Our cars: Nissan Juke
Bose audio system is one of our baby SUV’s strong points
LONDON’S Royal Albert Hall is one of the most iconic music venues in the entire world. It has played host to worldfamous acts such as Eric Clapton, Shirley Bassey, Kylie Minogue, plus a countless number of world-class orchestras. And the Eurovision Song Contest.
It’s clearly a venue that has some history when it comes to the big performers, then. And while such a lauded concert hall won’t be ditching its current sound stage for some fancy in-car audio any time soon, the Nissan Juke’s Bose set-up has proved to be a great way of piping rich tunes into my commute, a trip which, before the coronavirus hit, took me right past the Hall itself.
Offered in the range-topping Tekna trim levels, the Bose Personal Plus Audio system is an eight-speaker ensemble with a difference. That’s because the sound is quite literally brought right to your ears – thanks to each of the front-seat headrests having speakers of their own built in.
This isn’t a feature that’s unique to the Juke; in the past Mazda has used a similar system on its MX-5. But while it was an innovation used on the roadster to make up for the extra road, wind and engine noise that naturally comes in a car without a roof, inside the Juke’s well insulated cabin it just brings brilliant detail to your music.
You can adjust the strength of the headrest speakers via a slider on a menu in the car’s eight-inch touchscreen infotainment. And when they’re in their strongest setting, the sound quality is almost like wearing a set of headphones; a feature Nissan and Bose were aiming for, if the integrated speakers’ design – mimicking a pair of high-end overear cans – is anything to go by. You can also reduce the effect to give the impression of a wider, more conventional system.
As anyone who’s bought a set of decent headphones will tell you, you don’t need
“You don’t need massive speakers as long as they’re close to your ears”
massive speakers to deliver strong, punchy sounds as long as they’re close to your ears.
So while many of the more conventional in-car systems of the Juke’s rivals struggle at lower frequencies – anyone who’s turned up the volume to the point of buzzing and rattling door trims will know what I mean – the Nissan manages to sound powerful without ever taking things too far.
So, for the genuine audiophiles among small crossover buyers, this latest Juke is certainly well worth a look.
The Nissan’s high transmission tunnel gives the impression that you’re sitting quite a bit lower than you actually are for a high-riding crossover, and the handsome steering wheel and bank of round air vents continue the sporty vibe.
Unfortunately, the rest of the Juke’s driving experience doesn’t live up to that cool design or the cracking hi-fi – and its clutch pedal is the number-one culprit.
The spring in a good clutch bounces back quickly and positively, but the Juke’s has a similar response to lifting your foot away from a memory foam mattress. It’s really unpleasant, and for a control that’s used all the time, it really takes the shine off the whole driving experience.