Nissan takes hot hatch to new heights

Chris Knapman goes for a spin in the Juke Nismo RS, but is left wondering exactly who it is for

Icould fill this whole page listing cars that are at once cheaper, faster, more practical and better to drive than this Nissan, but the conclusion would remain the same: if you want a small SUV with the performance of a hot hatch the Juke Nismo RS is unrivalled. By this I do not mean that it is sublime enough to surpass all others, but that it exists in a class of one. You could argue that this demonstrates terrific forethought on the part of Nissan, and to be fair it has a better track record than most when it comes to forging new niches, with the Qashqai and, yes, the Juke, being great examples. However, with the boy racer Nismo RS, the impression is that Nissan has at last found a boundary that didn’t need to be pushed. To be completely clear, this is not an awful car, but still I struggle to understand its precise appeal. Mind you, I also fail to see the point of the standard Juke, and that still sells like hot cakes, so what do I know? (For the avoidance of doubt, that wasn’t a request for answers.) Essentially, this Nismo RS is a car the size of a Ford Fiesta but with puffed-up bodywork so that it sits a couple of feet higher, a highly boosted 1.6litre turbo petrol engine and a sporty bodykit. And it is genuinely fast, at least once you’ve pushed the engine past 3,000rpm, where most of the 215 horses are hiding. Problem is, they all have to gallop through the front wheels, and despite the addition of traction control and a limited-slip differential the traction still isn’t particularly controlled nor the slip all that limited. On a Has the new Hyundai i20 got what it takes to challenge the VW Polo and Ford Fiesta? Actually, yes it has, says an impressed Rebecca Jackson in our latest video. Watch at: tgr.ph/1zpfGOf damp road, the Nismo RS is a real handful, and that’s just in a straight line. Throw it into a corner and then apply the power and the steering wheel tugs and writhes, not gently and informatively, but like a toddler throwing a tantrum. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a bit of feedback, but this car borders on unruly. In Nissan’s defence it does offer the Nismo RS with four-wheel drive, but only if you forgo the punchy six-speed manual gearbox for a CVT automatic. Given that the engine already sounds harsh when revved, the mind boggles at the potential for unpleasantness in this configuration. Where the Juke Nismo is quite good is at perhaps six or seven tenths of its ultimate pace, at which point the steering, freed from the full force of the engine’s power, proves nicely weighted, the suspension surprisingly compliant and the whole thing still swift enough to make you grin. The upgraded brakes are reassuringly powerful, and the interior boasts enough suede trim and Nismo badges to make you feel like you’re in something slightly sporty. Essentially, what Nissan has done is build a shrunken BMW X6M that you can buy for a fifth of the price. And that’s fine until you remember the only reason anybody buys an X6M is to rub their considerable wealth into the faces of others. Not quite as easy with a £20,000 Nissan. That isn’t to say the Juke Nismo RS is entirely devoid of bragging rights. Indeed, you might recall one reviewer stating that, as a small SUV with the performance of a hot hatch, it is in fact “unrivalled”. Nissan Juke Nismo RS Price from: £21,650 Power: 215bhp 0-62 mph: 7sec Average mpg: 39.2 Rating: