Kenchan mentioned this in the CR-Z thread. I'd seen a writeup about it in a magazine. It looks like it has a few rough edges, but man does it look like fun!




Between the Fit and Element, and the ScionxB's ('06 and '10) and Nissan Cube that I strongly considered... I think I have a fetish for cars that are so awkward and odd that they're charming! It looks kinda like the mutant offspring of a Nissan Murano, 350z, and a Renault Megane... and then the good stuff:

1.6L turbocharged I-4, 180 hp
CVT or 6 speed manual
Available AWD,
Only major downside: 2923-3221 pounds, depending on transmission/drivetrain.
estimated EPA fuel economy is Fuel economy is rated at 27 mpg City and 32 mpg Highway for FWD/CVT - I'd guess a bit less with the manual, a lot less with the AWD. It's built off the same chassis as the cube (a stretched version of the Versa chassis), but they use a real multilink suspension setup in the rear of the AWD version, and cheap out with a twist beam in the front.

Oh, another downside - pricing starting at $18,9 and shooting up to near 30K for a loaded one.

Still, this sucker looks pretty damn cool to me! And look at that front lip - it would be pretty hard to scrape that!

EDIT: Test drive of pre-production model here:
http://cars.about.com/od/nissan/fr/11_juke_preview.htm

 

Wow... I am seriously tempted to trade in my Fit for this car.

 

I need to see on in person.

I can't tell from photos.- Actually you never can.

I'd say in general I think it looks interesting but kind of derivative of everything. I think I like my unique to be unique and not unique because it kinda looks like a little bit of everything else I've seen before....

But I'd want to see one in person.

Plus I admit I can't afford to totally own a car based entirely on "fun", I need a degree of utility and function and with only two doors? How much would I be giving up in terms of total utility...it does look potentially fun...but also perhaps pretty limited outside of just being a basic 2 seat vehicle.

 

Uh... It's a four-door mini-SUV.

 

Um... What?

The cargo area isn't as impressive as the Fit's (few cars in the B class are), but it's not a 2-seater or a 2+2:





The big downside to the interior is the size - it's cozy: 10.5 cubic feet, with a
Max. cargo volume, seats folded (cu-ft) 35.9. The total volume is 97.2 cubic feet - It's a good bit smaller than a Fit on the inside. The exterior is about 3 inches wider, one in taller, one inch longer than the Fit.

 

Just like the Fit it's a cross dresser or it's a station wagon in SUV clothing, while the Fit is a station wagon in hatchback clothing.

 

The Fit is a 9:10 scale CR-V.

 

Not a fan of the exterior but the interior is very nice. Wouldn't trade my Fit for one through.

 

Once you add the AWD, manual trans, and turbo (and since Nissan "packages" things so you can't get a base model and add JUST AWD...) the price tag at that point could get me a late model WRX hatchback... or the ralliart Lancer hatchback that has a the previous gen's awd/turbo setup...
Those two cars have similar utility capacity and twice the power...

As much as I like the idea of a B-segment turbo, AWD machine... the price tag doesn't match the market this vehicle supposedly fits into.

Aren't there K cars in japan and other import markets with like inline-3's and 4's and turbos putting down just as much power, for way less when you convert whatever currency they have to US? Just saying...

 

True but the CRV itself is another cross dresser that looks like a fat ass station wagon. In the garage I park my Fit in, a CRV (same color as my Fit) parks right beside the Fit. That alone gives it even more of that fat ass.........man I'm glad I don't drive that freaking pig effect.

 

Don't both of those start at $25K+? Unless by "late model," you mean used. In which case, used is always a better deal than new. No matter what the new car, you can always pull up a 2-3 year old used car and say "Well, a late model ___ is a much better deal for the money." You're not comparing like to like.

Do you realize just how that Kei's are sub-A/A class cars that are limited to <700cc, and are sized for the far smaller stature of the average Japanese driver. And are limited to 63 hp. Hardly relevant to the conversation. And "whatever currency..." are you serious? Yen, dude, Yen.

 

I didn't like the current CR-V when it first arrived, but it's grown on me. I've already owned a CR-V though, and I have a personal rule not to own the same car twice.

 

Wow!!! The interior is sooo gorgeous... I love it

 

if i had to choose between that and CRV, i would just keep my Fit. :p

 

Apparently it's quite snug in the rear for passengers. All well and good for those under six feet tall, not so great for me. Dealbreaker.

 

Legroom measurements are notoriously unreliable, given the
subjectivity of comfort. *However, it would appear that the front
legroom measures one inch more while the rear measures about two
inches less. I don't sit in my back seat, and would love to trade some of that back seat space for some extra front legroom. I look forward to seeing this pup in person.

2011 Nissan Juke Full Test
(FWD CVT)
0-60 mph (sec.) 7.3
0-75 mph (sec.) 10.7
1/4-mile (sec. @ mph) 15.5 @ 89.9
0-60 with 1 foot of rollout (sec.) 7.0
60-0 mph (ft.) 123

Slalom, 6 x 100 ft. (mph) 66.2
Slalom, 6 x 100 ft. (mph) ESC ON 61.3
Skid pad, 200-ft. diameter (lateral g) 0.83
Skid pad, 200-ft. diameter (lateral g) ESC ON 0.82

Sound level @ idle (dB) 42.2
@ Full throttle (dB) 76.6
@ 70 mph cruise (dB) 70.9
Engine speed @ 70 mph (rpm) 2,900


2009 Honda Fit Sport Full Test on Inside Line
(5MT)

0-60 mph (sec.) 10.2
0-75 mph (sec.) 15.3
1/4-mile (sec. @ mph) 17.3 @ 79.0
0-60 with 1 foot of rollout (sec.) 9.8
60-0 mph (ft.) 134

Slalom, 6 x 100 ft. (mph) 64.1
Skid pad, 200-ft. diameter (lateral g) 0.78

Sound level @ idle (dB) 42.0
@ Full throttle (dB) 78.0
@ 70 mph cruise (dB) 70.4

The Fit's times are a bit slower than those shown by other testers;
however, the fact that these are done by the same organization should
make them more relevant for comparison.

I'm guessing by the performance numbers (as well as the turbo,
interior details, and pricing) that this is aimed far more at the
premium sub-compact market, i.e. the Mini Cooper/Clubman/Countryman,
and the upcoming Fiat 500) than the economy subcompact market.

 

Okay, but I was looking at the first two pictures. I'm getting old, but I see only two doors...and the hatch.

The pictures of the interior seem to show rear passenger doors.

I'm talking doors not seats.

 

You don't recognize the classic Nissan hidden rear door-handle?



(I love that they tossed that styling cue in there. Little quirks like that really add something to a car, like the "H in morse code" door chime in Hondas, the one spoked Citroen steering wheel, or the classic General Motors signal-stalk-of-doom, which included almost every function in the car on one swolen lump of plastic that looked like the drumstick from a bionic chicken)

 

nice car ....

 

Ahh..I see it now. Man, I feel stupid. I owned a Nissan...pickup for about a decade and wasn't familiar with that styling que. You'd think I'd of noticed that at some time before.

Oh well? I'd still want to see the whole thing in person. It's really hard to tell how a vehicle translates in pictures vs. real life.