2011 Nissan Juke Crossover Premieres in Geneva: New Photos Plus Video

Nissan may have introduced a new generation of the Micra at the Geneva Motor Show today, but make no mistake; the Juke is the model that the Japanese automaker is betting on to win the hearts and minds of European consumers in the extremely competitive small car class.

Featuring a radical (or controversial, it depends on your point of view) styling, an interior inspired by motorbikes and a range-topping 190HP 1.6-liter turbocharged petrol engine with four-wheel drive, the Qashqai's smaller brother is pitched by Nissan as an alternative to the traditional B-segment hatchbacks (a.k.a. superminis).

Dimension-wise, the five-passenger Juke is 162.7-in (4,135mm) long, 69.5-in (1,765mm) wide, 61.8-in (1,570mm) tall and has a wheelbase length of 99.6-in (2,530mm).

This means Nissan's small crossover is similar in size to the Honda Fit / Jazz that measures 161.6-in (4,106mm) in length, 66.7-in (1,694 mm) in width, 60-in (1,524 mm) in height and has a wheelbase of 98.4-in (2,500mm).

The Juke will be offered in Europe, Japan and the United States with the first examples set to arrive in Nissan's showrooms this fall. For more details on the Juke, click here to read our previous post.

___________________________________________________________________

»»  read more

US-Spec Nissan Juke to Debut at 2010 NY Auto Show in March [Plus Video, Presentation Photos and Spec Sheet]

Nissan today revealed that the it's all-new Juke small crossover will appear in North American guise at the 2010 New York Auto Show in late March, following the world premiere of the European-spec model at the Geneva Salon in the beginning of March.

The compact-sized Juke, which was inspired by the Qazana concept car, is scheduled to join the Nissan lineup in the United States later this fall.

We'll have to wait for the NY Show for more details on the NA model, but in Europe, three engines will be available, including a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter petrol with 117HP, a 1.6-liter turbocharged petrol rated at an impressive for its size output of 190HP.

There also a 110HP 1.5-liter turbo diesel, but don't expect to see this engine on this side of the Atlantic any time soon.

»»  read more

New Nissan Juke 'Baby' Crossover Revealed in the Flesh - Gets 190HP 1.6-liter Turbo Engine

Arousing or polarizing; duke or puke (sorry, we just had to play with the name); refreshing or controversial; whatever the case, one thing is for sure: there's no way the all-new Nissan Juke will go by unnoticed when it hits the road in Europe and North America this fall.

Roughly sized between a Fiesta and a Focus, the production version of the Qazana concept blends design elements from numerous cars including the Murano and Qashqai as well as from the 370Z and even the Cube with a busy face that looks like it evolved from the unforgettable Pontiac Aztec.

Despite the playful color options inside, the Juke's interior is far less provocative from a design standpoint. The dashboard is dominated by a centre console design that is said to have been inspired by a motorcycle fuel tank, while several parts are finished in high gloss colors.

Beneath the modernized sheetmetal lies an evolution of the Renault Nissan Alliance 'B-Platform' that's used on the Clio and Micra superminis.

The Juke measures 4,135mm in length, 1,765mm in width, 1,570mm in height and has a wheelbase length of 2,530mm.

In European guise, the Juke will be available with three different engines, one diesel and two petrol units.

Sitting at the top of the range is a new 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with direct injection generating 190PS and 240 Nm or 177 lb-ft of peak torque.

The second petrol engine is a newly developed version of Nissan's naturally aspirated 1.6-liter gasoline unit that develops 117 horsepower, while the diesel range is limited to Renault's 1.5-liter dCi with 110HP and 240Nm of torque.

In terms of transmissions, the two-wheel drive turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine is available with a six speed manual, while a CVT transmission with a six-speed manual mode will be available on the range-topping all-wheel drive version.

The naturally aspirated 1.6-litre petrol is available either with a 5-speed manual or the updated XTRONIC CVT and the 1.5-litre diesel engine is available with a 6-speed manual.

For the time being, only the 1.6-liter Turbo with the CVT is offered with all-wheel drive, with the rest of the range keeping the basic front-wheel drive layout.

Nissan claims that the ALL-Mode 4x4-i electronic all-wheel drive system has been enhanced with torque vectoring technology to further enhance agility and reduce understeer when cornering.

Surprisingly, on front-wheel drive versions, the Juke gets MacPherson struts at the front with a torsion beam at the back, while four-wheel drive models are equipped with a multi-link rear suspension modelled on the system found on Qashqai.

The Juke will have its world premiere at next month's Geneva Motor Show. The European market models will be manufactured at Nissan's UK plant in Sunderland.

»»  read more