Built in Britain, and just as good as ever

Julie Marshall catches up with the Juke, Nissan’s diminutive high-rider

Despite fears that the coronavirus would spell an uncertain futureforNissan’sSunderland plant,thecompanyannounced last summer that 400 jobs would be created and £1bn of investment would be coming its way.

The Juke, the subject of this week’s test drive is built in Sunderland and has been since 2019.

It’s the second generation model after its 2010 debut and is available with just one engine,aone-litre,three-cylinder turbocharged petrol, delivering 115bhp. This can be paired withaseven-speeddual-clutch automatic transmission with paddle-shift capability, or in the case of our test car, a crisp six-speed manual.

If you have a mind there’s a driving mode selector (Eco, Standard,Sport)whichmatches your driving style.

I drove the Juke with the automatic transmission a couple ofyearsagoandfounditdidthe job well but I particularly enjoyedthesix-speedmanual,this time around. It has a pleasant actionandgearchangesproved to be smooth and effortless.

The diminutive threecylinder engine has more power than you’d expect and accelerates the Juke from 0-62mph injustovertensecondsifyou’re prepared to work at it.

Not dynamic by any means but perfectly acceptable in real-world situations.

The fetching19in alloys in theTekna+wedrovegivearatherfirm,thoughnotuncomfortableride.TheJukerideshigher than most small cars, which is oneofitssellingpoints,butthat doesn’t detract from its handling and there’s plenty of grip.

There are five trim models, theentry-levelVisiacomeswith trafficsignrecognition,fullLED lights, manual air conditioning, speed limiter and cruise control; Acenta has a rearview camera and smartphone integration, an 8in touchscreen infotainmentsystemwithDAB radio and Bluetooth, and lane departure warning with lane keep assistant.

The N-Connecta has a navigation system with TomTom traffic and a rear USB charging port. Tekna and Tekna+ complete the line-up.

Thesetopoftherangetrims have the addition of the advanced safety shield pack with araftoftechnologydesignedto keep the driver, occupants and other road users safe.

Most notable is a 360Bose

degree colour camera, intelligent cruise control, blind-spot intervention, rear cross-traffic alert and moving object detection. A heat pack adds a heated windscreen and seats.

The stereo system is from and has eight speakers.

Our two-tone painted Juke looked the part, with Fuji Sunset Red body and Pearl Black Roof

The body is sharply angled andthefrontendisparticularly imposingwithalargeV-shaped honeycomb grille and circular headlamps.

There’s plenty of room for driver and passengers and we particularlylikedthedeepboot with its false floor. Luggage capacity with seats up in 422 litres, with the seats down it is upped to 1,305 litres.

The interior boasts plenty of soft-touch materials which have a nice premium feel and the whole package is well put together.

The on-the-road price for the Tekna+ is £24,360 but with the addition of the twotone paint (£170) this came to £24,530.