2016 Nissan Maxima SR

Our culture is currently grappling with questions of identity, the ability to change ourselves. So what, you may ask, does that have to do with the new Nissan Maxima? This is a sedan that has long claimed (without much credibility) to be a four-door sports car, or 4DSC in Nissanese. As far as automotive identity crises go, this is the one to have. We’d love to get a sports car trapped in a four-door body, but that’s easier said than done.

Much of the Maxima’s spec sheet reads as if it comes from a family sedan. It has a transversely mounted engine, front-wheel drive, and a continuously variable transmission. These are hardly the physical attributes of a sports sedan, let alone a sports car. And yet, nothing on the spec sheet would matter if the Maxima transcended these parts to deliver a sporting driving experience. It doesn’t.

Our test car’s SR trim is the Maxima at its most athletic. The 19-inch wheels are an inch larger than on other models, and the springs, anti-roll bars, and shocks are all retuned. Nearly all SR models come with 245/40 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric All-Season tires developed for this application, but our test car came equipped with like-sized Bridge­stone Potenza RE050A summer tires. That is stickier rubber, available only as a dealer-installed accessory. So, cheater tires, sort of.

The SR’s ride is more sensitive to the road than the luxurious Platinum trim level we also drove, and those summer tires hold to the skidpad with 0.87 g worth of grip. That’s a respectable achievement for a mid-size sedan, but it’s not something we’d call sports-car, or even sports-sedan, worthy. Let’s put skidpad grip aside; it’s just a number, after all. What’s really bothering us is that the Maxima isn’t much fun.

Great sports sedans are instruments of joy when you give them the whip. Switching the SR’s Drive Mode Selector to sport enhances the throttle sensitivity, changes the transmission’s shifting strategy, raises steering effort, and then lets in more of the engine note. None of that overcomes the dynamic handicap that is born of having 61.4 percent of the mass carried by the front tires. Lay into the Maxima on a road like California’s Angeles Crest Highway and, despite excellent body control, this sedan never comes alive, it just understeers—inescapable, grinding, shuddering understeer. The solution is to slow down. But sports sedans shouldn’t ask for a breather.

It turns out, though, that the Maxima is actually a credible luxury car. The front and rear seats are spacious and soothingly comfortable. Touches of fake suede, diamond-patterned stitching, and metallic trim are welcome embellishments. At night, ambient lighting subtly illuminates the instrument-panel trim and doors. The simple and elegant round gauges have a seven-inch multi­colored screen between them to display information and route guidance (navigation is standard on all Maximas). An eight-inch touch screen on the driver-oriented center console can be also be ­controlled by the knob behind the shifter. It’s quiet inside, too. At a steady 70 mph we measured 66 decibels, and a full-throttle whack only produces 74 dBA. Indeed, it’s quieter than the Mercedes-Benz S550, the epitome of luxury.

Nissan clearly worked on turning down the volume on its mainstay V-6. To combat the big six’s former predilection to buzz like the coffee grinder at Starbucks, there is a new oil pan to stiffen the bottom of the block. A Bose noise-cancelling audio system and acoustically laminated windshield glass and front windows work to mute other errant sounds that might reach the cabin.

According to Nissan, 61 percent of the V-6’s parts are redesigned. Among them are the valves and the intake manifold. From those new parts comes a boost of 10 horsepower for a total of 300. We’re a bit surprised at the lack of direct injection, but the V-6 doesn’t need it to return 22 mpg city and 30 highway in the EPA cycle. We achieved only 18 mpg, but that included a demanding strafe over the San Gabriel Mountains.

The revised engine isn’t just quiet and efficient, it’s also able to move the relatively light 3545-pound SR from zero to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds. But again, speed alone does not a sports sedan make. Accelerate at normal traffic pace and the transmission provides a smooth stream of calm progress. With a strong 261 pound-feet of torque there is enough grunt at low rpm that the CVT doesn’t have to rev the engine mercilessly.

Nissan has programmed the transmission to act like a conventional automatic, shifting through preset ratios when the accelerator is held beyond three-eighths of its travel. But despite the programming, a more efficient chain, and lower-viscosity oil, every big hit of the throttle results in a delay of power delivery as the engine feels like it has to churn up the transmission’s butter before providing acceleration. Even CVTs that pretend to have gears aren’t sporty.

