Price: £21,650
Engine: 1.6-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 215bhp
Transmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
0-62mph: 7.9 seconds
Top speed: 124mph
MPG: 39.2
When Nissan’s Juke launched in 2010, it caused an immediate sensation and became one of the most divisive cars on the road. It was a real Marmite job and people either loved it or really loathed it. I remember seeing one for the first time, parked on a leafy lane in Devon. I screeched to a halt to marvel at its hideousness – that unsettling mix of flowing lines and sharp edges, that weird combination of round headlamps under a second set of top lights, as if a large car was devouring a smaller one. It reminded me of a snake swallowing whole a wide-eyed frog… What on earth was Nissan up to?
But the dramatic looks and unusual high-riding stance has grown more familiar with the passing years, and the haters are slowly losing their battle with the likers. To my amazement, the Juke is now one of the bestselling cars in Britain.
Some drivers want to stand out from the herd. They enjoy being individuals. When you own a Juke you are part of an in-crowd; a sorority of Juke drivers. Members flash their lights in silent salute as they pass you. You’re part of a clique united by a passion for a small ugly car. It’s probably the same for owners of small ugly dogs – the fellowship of the pug!
The Juke gave a generation of motorists a choice. Where traditionally you’d have had to settle for a boring old supermini – a Fiesta or a Polo, maybe – now you could buy a miniature SUV with striking looks.
This sort of styling requires sacrifices: the sloping roofline means the boot is smaller than you’d hope, despite a clever two-shelf affair, and the rear seats are cramped. Up front, the driver sits tall with a good view of the road, but somehow the cabin feels claustrophobic.
There are five models in the Juke line-up: the cheapest, the Visia, is amazing value at £13,620. The car I drove is the range topper – a Nismo RS which costs £21,650. It gets an aggressive body kit which makes it look even more outlandish: in white it looks like it’s going to the party as a Star Wars Stormtrooper. But you also get a big chunk of performance, tuned suspension, power steering, sport brakes, spoilers and a thrilling 1.6-litre 215bhp turbo which will blast you to 62mph in 7.9 seconds, only a fraction slower than a Golf GTi.
The car also gets Nissan’s award-winning Safety Shield, which sounds like a force field. Its cameras give you a 360-degree view, lane departure warning, blind spot assist and moving object detection. The Juke is sophisticated, sporty, affordable, reliable… But I still think it’s ugly.
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter at @MartinLove166
