the Juke was ugly to most and it didn’t really do anything Generic Crossover #3 couldn’t do, but unlike so many crossovers today it’s something you’ll remember, which I’m afraid I can’t say about how well its replacement, the Kicks, is holding up in my memory banks.

Our Jason Torchinsky has been spending an inordinate amount of time defending the vehicles contained in Craig Cheetham’s book, The World’s Worst Cars. Thankfully, the Nissan Juke is not in that book, but the obvious reason is that the book was published in 2005 while the first Jukes rolled off of the line in 2010. But we’d like to think that had that book been written today, Cheetham would have had some choice words for Nissan’s funky crossover. Regardless, plenty of people still hate the Juke even though sales officially ended in America 7 years ago. I’m going to do my best to redeem it!

Individuality Times 1.5 Million

The Nissan Juke was one of those experiments where an automaker decided to take a bet on being ridiculous. Sure, Nissan could just keep building the same thing and continue ringing the cash register. But, occasionally, automakers like the idea of a car that a buyers will think is as unique as they are. Our resident car designer, Adrian, explains the origins of the Juke:

Previewed by the Qazana concept that debuted at the 2009 Geneva motor show, it was the second Nissan designed and engineered entirely in the UK after the Qashqai (closely related to the Rogue/Rogue Sport available in the US). The Qashqai had been a final throw of the dice for Nissan Motor UK (NMUK) after years of pissing yen down the plug hole. CEO in a suitcase Carlos Ghosn had instituted a brutal cost cutting regime across the whole of Nissan globally and told NMUK to get its shit together or else. Gambling that customers would pay a little extra for a chunkier, roomier and higher riding Golf-sized car the rather inoffensive looking Qashqai practically invented the crossover. Not for nothing was it nicknamed the Cash Cow by the UK motoring media.

Relaxing in a swimming pool full of money, NMUK wanted to do the same thing again for the next class down – Euro B (US subcompact). Nissan Design Europe (along with MG the only OEM design studio in London) came up with the design tautology of combining a beach buggy with a four wheeled motorbike. The Qazana previewed a stubby, wheel-at-each-corner stance coupled with a coupe sloping roof and large wheel arch haunches, and a bug eyed split lighting arrangement that placed the DRLs and indicators on the hood, with the main headlights lower down either side of the grill.

Adrian goes on to note that Matthew Weaver, then Senior Exterior Designer of Nissan Design Europe, said:

Throughout the JUKE design process, using different sources of inspiration was key. I was on the train one day and remembered seeing a young man in a flat cap with a diamond skull on it, a bright t-shirt, a pinstripe jacket and trainers. It was an eclectic mix, but I thought: if people don’t have to conform, why should cars? Different is good, it stands out. That is exactly what we wanted to achieve with JUKE.

So, the big deal with the Juke was that it was different on purpose. Like a WhistlinDiesel video, the Juke is designed to elicit a response from you, regardless it’s that of disgust or awe. If you look close enough at a Juke you’ll see taillights that look like they were adapted from the 370Z, the sort of big wheels pushed as far out as they could be like a motorcycle, a sports car roofline, some vintage rally car-inspired headlights, and a crossover trying to bulge out of it all at the same time.

According to Nissan from Car Body Design, all of that is intentional. Nissan even says there’s some Cube in the Juke, but after squinting until it hurt I still don’t see it.

As Car Magazine UK wrote in 2009, the Juke also served a practical purpose. This tall, funky crossover was supposed to carry the small car torch from the Nissan Micra. Its manufacturing at Nissan Motor UK was also slated to keep 1,100 jobs around, too.

The Nissan Juke’s out-of-the-box design continued inside, where designers implemented a mix of sports car touches and tied them together with a center console that looked a bit like the fuel tank of a sport bike. Even the controls and the Integrated Control System graphical display on the center stack were just a bit weird.

Then there’s just the completely random stuff, like how the door armrests are supposed to resemble a SCUBA diver’s flippers. If you had any doubts about the Juke’s attempt to reference active lifestyles, the graphical display even had a G-force chart like a video game.

The same cannot be said for the rest of the vehicle underneath. The Juke rides on the Renault Nissan Alliance B platform, which underpins an impressive number of vehicles from the Nissan Cube and the Renault Clio to the Nissan Versa Note and the NV200 van. That meant MacPherson struts up front, a torsion beam in the rear for FWD models, and a multi-link rear setup for AWD Jukes.

