You either love it or... really love it!

THE NISSAN JUKE, NOW IN

HYBRID FORM, HAS WON

OVER DOUBTERS, WRITES

YOUTHFUL, trendy, eye catching, and in now hybrid form the Nissan Juke is even more appealing. Back at its launch back in 2010 its styling was somewhat controversial and it was something of a Marmite car – you either loved it or hated it.

But Nissan stuck to its guns with the Juke and honed the original design over the years until today’s car is almost an art form that really does stand out from the crowd. With its rakish roofline, deepset headlights, swept back daylight running lights, imposing gloss black grille and coupe-like styling with concealed rear door handles it’s a car it’s hard not to like, especially as it’s made in the UK at Nissan’s Sunderland factory.

Power comes from a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine combined with an electric motor which produces 25% more power than its pure petrol sibling and gives you 20% better economy. That means 0-62mph acceleration in 10.1 seconds and a top speed of 103mph. And during a week with the car I was regularly averaging over 60 miles per gallon.

The secret of the super economy is just how often the car is running on electric rather than on the engine. You can push the EV (electric vehicle) button for zero emission driving over short periods

but the system is so efficient I found it best to let it do its own thing.

The new hybrid is distinguishable from the petrol model by a new gloss black strip between the grille and the bonnet as well as hybrid badges adorning the rear and both sides.

Inside it’s both stylish and functional with a suede-covered dashboard and high-backed leather and suede front seats with Bose speakers set into the integral headrests for superb listening quality.

The rev counter is replaced by a power gauge which shows when the car is charging the battery, driving in eco mode or using only the engine, while there is also an eight-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dash to show other functions

Close to the gear shift there’s a button which allows you to select from three driving modes – Eco, Standard and Sport – as well as another button which lets you switch on the e-Pedal system to effectively give you one-pedal driving, where lifting off the accelerator adds a braking effect to help with energy regeneration and boost the battery.

On the road the Juke is quiet, refined and highly manoeuvrable with plenty of feedback ensuring it’s an enjoyable drive. Only when you put your right foot down hard to call for more power do the decibels really rise dramatically.

It’s also surprisingly torquey mid-range, delivering instant power when you need it for overtaking. And despite its height there is very little body roll on fast bends.

On the top of the range Tekna+ model driven here onboard features included keyless locking and unlocking heated front seats, a heated windscreen and a reversing camera offering both a view of what’s behind you and a bird’s eye view.

On the negative side I was disappointed with the efficiency of the headlights and the boot space is reduced to 354 litres to accommodate the battery – compared with the petrol model’s 422 litres. That apart, I really liked the Juke Hybrid because it’s such an engaging car to drive, with a character all its own.