We actually preferred the slightly softer Platinum trim level to this SR. Without the latter’s sporting pretensions, the Maxima comes across as sophisticated, luxurious, and refined. On 18-inch wheels and the non-SR chassis, the Maxima is still taut for its class, but the ride remains relaxed. So while the adjective sport may not apply here, the adjective luxury definitely does. Asking the ­Maxima to be a sports sedan is like asking Caitlyn Jenner to get back into her decathlon shorts. It just ain’t gonna happen.

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2016 Nissan Altima

There’s an interesting phenomenon that happens in Olympic competition, wherein silver medalists tend to feel less satisfied with their accomplishment than those who win bronze. Call it the “second place is just the first loser” principle, but runners-up are seemingly tormented by not winning, whereas those finishing third are more likely to recognize the accomplishment of beating nearly everyone in the world.

It’s that attitude that informs the fifth-generation Nissan Altima, which has had a lock on third place in mid-size-sedan sales since it was introduced in summer 2012. Confident in the Altima’s near-universal appeal, Nissan’s mid-life-cycle refresh for 2016 is concerned more with reinforcing the car’s desirability than amending weaknesses. After all, moving over a million units of any automobile is an accomplishment.

More in the Family

The most obvious updates to the new Altima come in its new front and rear fascias, which now resemble those of the Murano and the new Maxima. Fresh head- and taillights necessitated sheetmetal changes to the hood, fenders, and trunk, making this more of an overhaul than is usual in the industry. The look certainly works to give the Altima a more current family resemblance, although this styling language still seems awkward to our eyes. Especially if there’s a Mazda 6 parked nearby.

Updates are less apparent inside, but Nissan has applied some of the same patterned plastic trim that first debuted in the Murano. The Altima-specific design looks something like fossilized leaves preserved in amber, and it’s bound to frustrate owners in the way it seems dirty when it catches the light just so. But the cabin remains a quiet and comfortable place to while away a commute, thanks to improved insulation and acoustic laminated glass. Some road noise does filter through, but an improved version of Nissan’s continuously variable transmission no longer drones away at high rpm. The so-called “D-step” CVT, borrowed from the Murano and Maxima, instead behaves like a traditional automatic, dropping revs to emulate an upshift.

Engines carry over from last year, although the 2.5-liter four-cylinder gets some small efficiency tweaks including a bump in compression ratio from 10.0:1 to 10.3:1. Horsepower and torque are unchanged at 182 and 180 lb-ft, respectively, as is the coarse groan of the ancient engine whenever it’s really pushed. But combined with underbody panels, active grille shutters, and the fuel-sipping transmission, the tweaked four-cylinder allows the Altima to achieve a 1-mpg gain in highway fuel-economy testing. Nissan says the car will carry EPA ratings of 39 mpg on the highway, 27 mpg in the city, and 31 combined.

Enter the SR

The evergreen VQ V-6 with 3.5 liters of displacement and 270 horsepower returns (with a CVT, natch), even as Nissan expects it to account for only six percent of sales. That’s actually twice the volume in the outgoing car; Nissan’s projections are based on the introduction of a new SR trim. This is largely a handling package, although SR cars will get some mild aesthetic enhancements including a small spoiler and unique interior trim.

our-cylinder SR models sit in the middle of the pricing range, starting at $25,295, and a V-6 Altima in SR trim will set you back $28,215. The base price for the Altima is up $200 from last year, to $23,325, while increases on other trims can add as much as $740 to the MSRP.

Sadly enough, Nissan didn’t have any V-6 cars of any trim level available to drive at its launch event, but we did get to try out the four-cylinder SR and came away encouraged. Being saddled with an old engine and a CVT, Nissan’s engineers were constrained in what they could do to make a sportier Altima. Taking that into consideration, the SR comes off as well as can be imagined.

Nissan tells us the standard Altima has slightly stiffer rear springs that reduce body roll a bit from last year, yet the SR improves on this with thicker tubular anti-roll bars and a unique damper calibration. In the front, the standard Altima’s 22.2-mm bar is replaced with one that is 24.2 mm in diameter, and in the rear a 26.5-mm bar replaces the standard 22-mm one, changes that Nissan says reduce body roll by 21 percent. The revisions to the suspension also help the Altima’s brake-based torque-vectoring system better assist the car in turning. We can expect an oddly specific 12.5-percent improvement in grip once we get the Altima SR out on the skidpad, says Nissan.