Out of the gate, the Juke got a 1.6-liter turbo four good for 188 HP and 177 lb-ft of torque. Buyers had a choice of backing that engine with a CVT or a six-speed manual. Later, Nissan added the Nismo to the Juke lineup, which added a body kit, sport suspension, wheels, and race-inspired seats. Then there was the Nismo RS, which pumped the power up to 215 HP and 210 lb-ft of torque.

At its fastest, the Nismo RS hits 60 mph in the mid-6 second range, which is about a second faster than the base engine tune depending on who is behind the wheel. Those aren’t bad numbers for a crossover!

Liked By Reviewers, Hated By Everyone Else

Edmunds was clear and concise with its review, effectively stating that you trade some practicality for style:

Much like a teenager sporting piercings and multicolored, spiked hair, the 2015 Nissan Juke seemingly shouts “Look at me!” Though its styling may be controversial, there’s no denying that this compact crossover looks like nothing else in the small car segment. Plus, with its new Color Studio program for 2015, you can give it the automotive equivalent of multicolored, spiked hair — be it yellow mirrors and door handles on a red Juke, or blue wheels on a purple one. Indeed, it’s this unique degree of customization and personality that differentiates the Juke from other small crossovers and hatchbacks.

Under the skin, you’ll find a little runabout with a fun-to-drive personality to match its visual flamboyance. Most cars in this price range can be rather humdrum, but not the Juke. Boasting standard turbocharged power and a sport-tuned suspension, this Nissan provides a responsive and engaging drive. Furthermore, all-wheel drive is available, a rarity among small hatchbacks and a boon to those who live in inclement areas of the country. On the downside, though, rear passenger and cargo space are cramped compared with what’s provided by somewhat larger, more conventionally styled crossovers.

If interior space is a priority, you might consider a more sensible hatchback or crossover, such as a 2015 Mazda 3 or 2015 Subaru XV Crosstrek. The 2015 Kia Soul has some personality to it, and it’s also more practical than the Juke. You can’t get it with all-wheel drive, however. If having AWD is important, it may be worth checking the wave of subcompact SUVs hitting dealers in 2015, including the 2015 Jeep Renegade, 2016 Honda HR-V, 2016 Fiat 500X and 2016 Mazda CX-3. But overall we recommend the Juke if you’re looking for a small hatchback or crossover with sporting credentials.

Autocar put out a detailed review that knocked the Juke for numb steering, lack of space, and poor interior quality, but suggests that Nissan still stuck the landing:

So, do all the disparate design influences gel into a complete car? They do, to a surprising degree. Driving the Nissan Juke is always fun, partly to gauge reaction from the rest of the world, mostly because it really does drive as its looks suggest it should. To make a tall car handle with such verve without totally annihilating the ride is an impressive achievement, so you don’t have to suffer much for your high vantage point and your SUV-meets-coupé-meets-motorcycle vibes.

This isn’t a particularly practical car, but that’s not what the Juke is about. Rear accommodation is passable, but the ride worsens for rear passengers and the tightening window line makes it bleak in the back. The boot isn’t especially large, either. However, the sense of fun is heightened by a stylish interior that’s very different to anything else out there. It’s well appointed, too, which adds to the sense of value the Juke gives you.

Is the Juke for us? We found ourselves liking the car a lot. Interior plastics and numb steering count against it, but on the other hand it is good value for money and will be cheap to run. Best of all, it’s good to see a volume car maker daring to be different and making it work.

It appears most reviews agreed that the Juke sacrificed space and some comfort for its looks, but was generally a fun drive. Also, whether you liked the looks or not, the Juke was a distinctive vehicle. At least initially, this wasn’t some boring car that you would lose in a car park.

As Driven to Write noted, Nissan hoped the Juke was a return of its famous Pike Factory cars, the Figaro, Pao, and S-Cargo. These were delightfully odd cars that remain beloved by fans of our very own Jason Torchinsky even decades after they were built. Well, it sure seemed as though Nissan hit a Grand Slam because Juke production lasted about a decade, during which time Nissan moved over 1.5 million units. Yes, the irony of a car marketed around uniqueness selling so many units isn’t lost on me.

