I like the duke and won't mind owning one

 

Perhaps Nissan thinks that Americans won't buy a sports car unless it looks like a crossover SUV. I was behind a black one today. Looks like a shrunken, yet uglier Murano.

 

i saw this Photoshop done awhile ago and it definitely made me want it more. looks way better like this, its a shame they are marketing it as some sort of pre-middle-aged crisis youth revival :/

 

No way I'd lower that thing... The only weak point to me is the cargo capacity. outside of that, it's so many of the things I like about the Fit (mileage, maneuverability, park-anywhere footprint) and that I liked about the Element (extra ground clearance so it'll never scrape unless you General Lee it*, rubberized panels down low to avoid dings from road debris).

* You shouldn't have to creep like a turd from a constipated dog, or drive across an obstruction cockeye to the side just to avoid scraping the bumper on the ground on public roads.

 

The poll options are a little vague so I voted for it looks great as I like it, its funky cool, not for everyone but nothing wrong with getting away from the "same ol, same ol'". IMO alot of cars look like jellybeans, the Fit really stands out IMO, especially from the front.

180 hp, paddle shifted auto w/AWD, a system that's supposed to be really fun, can you say "poor, poor, poorman's GT-R"

 

since high-school all my cars have been lowered but i've never held up traffic at speed bumps, driveways, etc. there's a difference between lowering a car and slamming it to the ground like all the nut-hugging hellaflush kids. "low within reason and function" is what i meant. the photo posted above by another member is misleading my post

 

I was actually considering the Juke before I purchased my Fit. I still absolutely LOVE the look of this thing, and when I test drove it I found it to have great handling (not as good as the Fit, though) and was pretty damn quick! The reasons why I did not end up buying it are mainly concerned with practicality:

- It is ridiculous for a car in this price bracket to run on premium. I know it's turbocharged and all, but still. I live in Bucks County, PA and premium usually runs about 20 to 40 cents more expensive than regular here. That's a big difference.

- Head, shoulder, and hip room - front and back - is severely compromised.

- Cargo space is pathetic, especially with the back seats up. We can't bring this thing to Sam's Club!!!! XD

- I found the iCon interface to be incredibly cool, and simultaneously incredibly unintuitive to operate, especially while driving.

These factors, combined with the fact that I had numerous reliability issues with my previous Nissan (a 2005 Altima) that I really didn't care to go through again, ultimately led up to me purchasing a Fit.

As I said though, this is a really cool looking vehicle and it is a blast to drive, and I can see where it would have it's niche. Maybe for someone who ones a quick, crisp-handling, AWD vehicle, doesn't need much utility, and doesn't plan on transporting people in the back seat very often.

 

mike- nice review and comments! it's very difficult to get any kind of decent passenger/cargo room on these cross-over wagons. it's sometimes worse than a sedan! as you mentioned, if im going to be pumping premium id like to get more pounch out of the engine. can't justify the cost.

as you mentioned, for someone young with no kids yet or older with grownup kids and usually driving solo, the juke might be a good car.

 

Yeah, it really is misleading from the outside. I felt that it gives an overall impression on the outside that it was going to be roomier than what it was. A poster (Atomic17) on here said that it is basically the same footprint as the Fit; it looks about the same size, but the Fit's interior is just so much more versatile and ROOMY than the Juke's.

Even though I did like the way that the Juke drove, I really can't see anyone buying this for anything other than falling in love with the way it looks. It's not that the engine lacked punch, as I thought that it had plenty of pep. It's the fact that one does not to expect a sub-$24,000 vehicle to drink premium gas (I know I didn't). If someone doesn't have kids or drives solo often and doesn't care about AWD, I think something like a Civic Si or Miata would probably be a better choice.

 

I am pretty sure the ECU on the Juke would adapt to use regular grade fuel but would suffer a loss in performance in the same way the Fit loses performance when regular is used in it... It is pretty much impossible to find a small car with AWD that is going to have the kind of cargo capacity capacity as a Fit due to the wishbone type of independent rear suspension.... We have a 2009 Forester that can't carry as much stuff in the cargo area as the 2007 Fit so it is what we travel in and head out to the Sam's Warehouse 45 miles away..The Forester is by far the more comfortable car except when the wind is blowing hard from either side it is easily rocked and moved around while the Fit remains stable under the same conditions even though it has the much criticized torsion beam rear suspension.

 

We can criticize it all we want but I don't think JUKE buyers/owners are getting them as a family car or buy them for it's cargo space or it's interior area. This car is supposed to be an all year round urban jungle runner and I do believe this is the reason for their purchase... an SUV alternative.

Here's one at the height of Chicago blizzard... love it!!!

 

Even when lowered, the Juke looks hideous.