The Altima’s electrohydraulic power steering has been reprogrammed across the lineup for a weightier feel and a bit more feedback, and on the street the SR feels poised and well-planted. Add its standard 18-inch wheels and column-mounted shift paddles to exercise a bit of control over the CVT, and the SR is certainly the most appealing Altima, even if it falls short of being a true mainstream sports sedan. Whether or not it remains third in the sales race, the updated Altima should leave its legions of buyers satisfied.

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2016 Nissan Rogue

Overview: According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, a Rogue is either “a rascal; scoundrel” or “a fun-loving, mischievous person.” Obviously, the folks at Nissan don’t think of their Rogue as a rascal or a scoundrel. But fun-loving and mischievous don’t really apply, either. Redesigned for the 2014 model year, the Rogue is Nissan’s entry in the rapidly expanding compact-crossover derby. It’s comfortable, bigger than some of its competitors, and nicely turned out within, plus it earned top safety ratings with the major testing bodies and is almost totally devoid of driver gratification. Some of the solid foundations are taken from the Sentra sedan, with the addition of available all-wheel drive, elevated ride height, bigger dimensions, more interior volume, and the option of three-row seating. Unlike its subcompact cousin, the Juke, there’s no hot-rod NISMO variant. There is just one Rogue powertrain: a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder—170 horsepower, 175 lb-ft of torque—paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (Xtronic CVT, in Nissan-speak). Changes have been minor since our 2014 test and the Rogue still stacks up as bland, although its 2015 sales totaled 287,190, nearly 88,000 more than the previous year and second only to the Altima among all Nissans.

What’s New: The Rogue’s sheetmetal, interior, and powertrain carry into 2016 unchanged. However, there are additions to its array of safety and infotainment features. Nissan has expanded the capabilities of its NissanConnect telematics system, and Siri Eyes Free was added to the top SL trim level. SL models now offer the option of forward emergency braking. On the cosmetic front, there’s a new appearance package—with side-mirror turn-signal repeaters and chrome door-handle trim for the basic Rogue S.

What We Like: The Rogue is stylish on the outside and attractive inside, with comfortable seats, decent materials, and a goodly array of available comfort, convenience, and connectivity features. The second-row seats adjust nine inches fore and aft, there’s ample cargo space in five-passenger models, and controls are readily identifiable—no mysteries, no tedious rummaging through the owner’s manual. Also, the center stack includes actual knobs for tuning the radio and making HVAC adjustments. Thank you, Nissan. The suspension tuning is relaxed, and ride quality is supple. EPA fuel-economy estimates are competitive with class favorites like the Mazda CX-5, the Honda CR-V, and the Toyota RAV4

What We Don’t Like: Nissan has advanced the concept of the CVT, but at wide-open throttle this one is still occasionally reminiscent of a slipping clutch. The pace that goes with this is languid, at just under nine seconds to 60 mph. The downside of creamy ride quality is lots of body motion when the driver attacks a set of corners, exacerbated by electric power steering that’s nicely weighted but nevertheless vague. Oddly enough, once the suspension settles after turning into a corner, the Rogue can be flogged with confidence. That may be its dynamic forte, but few if any owners are likely to experience it. Then there’s that third-row seat. If you find yourself relegated to a Rogue’s third row, it’s time to call Uber.

New Cars,Cars Review,luxary Cars,Top Cars 

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Nissan GT-R review, price and specs

What is it?

The new 2014 Nissan GT-R, the supercar slayer enjoying its latest model-year update. Prices are yet to be confirmed, but aren’t likely to significantly rise above the current car’s £76,610 entry point.

With the hardcore and around £40,000 more expensive Nismo GT-R taking the fight to the Porsche 911 GT3 and Aston Martin V12 Vantage S, the 2014 GT-R has a new prime directive: to become a more refined and useable machine.

Technical highlights?

To achieve this, Nissan has focused on ride comfort, refinement and overall quality. Chief product specialist Hiroshi Tamura explains that the revised car is more ‘multi-dimensional’, allowing the driver to enjoy cruising and commuting as much as B-road blasting. Tamura’s team have recalibrated the electronic control of the damper valves, modified the front anti-roll bar and bushes, and revised the spring-rates to ‘reduce load fluctuations between the four wheels’ – in other words to ensure that the tyres remain in contact with the road more of the time. The steering has also been recalibrated for a more relaxed helm, particularly at low speeds, so fewer corrections are now needed to keep the 2014 Nissan GT-R keyed into the road.  