Yet, people still really hate these cars. Even some commenters on Adrian’s review of the new Juke got actively angry just because the Juke exists. Mr. Regular up there seems to dislike the Juke because he thinks it’s the ugly and impractical crossover for the dad who wants to feel cool and young again. The commenters of RCR’s videos seem to suggest you can’t be a car person and like a Juke. A number of our readers seem to suggest that the Juke is for non-car people. Both types of commenters make me wonder what happens if a car person happens to like the Juke.

Still, it’s worth noting that it wasn’t Nissan’s mission to make a class-leading crossover. It’s a styling and marketing exercise first, crossover second. In a way, it’s intentionally daft like the Smart Crossblade, but somehow, Nissan convinced over a million people to step up to the plate to buy one.

If you wanted the best crossover for carrying groceries, a Honda CR-V was readily available at the dealership right down the street. The Juke was for the kind of buyer who wanted some of the benefits of a crossover but still wanted something they’d turn around and look at while walking away. The Juke was for the kind of person who today might complain about how boring cars have gotten. Sure, the Juke is not really attractive, but it isn’t boring.

Nissan reportedly expected a Juke buyer to move up from their sporty crossover and into a 370Z, not a bigger crossover. The automaker was so proud of how polarizing the original Juke was that it considered making the next one even more polarizing.

Perhaps the best example of how the Juke wasn’t supposed to be taken super seriously is just how silly it got. The absolutely absurd Nissan Juke-R started off as an off-the-books project by Nissan employees and RML Group where some clearly mad engineers crammed the Nissan GT-R’s 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6 into the Juke, turning it into a monster with the taps turned up to 485 HP. Oh, and then Nissan built a 600 HP sequel because there’s no such thing as a Juke that’s too ridiculous. Nissan then sold three examples to wealthy customers, so it wasn’t even just an engineering showcase.

[Editor’s Note: I drove one of these once! It was bonkers, just bonkers. And all the ECUs still thought they were a GT-R so it was always confused. – JT]

I suppose part of the Juke’s reputation is Nissan’s own reputation. Nissan CVTs don’t have a great track record and the automaker pinched so many pennies that multiple reviews talked about cheap interiors. Nissan also set the expectation that the Juke would be a bit of a sports car, and it’s debatable how close Nissan came to hitting the mark.

Keep Cars Weird

Unfortunately, while the Juke did sell over 1.5 million units over its first generation, America really dragged the crossover down. As Automotive News reported in 2018, the Juke was one of Nissan’s best-selling cars in Europe in 2017 with 95,000 units sold. However, sales in the United States stalled out with just 10,157 units sold over the same timeframe, a number that was down 48 percent from 2016. The Juke’s controversial looks and space compromises were cited as causes, something that apparently didn’t bother European buyers that much.

Yet as Driven to Write notes, the Juke was such a runaway success on the global market that other automakers tried to make their own interpretations. Remember the original Hyundai Kona, the Toyota C-HR, and the Volkswagen T-Roc? Sorry America, we didn’t get that last one. The publication points out that the compact crossover segment is sizzling right now and at least to some extent, today’s cars have the Juke to thank for that.

So, Nissan pulled the plug on the U.S. market Juke after 2017, meaning we didn’t even get the car for its full run. We didn’t get the second-generation, either. Instead, we got the Kicks, a perfectly cromulent crossover, but with none of the pop of the Juke.

I think as a whole, oddities like the Juke are something we need more of today. Again, I won’t call the Juke pretty, but I don’t think it deserves the hate. But, like the Pontiac Aztek, Smart Fortwo, Toyota Prius, Volkswagen New Beetle, and Chrysler PT Cruiser, it seems to get people all hot and bothered. I suppose I’ll never understand getting physically angry that a vehicle exists, but the soup cans, eggs, keys, paintball splats, and bullet taken by my 2012 Smart Fortwo suggest there is a such thing as “too weird.”

Automakers should take chances, have a little fun, and stand out in the crowd from time to time. Just look at the Tesla Cybertruck. Everyone has an opinion on the Cybertruck and it’s just never leaving the news cycle. Of course, I’m not saying automakers should copy Elon’s playbook, but sometimes it’s okay to think outside of the box instead of just building another box.

For all of what made the original Juke perhaps too weird, I’m happy it existed. Perhaps 20 years from now I’ll tell a teenager about the time when Nissan tried to combine car and motorcycle design into some bizarre thing that looked like a frog. They’ll ignore me as they remain focused on whatever holographic displays will be around then, but at least I’ll tell that story with a smile.

(Images: Nissan)

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