 

not sure... if im getting a AWD sports wagon type car as winter beater i would spend a little extra and get the 2011 WRX wagon with the included STI aeroparts included...(?). those wagons are actually pretty spacious inside... comparable to the Fit's. :)

i almost pulled the trigger on a 09 STI about a yr or so ago.

 

I saw one today on the road. It was even uglier in person......not my cup of tea.

 

I would totally get a WRX/STi over a Juke.

Same thing happened to me. You know a car is ugly when it looks even uglier in person.

 

I appreciate your opinion, and I do still think that the car is really freakin' cool looking, but I still really do not see the point.

My point is, wouldn't someone looking for an SUV alternative want something that at least has some semblance of the "utility" part? The Juke has no utility. Really, IMHO a WRX wagon would be a much better SUV alternative, since you're getting a high performance-oriented AWD vehicle without losing out on utility. I've also seen the Mini Countryman at the Philadelphia Auto Show this past weekend, and that is another possibilty, as it's interior is much more comfortable and usable than the Juke's.

I just think Nissan marketed this car in a very odd fashion in that it was given a "small SUV" stance and appearance, yet it does not have the room or utility of a small SUV. The main things that I were looking for in a new car were:

- Improved fuel efficiency (which Juke has over my old Altima)
- Smaller footprint (it's just me and the wife, we don't need such a big car)
- Sporty handling/feel (which the Juke fits perfectly)
- Roomy in the front (I'm 6'2, 250 and was very uncomfortable)
- Space for shopping, road trips, occasional passenger-carrying duty, and for larger items (like when we bought our 42'' TV last year).

The problem with the Juke is that because it has that small SUV look, it CONVEYS that it will be roomy and have good cargo capacity, yet it does not. IMO Nissan should have lopped off the two rear doors to push this more as a "high-riding AWD sports car" and less of a "sporty SUV." And as I said, it is completely bizarre for such an affordable car to run on premium...I know it's because of the turbocharger, but I'm sure that is going to alienate a LOT of potential buyers in this price bracket. If I'm putting in premium, I want a premium high-performing car (like Nissan's own Z, for example). And from the research that I've done on the Juke, I'm pretty sure the manual says only to use regular 87-octane in an emergency, i.e. the needle is on E, you pass a gas station that only sells 87-octane, and you put in 2 gallons just to get to the next gas station so you can fill up with premium. I believe prolonged use of lower-octane gasoline will damage the engine in the Juke. (http://www.jukeforums.com/forum/niss...as-really.html) The way that the car is designed, engineered, and marketed is all very confused.

So what's left is a good-looking, reasonably quick and nimble-handling vehicle with no practical use for either true sporting or utility purposes going through an identity crisis.

I apologize if that came off as argumentative, that is not my intent at all. ;) Just giving my opinion.

 

^ no worries :)

JUKE and family don't mix... JUKE is not marketed as a family car or an IKEA hauling vehicle. Why do people insist on what is not? When it does not meet your criteria... then it's not for you... easy as that.

As an example... I'm in the home health care business. Time is my enemy... every minute count. I live in a city that snows alot on winter. What I want is a small car that's reliable, zips me around economically... the FIT's perfect. BUT would the FIT be that same perfect car for me on winter? I don't think so... so I look around. I still want something smaller with AWD capability. The CRV and Rogue isn't for me (I had an 08 CRV and never liked it). I'm not feeling the Imperza... so what's left for me that won't cost an arm and a leg? SX4? JUKE?... I'd take the Nissan.

Long story short... what works for me might not work for everyone and vice versa.

 

If I had a gig like yours in an area where it snows and it's on the ground for much of the winter I think I would really enjoy owning a Juke... There isn't really anything out there like it so it is not fair to compare it to anything... Besides I like strange looking cars.

 

I'll be test driving one soon and possibly be getting one... also be getting an entry level Impreza.

 

I like the idea of possibly getting another Subaru but can't swing a new one.. You ought to check out the Forester too... I was trying to get my wife to get an Impreza but she liked having more ground clearance since at that time we had to off road it to get home.. Wouldn't you know that the county built a road to my place shortly after we got the thing.. There are few Subarus here but a couple of the mailmen that run rural routes have them.. They are older models and have a lot of miles of driving on some very rough county roads that flood, wash out in the spring and have some very rough sections... There is one thing that I find favorable about the Forester when driving in an urban area and that is the elevated seating position and visibility... You can see over cars that you can't in a Fit... It is blown around a little on very windy days but it has only been a little spooky once when it was also snowing. Other cars and trucks were being blown all over the road that day much worse... Oh yeah, she gets 25 to 26 miles per gallon commuting 24 miles round trip 4 days a week... Subies have a good high quality feel to them I think.