The revised GT-R is fitted with tyres with an exceedingly long name: Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT 600 DSST CTTs. This run-flat rubber (255/40 ZRF20 front, 285/35 ZRF20 rear) has stiffer sidewalls and an inner ridge within two of the central grooves to stop the tread blocks from ‘falling over’ during hard cornering.

Other 2014 model year changes include multi-LED headlights with a thunderbolt motif – a nod perhaps to Nissan’s new ‘director of excitement’, Usain Bolt – plus a new Vermillion Red paint featuring a subtle gold flake.

What’s it like to drive?

With the suspension in its default Sport mode, there is indeed a touch more pliancy to the ride. The harder edges have been softened and you no longer make a lunge for the ‘Comfort’ setting after driving over a catseye for the first time. There’s no noticeable effect, negative or positive, on roll control during our drive, and the car contains pitch and yaw just as well as it ever has. We’ll make a final judgment on this when we drive the car in the UK (this first drive is from Sodegaura-shi in Japan), but first impressions relating to the revised suspension settings are good. Very good.

The speed-sensitive steering feels a touch more fluid, though there’s a suspicion that some of the underlying feel has been eroded –a back-to-back drive in the UK with a MY13 Nissan GT-R car will reveal all. The GT-R’s rack always found a way of telegraphing a decent amount of feel through to the driver, so let’s hope it has gained rather than lost in this round of updates.

So there’s a degree of compliance engineered into the 2014 car, but the manner in which it makes progress and the general level of feedback are still vivid. All-wheel drive gives you the confidence to exploit the power of the engine, while the dual-clutch six-speed transmission is viceless. The absolute performance of the engine, and the striking acceleration, remain. The twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V6 engine is unchanged – power (542bhp), torque (466lb ft) and CO2 are the same. This is a fierce, angry and blunt motor; always has been. Nissan benchmarked the Porsche 911 Carrera and the Mercedes C63 AMG in relation to the 2014 GT-R and, while neither rival can muster the same power, both the German powerplants are in another galaxy in terms of sonic range and the manner in which they engage the driver on an emotional level.

The danger inherent in this update was that Nissan could have – by accident or design – tuned out or disguised a lot of the activity down at the road surface and left the driver with a numb, sterile driving experience. However, the key details (grip levels, steering feel, braking force) continue to find their way to the driver’s palms and seat of pants with clarity and information intact.

How does it compare?

The key question, and one we’ll be able to answer soon, is whether this more compliant GT-R is just as tactile and engaging as the old model. Based on this first drive, we’d bet it is. While the Nismo GT-R steals the headlines, the regular GT-R provides most of its fun for two-thirds of the cost, and its sub-£80,000 price tag continues to ruffle feathers. A Porsche 911 Carrera S costs more but is nowhere near as bombastic, an Audi R8 is dripping with desirability but starts at £92,710 in 424bhp V8 form.

For performance to match the GT-R’s quoted 2.8sec 0-60 time and 196mph top speed, and the relentless lunge towards the horizon you feel as you attempt to replicate those figures, you still need to head past £170,000 into the land of theFerrari 458 Italia and McLaren 12C…

Anything else I need to know?

We’ve reviewed the Nissan GT-R Nismo here. And if you crave a Nissan sports car but can’t stretch to the GT-R’s price tag, then fear not – the funky little Nissan IDx concept previews a small turbocharged rival to the Toyota GT86 and Subaru BRZ.

Specifications

Engine	V6, 3799cc, twin-turbo
Max power	542bhp @ 6400rpm
Max torque	465lb ft @ 3200-5800rpm
0-60	2.8sec (claimed 0-62)
Top speed	196mph (claimed)

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Nissan Juke

Nissan Juke is set to change the urban landscape... for the third time. Following in the wheeltracks of the Murano large crossover and then the successful Qashqai - the car that three years ago introduced the concept of a crossover as an alternative to the traditional C-segment hatchback - comes its younger brother, the Nissan Juke.

Designed to bring a breath of fresh air to the B-segment, Nissan Juke is a distinctive combination of SUV toughness and sporting style. Conceived to inject some masculinity and dynamism into the small car market, Nissan Juke combines a number of seeming contradictions beneath its highly individual lines.

