SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8
This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.
My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.
Posted: 30 March 2015
The cheat sheet
Price: R277 900
Engine: 1197 cc, DOHC, 16-valve, turbopetrol
Power: 85 kW at 4500 rpm
Torque: 190 Nm between 2000 and 4000 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 10.8 seconds
Maximum speed: 178 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 8.1 l/100 km
Tank: 48 litres
Luggage: 354 litres
Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km; with roadside assistance
Service plan: 3 years/45 000 km; at 15 000 km intervalsNissan’s 1598 cc, HR16DE engine with chain-driven dual overhead camshafts and constantly variable valve timing works well enough but, in the quest for similar power with better economy and lower emissions, it was decided to put it aside in favour of something smaller and lighter with pressurised induction.
Enter Nissan-Renault’s HR12DDT/ H5Ft motor, an 1197/1198 cc (depending on whether you round up or down), turbocharged, intercooled and directly injected four-cylinder introduced via Qashqai and Mégane recently. The only real difference is that the Nissan version forgoes overboost in second and third gears. That makes Juke one of few vehicle ranges sporting turbo-mills across all offerings – 1200 cc petrol, 1500 cc diesel and 1600 cc petrol in ascending order of price.
That’s not all that’s new; a seasonal update this past January saw changes to bumpers, lights, wheels, side mirrors and standard equipment. The back view features a new tailgate with wider number plate area, new diffuser and airdam, roof mounted aerial, and rear lights continuing the boomerang theme of those in front.
And … wait for it … forty percent more luggage space; increased from 251 litres by the VDA standard to 354. Nissan achieved this by mounting the spacesaver spare wheel lower in the frame, but there is a disclaimer. Four-by-four versions with multilink rear suspension and the second differential can’t fit all that in, so they retain their original 207 litre boot. Can’t have it all, can we? What is nice is that the hatch release is proximity friendly; provided you have the remote in your pocket or hand, there is no need to use the unlock button to pre-release it.
While we’re back there, the tailgate opens onto the usual flat loading deck but there’s a removable board under the carpeting. Once removed, it reveals a further 23 centimetres of loading depth with the spare below that. The jack and triangle are stashed behind a clip-off panel on the right while the 60:40-split seatbacks can be reached from the rear and laid flat to line up with the upper deck.
As mentioned in earlier reports, the Juke’s small car roots become apparent when lofty persons squeeze into the back seat. Our 1.85m tester had to bend his neck to fit in, knee- and foot space was limited and narrow doorways made entry and exit awkward. For average sized passengers, there are three full belts and as many head restraints, but no folding armrest or cup holders.
We didn’t get to drive the old naturally aspirated 1600, but on paper this new 1.2 DIG-T develops one kilowatt less power while gaining 32 Newton metres of torque that’s spread over a wider rev range – from 2000 to 4000 rpm. Performance numbers are much the same as for the old motor, while claimed fuel economy improves noticeably. It sounds bland but the wider torque band provides the pep demanded by family drivers who still enjoy misbehaving just a little bit; especially on winding country roads.
Standard equipment on all versions includes six airbags, disc brakes at both ends, the usual electronic safety kit and ISOFix baby chair anchors, powered windows and mirrors with one-touch for the driver, doors that lock automatically when in motion, a nice radio and CD player with the usual plugs and Bluetooth with audio streaming, doors that lock and unlock with black buttons set into the handles, cruise control with limiter, a trip computer and fog lamps front and rear.
Acenta Plus trim adds rain-sensing wipers, pushbutton starting, mirrors that fold when lockdown is complete, 17-inch alloy wheels and two-tone faux suede cloth trim.
Still part of Juke’s toy box is I-CON, a three-way driving mode selector that allows you to choose between Eco, Normal and Sport programs, with variations in throttle sensitivity, air conditioning power and steering response. Each has a selectable sub-window showing (respectively) how economically you are driving, torque delivery and charge rate, and turbo boost levels. It’s quite fun in the beginning but by the time you’ve lived with it a while, you pretty much leave it on Normal and ignore the others.
Summing up, not much has changed except that it’s a little prettier, a little smarter, its boot is bigger and it’s more fun.
Test car from Nissan SA press fleet
This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.
Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8