Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2010 | Page 75

motoring

Island Life - October/November 2010
green credentials – green may be the trend
but it’s not necessarily cool. Certainly if you
press Economy you’ll significantly reduce
fuel consumption. You’ll also feel you’re
driving with the handbrake on – at least
until the Nissan engine starts to loosen up –
but it’s great for that Ryde traffic jam.
Press Sport and you really feel you’ve
changed to a different car. The raw
enthusiasm to get on is tangible, it chomps
at the bit to get going, and swoops
round past the more cautious drivers with
panache. There were just moments when
a 6th gear seemed to be called for, but
overall the drive gave exactly what was
asked of it. Drive it in Normal mode and the
performance is not, thankfully, somewhere
in between but nearer to the oomph you
get in Sport.
While the boot space, at 251 litres, isn’t
massive if you’re thinking of the long
holiday but would be fine for everything
you need for the fast zoom around the
Island.
The hip-hugging seats hold you in place
on the tightest of corners and they’re built
with comfort in mind – the Premium pack

in the 1.6 Acenta manual we tested gives
you luxury fabric – so when you switch to
Sport mode the hardening of the suspension
is cushioned. The premium pack, incidentally,
is definitely aimed at the boys – the alloy
wheels are larger, the steering wheel is
leather-covered and you get the Nissan
Dynamic Control System, which lets the driver
customise the settings and climate control.
This is important to some people.
What is surprising is the price. You don’t
expect this sort of performance, nor comfort
and luxury, for under £20,000, and the Juke
starts at just £12,795. It turns out a pretty
economical drive too: a fuel return system
makes for greater efficiency, and the diesel
version boasts low emissions too.
Far from being a compromise, this crossover
can be all things to all. You can’t help thinking
we’ll soon be seeing a lot of Jukes on Island
roads.
Test drive the Juke at Saddlestones, Brading
Road, Ryde, PO33 1QG. Tel: [phone]

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