"It takes the best elements of an SUV and sports car and combines them," says Pierre Loing, Vice President, Product Planning, Nissan Europe. "It's roomy yet compact, robust yet dynamic and practical yet playful. These are qualities that seem to contradict each other, yet come together in Nissan Juke to create something that's genuinely unique."

Nissan Juke was created at Nissan Design Europe (NDE) in the heart of London, and refined at Nissan's Design Centre (NDC) in Japan. Principle engineering took place in Japan with significant European input and Juke will be built in Nissan's factory in Sunderland in the north-east of England.

"The design shows real optimism. By combining design elements from two genres to create a small, but striking Crossover that displays a genuine confidence and style. And those are qualities we also expect to find in a Nissan Juke customer," said Shiro Nakamura, Senior Vice President for Design and Chief Creative Officer

From a design standpoint, the lower portion of Nissan Juke is pure SUV, with chunky wheels, wide tyres, extended ground clearance and a robust stance. But the top portion is unadulterated sports car, with a high waistline, slim visor-like side glass graphics and a coupé-style falling roofline. The coupé effect is further underlined by the rear doors which have their handles hidden in the frame of the door.

Inside, the sports car theme continues with a driver-focused cabin dominated by a centre console design inspired by a motorcycle fuel tank. Finished in a distinctive high gloss colour, the 'bike' console adds a sense of fun to the car. Practicality is assured by the rear-opening hatch and versatile luggage area with hidden storage opportunities.

Based on the Renault Nissan Alliance B platform, Nissan Juke has a 2530mm wheelbase. On front-wheel drive versions, suspension is by MacPherson struts at the front with a torsion beam at the rear while four-wheel drive models have a multi-link rear suspension modelled on the system found on Qashqai.

The All-Mode 4x4-i is a new development of Nissan's respected electronic all-wheel drive system and now features torque vectoring technology to enhance agility and reduce understeer when cornering.

In Europe, three different engines will be available when sales start later in the year (UK sales begin in October): one diesel and two 1.6-litre petrol units, all fully Euro 5 compliant. At the top of the range is a new turbo-charged petrol engine (MR16DDT) with direct injection. The engine is one of the most powerful in its class, developing 140kW (190PS) and 240 Nm. The combination of direct injection with a turbocharger provides the power and responses expected from a 2.5-litre engine with the economy of a smaller engine.

The second petrol engine is a newly developed version from Nissan's trusted HR-family. Designated HR16DE, the lightweight, low-friction 16-valve unit now has a unique dual injection system allowing finer metering of the fuel sprays for better combustion and develops 86kW (117PS). The K9K 81kW (110PS) 1.5-litre dCi common rail diesel offers excellent driveability - thanks as much to its heady 240 Nm of torque - with good economy and emissions.

In terms of transmissions, the two-wheel drive turbo-charged 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 of the turbo-charged petrol engine.

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.

Trim and equipment options will follow the established Visia, Acenta and Tekna lines while a full range of accessories has been developed for owners who want to personalise their Nissan Juke still further.

"Nissan Juke is not a traditional B-segment car, and that is quite deliberate. It was born in an urban environment and that is where it will spend most of its life. Fittingly, its combination of agility and toughness make it one of the most streetwise cars around.

"Juke joins Murano and Qashqai to cement Nissan's position as the leading brand in the crossover market," said Simon Thomas, Nissan's European Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing.

Exterior design

First revealed as the Qazana show car - unveiled at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show - Juke was created at the London-based Nissan Design Europe and refined at Nissan's Design Centre (NDC) in Japan. Qashqai, also created at NDE, is sold in Europe, Asia and Australia while Nissan Juke will be marketed in Europe, Japan and the United States.

"The outcome of this global collaboration is a car that comes from where East meets West, with vital contributions from NDE and NDC being key to creating such a striking design," said Shiro Nakamura.

Its highly individual lines are carried over virtually intact from Qazana. The boldness of the design reflects the significance of the B-segment in the European market: Europe is expected to take the lion's share of sales ahead of the other main markets, including North America and Japan.

The design team drew inspiration for Nissan Juke's design from a number of unusual sources. They looked back at a number of vehicles synonymous with an active and sporting life - and that list included rally cars and motorbikes. It's clear to see where those ideas have influenced the design.

