Nissan Juke 1.5 dCi Acenta 5dr Car Review - March 2012

The Juke’s Renault-derived 1.5-litre diesel engine produces 109 bhp and 177 lb-ft of torque. This translates into a top speed of 109 mph, while 0-62 mph arrives in in 11.2 seconds.

The steering is sharp and responsive with plenty of feel, and the stiff suspension limits body-lean whilst keeping the ride comfortable. These positives are balanced out by a lack of grip through corners though.

The diesel engine is very harsh and noisy and needs to be worked hard to give its best. Wind noise is well-muffled, but road noise is present. The dashboard is clear and well-laid out. Rear visibility is poor though and the steering wheel does not adjust for reach.

The Juke looks fantastic; its funky exterior design looks bang up-to-date. However, the same cannot be said of the rather dull and sombre interior.

Standard kit includes alloy wheels, air-conditioning, electric mirrors, electric front windows, CD player and MP3 connectivity, Bluetooth, climate control, cruise control and Nissan’s Dynamic Control System, which gives the option to tweak the steering and accelerator settings to be sporty or eco-friendly.

The Juke is very spacious up front although taller passengers in the rear may find that the sloping roofline limits rear headroom. The boot is quite small, offering just 251 litres with the seats up and 830 litres when the seats are down. There is a handy storage well under the floor and the seats fold flat.

All Jukes have an impressive list of safety kit including six airbags, electronic stability programme, anti-lock brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and Brake Assist, and remote central locking with an anti-hijack feature.

Nissan has an impressive reliability record and the Juke should not disappoint. The car comes with a three-year warranty for 60,000 miles.

The 1.5 dCi Acenta 5dr is priced at £15,895. The running costs should be relatively reasonable with the Juke returning 57.6mpg on the combined cycle. Low CO2 emissions of 128g/km also put the Juke under a relatively low tax band: D.