When the Nissan Juke arrived in 2010, it created a lot of buzz – largely because of its outlandish looks – and has often been heralded as kickstarting the new crossover sector. 

Indeed, since its launch, the marketplace has become flooded with compact crossovers – the Peugeot 2008, the Renault Captur and the Vauxhall Mokka to name a few.

With all these new appearances, it’s time the Juke had a mid-cycle facelift, to address some criticisms, namely the appalling boot space, and give it a light spruce-up.

That includes a revised engine line-up, and Nissan has also wised up to the popularity of personalisation, particularly on smaller cars, and now offers an array of individual touches for customers.

With prices from upwards of £13,000, the Juke has a number of exterior revisions too, including re-designed lights and bumpers at the front and rear, which only accentuate its bulbous nature, love it or hate it.

Performance

New engines include a 1.2-litre DIG-T 113bhp, replacing the old 115bhp 1.6-litre natural aspirated unit, offering improvements in economy of 3.3mpg and emissions of 10g/km. There’s also a 1.6-litre DIG-T 187bhp turbo petrol unit, alongside the existing 1.5-litre dCi diesel with 109bhp.

The 1.2-litre DIG-T is a classic downsizing example, offering plenty of power for the model’s size, picking up speed swiftly and changing through the six-speed manual smoothly, though with a full-load it might need some pushing at higher speeds.

Achieving 0-62mph in 10.8 seconds with a top speed of 111mph, it’s expected to be a favourite choice of buyers, many of whom don’t use it for high mileage so aren’t so fussed by running costs.

We also tried the 1.5-litre dCi, which will be popular too, but feels rougher round the edges than its petrol sibling. It’s perfectly qualified power-wise, unless you want to make a superfast getaway, achieving 0-62mph in 11.2 seconds with a top speed of 109mph, but the new 1.2 petrol is our pick of the two.

Performance drivers will be intersted in the Nismo RS version, which gets 215bhp if you go for the front-wheel drive, six-speed manual. This would certainly be our choice, as the four-wheel drive version has 211bhp and a CVT automatic transmission, blunting excitement somewhat. It's a powerful engine, getting the Juke to 62mph in 7 seconds, but it does have some turbo lag, so needs revving before it lunges forwards. The RS doesn't sound particularly tuneful, but its deep resonance does give a sense of its performance and the gear shifter has a slick and mechanical feel. 

Ride and Handling

Thrown around some tight bends, our car held its grip well, yet there’s underlying feeling that it won’t last, with the potential for understeer.

Despite its tall stance, the Juke has reasonably firm suspension and feels happy tackling corners. If you push too hard, the Juke will understeer, but most are unlikely to drive it with such abandon, and instead just enjoy its pleasant road manners. The trade-off is a slightly unsettled feel over rough surfaces, where the suspension can transmit some bumps into the cabin. But, most of the time, the Juke is fairly comfortable and composed. With stiffer suspension and low-profile tyres, you might expect the Nismo RS version to be rather a bouncy affair, but actually it's rather comfortable for a hot hatch, and its tall ride height means you can whizz over speed humps without wincing too badly. The steering has a meaty feel (helped by the lovely Alcantara trim) and the RS feels grippy enough to drive at a decent lick. It boasts a limited slip differential to improve front-end traction, which can take a bit of getting used to, as it sometimes feels like the Juke locks onto a specific radius around a bend. Used to its advantage though, it can feel like it catapults the RS out of corners.

Interior and Equipment

The Nissan Juke had its first stint in the limelight when it was introduced to the world at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.

Inside, the cabin reflects the fun nature of the Juke, but it’s still lacking on the premium front. While some finishes are done well, there’s a whiff of cheap plastics, for example, in the central console.  Excluding Nismo RS, four trim levels are available called Visia, Acenta, N-Connecta and Tekna. Standard equipment is quite impressive, with air-con, alloy wheels and LED daytime running lights fitted, while the Acenta grade is a worthy step up thanks to Bluetooth phone connectivity, leather gear lever and steering wheel, cimate control and cruise control. The N-Connecta trim adds a 5.8-inch infotainment system with sat-nav, DAB radio, reversing camera and auto lights. The interior gets a styling upgrade too, with sports seats and a trim pack adding a dash of colour to the centre console and door trims. The Tekna gets extra safety kit, wrapped up under Nissan's Safety Shield banner and including an around view monitor, lane departure warning, blind spot warning and moving object detection. Inside there's leather and heated seats, with a matching armrest. Of course, the Nismo RS looks a lot more aggressive, thanks to its pumped up body styling kit. There's a motorsport theme inside the cabin too and we'd definitely recommend the excellent Recaro bucket seats, which really hold you in place. When it comes to practicality, the old Juke had boot space of just 251 litres - that’s 39 litres less than a Ford Fiesta. Now, it’s up to 354 litres in two-wheel-drive, a claimed improvement of 40 per cent, and with added practicality in terms of easy access. Due to the Juke’s curvy dimensions, visibility and rear passenger head room is limited in a case of form over function, compared with boxier hatchbacks and crossovers.

Cost

If you are prone to venturing on to motorways for long distance driving, then the 1.5-litre dCi is probably your best bet.

The 1.5-litre dCi is the most wallet-friendly option, offering CO2 emissions of 104g/km, and official economy figures of 70.6mpg, unless you go for large 18-inch alloy wheels. If you are prone to venturing on to motorways for long distance driving, then the diesel is probably your best bet. Frugal petrol options include the 1.2-litre DIG-T, emitting 128g/km and returning a combined fuel economy of around 49.6mpg. The 1.2-litre DIG-T will probably favour those who will use the Juke as a run-around or possibly for the school run. Unsuprisingly, the Nismo RS is thirstiest, emitting 168g/km of CO2 and managing 39.2mpg.

Our Verdict

Nissan has stuck to its guns with the facelifted Juke – if you didn’t like it before, you won’t now. Still, by adding customisation to compete with the likes of the Fiat 500X and MINI Countryman, as well as improving boot space, it will only retain and add customers to Nissan's order bank. Also, as the Juke is arguably one of the most popular and significant mini SUV models out there, it may surprise some that it is one of the cheapest. Its unique looks may be a fork in the road for some car buyers, but the Nissan Juke still has the saleability to be one of the first models on the menu for those shopping for a compact SUV.