The result combines a number of different themes, but with Nissan DNA threaded through. It has a tough solid body to reflect the SUV element, yet is a very sensual car, too, with complex curves and a coupé profile accentuated by the narrow side glass and hidden rear door handles which help give the impression of two rather than four doors.

But there is also clear Nissan family DNA in the design - the boomerang rear lights, for example, from the 370Z - but none of the elements are slavishly copied so while retaining Nissan DNA, Juke stands alone as a unique, almost maverick, design.

This is a key theme running through Nissan designs. Alfonso Albaisa, Vice President, Nissan Design Europe, says: "Nissan Juke has elements inspired from other cars in our range such as 370Z and even Cube, but our intention is never to make obvious links between our cars but natural ones. Cube is a cool car, for example, and that coolness can also be found in Nissan Juke."

With generous ground clearance, big wheels and tyres, a high waistline and a broad shoulder line, the bottom 'half' of the car appears to be pure SUV. The impression is accentuated by typical SUV features such as the contrasting black sill and wheel arch finishers while at the front and rear, the lower bodywork emerges from underneath the car, resembling underbody protection.

At the front, the 'sump guard' forms part of the air intake assembly but rather than use a simple meshed grille, the design team have developed the moulding into a series of circular slots… which are suggestive of biotic elements.

Above the waistline, however, Nissan Juke shows its sporting credentials. A heavily raked windscreen, complete with Nissan's signature Crossover upswept flick to the rearmost side window - and sloped roof-line provide a profile reminiscent of an aircraft's canopy.

The rear of the roof incorporates an integral spoiler to reduce aerodynamic lift to help high speed stability. The neat duck-tail ridge was perfected with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and tests in the wind tunnel.

The lights also reflect the car's sporting agility. At the front these are split into two distinct elements. Framing the upper half of the bonnet, thin slashes contain running lights and turn indicators, while the main and dipped beams mounted lower on the nose of the car were inspired by the auxiliary lamps fitted to rally cars in the sixties and seventies. At the rear, the tail-lights put their own spin on the boomerang shaped lamps found on the 370Z.

In total, a nine colour palette of exterior colours is planned, including two whites, a solid and a pearl, and three shades unique to Nissan Juke - Force Red, Haptic Blue and Machine Brown, though the total availability will depend on region.

Seiji Watanabe, Associate Product Chief Designer: "We want our cars, our crossovers in particular, to have a spirit of agility, to be seen as light, nimble, reactive. Nissan Juke displays all these attributes and delivers a real sense of optimism."

Interior design

Nissan Juke's active, sporting exterior is matched by its interior… where the dominant feature also displays a sense of fun: the centre console, finished in a high gloss paint, resembles a motorcycle fuel tank.

"It's unexpected," says Alfonso Albaisa. "And that gives the interior a certain sexiness."

Reflecting the exterior's blending of SUV and sports car attributes, the interior provides the commanding driving position but with all the attributes expected of a sports car. The gear shift sits on the top of the 'motorbiketank' to guarantee slick changes while the tank itself is no mere styling statement but also provides a bracing point for the driver's knee during spirited cornering.

Similarly, the central stack - which incorporates the new Nissan Dynamic Control System - is ergonomically designed to ensure the driver has instant access to the information and drive mode controls.

Attention to detail is evident everywhere. Chrome fittings and high quality materials are used throughout while the interior colours - red or gun metal grey for the central console are available, depending on the grade; black, silver or red accents to the leather or honeycomb 'sports' fabrics - underscore the car's sporting attitude. Even the door arm rests, shaped like flippers used by scuba divers, reflect an active outlook.

Despite its overall compact dimensions, the roomy interior offers competitive levels of space inside: front head room and rear knee room will be sufficient for most occupants. Unlike the Qazana show car, Nissan Juke is a full five seater.

The practical luggage area is large enough to take a nine inch golf bag or a maximum size suitcase and it also includes an underfloor storage area (4wd versions excepted) which takes its potential capacity to 251 litres (VDA). In addition, the rear seats split 60:40, and also fold in one simple movement to provide a totally flat loading floor.

To hide luggage away from prying eyes, the trunk area has an integral tonneau cover which differs from the conventional by being attached to the tailgate and rises with the door when the trunk is opened.

"The interior displays a number of attributes which really sum up the entire car. There's a lot of emotion here, a real sense of fun and a genuine quality," says Albaisa.

