Nissan’s ever-popular Juke small SUV gets a bump in efficiency
While Nissan pioneered the pure-electric market with the Leaf, the firm has been slow to add electric power to one of its most popular cars, the Juke. The new Juke Hybrid has finally arrived, however, and it’s part of Nissan’s plan to offer a fully electrified range by next year.
Pricing kicks off at £27,250 for the new Hybrid model in N-Connecta guise – £1,730 more than the equivalent non-hybrid automatic version.
All models receive a new front grille mesh design to optimise aero efficiency and hybrid badging fitted to the side and rear. The N-Connecta gets two-tone 17-inch alloy wheels, a new rear spoiler and an updated Bose 10-speaker sound system. Two new colours have also been added with the new Hybrid: Ceramic Grey and Magnetic Blue.
The range-topping Tekna+ starts from £30,150 and gets 19-inch alloy wheels from the all-electric Nissan Ariya as well as two-tone paint, a satin silver front bumper finish and various interior personalisation colour packs to choose from.
To celebrate the new Hybrid model, a new ‘Premiere Edition’ trim has been added to the range. From £28,250, it’s based on the N-Connecta, but receives 19-inch gloss black wheels, black tinted headlamps, painted side skirts and graphic detailing on the roof and door mirrors finishes. Inside, there’s a gloss black gear lever console, grey stitching on the black leather seats and illuminated treadplates.
The Juke Hybrid’s dashboard gets new instruments, including a dial to show power usage, state of charge and regenerative charging, while the seven-inch screen in the instrument pack can now show the flow of energy from the battery. Top models receive the Comfort pack which includes automatic climate control, rain-sensing wipers, heated and auto-folding door mirrors as well as heated front seats.
Drawing on tech from Alliance partner Renault, under the bonnet sits a 1.6-litre petrol engine producing 93bhp and 148Nm of torque. It’s joined by an electric motor supplied by Nissan offering a maximum of 48bhp and 205Nm, with the new hybrid powertrain producing 25 per cent more power than the petrol-only Juke, at 141bhp in total.
Similar to the tech in the Renault Clio, the electric motor is fed by a 1.2kWh liquid-cooled battery, while the two power sources drive a clever “multi-modal” clutchless automatic gearbox.
Nissan promises that the Juke Hybrid’s petrol-electric powertrain will deliver a 40 per cent reduction in fuel consumption, while the brand claims that up to 80 per cent of urban journeys can be completed on electric power alone.
This is possible thanks to the Renault-sourced 20bhp belt starter/generator; the Juke Hybrid always starts off in electric drive mode and Nissan says there are four ‘ICE’ gears and two ‘EV gears’ with synchronisation of the ratios taken care of by the pair of electric motors.
It gives a claimed EV-like driving experience and boosts efficiency, with the brand claiming up to 56.5mpg and CO2 emissions from 114g/km. A top speed of 34mph on electric power is possible, although Nissan has not yet outlined any further performance stats.
There’s a dedicated EV mode, selectable by a button so drivers can keep the powertrain in its zero emissions configuration when in residential areas, for example. Eco, Normal and Sport modes are also on offer, with each changing the steering weight, throttle response and climate control settings.
The Juke Hybrid also features adjustable regenerative braking, with Sport mode ramping up the retardation offered by the motor to maximise harvesting of electric power, later deploying this for maximum acceleration. The Hybrid comes with Nissan’s e-Pedal button which allows for one-pedal driving and can slow the Juke to a crawl of around 3mph.
To set the Juke Hybrid apart from the rest of the line-up and improve aerodynamics, maximising efficiency, it features a new front grille with Nissan’s latest logo and a black plastic strip where it meets the bonnet, plus a smaller opening and new mesh due to the Hybrid’s lower cooling requirements.
A radiator grille shutter has also been added to blank off this area when cooling is not needed, helping to reduce drag.
Packaging of the car’s hybrid system and battery has reduced boot space compared with the pure-petrol Juke, down 68 litres to 354 litres in the hybrid; with the rear seats folded down there’s up to 1,237 litres of load space on offer. Nissan says knee room in the rear is unchanged over the regular Juke, at 553mm.
The new Juke Hybrid is available to pre-order now from Nissan’s website. We expect first deliveries to be made around Q3 2022.
Keyword: New Nissan Juke Hybrid starts from £27,250