Platform

Nissan Juke is based on Renault Nissan Alliance B-Platform and has a 2530mm wheelbase, is 4135mm long, 1765mm wide and 1570mm tall. To allow the top of the range to use 17-inch wheels and 215/55 R17 tyres, the track front and rear is 1525mm, the widest yet seen on the Alliance B-platform.

As new models evolve so a platform will undergo a number of changes, and Nissan Juke's underpinnings are no exception. For its application on Nissan Juke, it has been lengthened, widened and significantly strengthened and lightened to enhance safety, refinement, and fuel efficiency.

Although the basic suspension system mirrors that found on other B-segment cars, with MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the back, a new cradle-type front subframe has enhanced the lateral stiffness of the assembly. Along with revised front suspension geometry, this has helped to promote better handling and ride comfort along with greater refinement.

The 4wd versions of Nissan Juke further benefit from a new multi-link rear suspension. When coupled to Nissan's newly developed torque vectoring four-wheel drive technology to limit understeer, Nissan Juke's handling is at the top of the class in spite of its higher ground clearance while comfort has been preserved.

In an urban environment, the combination of higher ground clearance and large tyres mean that speed bumps and poor road surfaces will not cause as much discomfort - or damage - as they would to a conventional sports hatchback.

Despite its SUV looks and the comparatively high eye-point, Nissan Juke's front and rear roll centre heights are as low as possible - closer to a conventional hatchback than a typical SUV - to reduce body roll in corners.

Agile handling is also helped by speed sensitive electric power steering, standard on all models, and by increased upper body strength and stiffness. Nissan Juke incorporates a newly developed ring structure which connects the upper body to the rear suspension, thus increasing torsional rigidity.

Engines and drivetrains

In Europe, there will be three engine and manual or CVT transmission choices when Nissan Juke sales start in the second half of 2010. At the top of the range is a newly developed 1.6-litre Direct Injection Gasoline turbocharged engine which develops 140kW (190PS) and 240Nm.

A low friction and lightweight design, the 16 valve engine uses direct injection to improve combustion to optimise power and torque, economy and emissions. The addition of a turbocharger and intercooler helps to boost power - this engine is one of the most powerful in its class - while variable timing control for both intake and exhaust cycles (twin VTC) improves low end engine response. A degree of overlap allows exhaust gas recirculation.

Low friction techniques include the adoption of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating for the valve lifters and mirror finish camshafts. The result is an engine delivering the performance levels of a normally aspirated 2.5-litre engine but with the fuel economy of a smaller engine.

The Direct Injection Gasoline engine in two-wheel drive versions of Nissan Juke will be coupled to a six-speed manual transmission. On the four-wheel drive version, it will be mated to Nissan's XTRONIC CVT transmission, with six-speed manual mode.

The second petrol engine, which also displaces 1.6-litres and has four valves per cylinder, is an extensively reworked member of the HR family. Designated HR16DE, it has undergone a number of significant changes with a larger exhaust manifold, a retuned intake manifold, twin VTC, improved intake tumble flow and new catalyst with a hexagon cell formation.

New pistons with revised crowns and integral oil jet cooling have been adopted along with low friction techniques such as diamond-like carbon coating on the valve lifters.

But the most significant change has been the development of a dual injector system - a world first - which has two injectors for each cylinder, each with smaller nozzles to deliver finer, more closely targeted sprays of fuel into the cylinders for more efficient atomisation and more complete combustion.

Together the changes have led to significant improvements in power, torque and fuel economy. The engine produces 86kW (117PS), representing a six per cent improvement over previous versions of the engine. Torque has improved by three per cent to 157Nm while economy figures show a 5.6 per cent improvement. The normally aspirated petrol engine powers two-wheel drive versions only, and will be available with either the five-speed manual or the updated XTRONIC CVT transmission option, a different CVT transmission to the one used with the DIG engine.

The final engine choice is the familiar Alliance developed K9K 1.5-litre dCi turbocharged common rail diesel. The 1,461cc eight-valve engine delivers good fuel economy, low emissions and running costs with excellent driveability.

With power rated at 81kW (110PS) at 4,000 rpm and torque at an impressive 240 Nm at 1,750 rpm this unit features a fuel return rail and control unit for improved fuel efficiency. Injection pressure is 1,600 bar. Improved glow plug performance speeds up cold start performance. Emission control systems include a diesel particulate filter (DPF), with a fifth injector for regeneration and cooled exhaust gas recirculation while the turbocharger layout altered to make the distance between it and the DPF as short as possible.

The diesel will be available on two-wheel drive models with the six-speed manual transmission. For Europe, all the engines are fully Euro 5 compliant.

While the manual transmission has been carried over largely unchanged from Qashqai, both XTRONIC CVT systems feature a number of key technologies that promise significant improvements in weight, packaging, performance and fuel efficiency.

The updated XTRONIC CVT unit, used with the conventional 1.6-litre petrol engine, is 10 per cent shorter than before and 13 per cent lighter while internal friction has been reduced by a remarkable 30 per cent. This unit is the world's first CVT with a sub planetary gear which allows a far higher transmission ratio - 7.3:1 - than previous Nissan CVTs. Smaller, lighter pulleys, a flexible lock up damper and a more efficient oil pump all promote great fuel efficiency.

The XTRONIC CVT with 6-speed manual mode in the turbocharged petrol-engined Nissan Juke has been tuned for a more sporting performance with revised manual modes for sharper acceleration while the management system has been reprogrammed to enhance fuel efficiency. Both CVTs have adaptive shift control systems that can be selected via the Nissan Dynamic Control System.

Unusually in its class, Nissan Juke will be available with the option of four-wheel drive in addition to conventional front-wheel drive. A newly developed all-wheel drive system is based on Nissan's ALL-MODE 4x4-i electronic technology but which now adds a lateral torque-vectoring capability to its armoury.

As well splitting torque front to rear - upto a maximum of 50:50, it can now be split from side to side across the rear axle, too. By monitoring vehicle speed, wheel speed, gear position, steering angle, lateral G forces and now vehicle yaw rate, torque distribution can be increased to the outside rear wheel in corners to cut understeer and enhance the car's cornering ability. In total, upto 50% of the total available engine torque can be sent to either rear wheel.

The new rear axle incorporates electric couplings at either end plus a new final drive The inclusion of this innovation is a first in the small car segment - a technology that has, until now, only been found on top-of-the-range, premium vehicles.

The new system is noticeably lighter and more compact than similar systems used by some other manufacturers.

Equipment and model lines

Just about the only conventional aspect to Nissan Juke is the model line-up, which follows Nissan's established Visia, Acenta and Tekna lines. Lists of standard and optional equipment will be released nearer the on sale date, but expected items such as climate control, leather upholstery, rear view camera and Intelligent Key will all be available to Nissan Juke customers along with some more unusual features.

One such is Nissan Dynamic Control System, a central command and display module which allows the driver to alter dynamic drive settings as well as make changes to more obvious functions such as climate control.

Cleverly, the module adopts different displays, colours and functions depending on how it is being used. In Climate mode, the display shows the interior temperature setting while the 'buttons' display air-flow preferences.

But in D-Mode, the buttons change to Normal, Sport and Eco driving modes, altering throttle maps, torque availability, CVT shift schedules, steering effort and even air conditioning performance to suit the conditions. The display, meanwhile, shows engine and drive related dials and information.

Car settings, such as the sensitivity of automatic headlights, can also be adjusted via the system, while the display changes colour to signify what type of information is being displayed. Driving information incorporates panels giving average speed, fuel economy, journey times and so on. Overall, the display is designed to add a feeling of cool, engaging technology to the interior.

Accessories

Although Nissan Juke has a long list of standard equipment, Nissan has developed a full range of accessories enabling owners to personalise their cars still further. Among the items on offer are different designs of alloy wheel as well as front and rear under body protectors to accentuate the SUV element of the design.

Other exterior features include exhaust finishers, a roof spoiler and wind deflectors on the doors, while inside an owner can add illuminated door sills and interior accent lighting. Practical touches include advanced security systems as well as extra storage opportunities in the front armrest and in the luggage area.

European Customers

"The incredible success of our Qashqai compact crossover - we've recently passed half a million sales in Europe alone - has shown that customers are fed up with conventional cars. Nissan Juke is even bolder, even more adventurous than Qashqai and is set to confirm Nissan's position as a pioneer of crossover in Europe and, indeed, globally," says Simon Thomas.

Nissan Juke has been conceived with the specific intention to fulfil unmet customer expectations by adding much dynamism and masculinity to the sober, safe small car market. Who does Nissan imagine will buy Juke in Europe?

Clearly Urbanite, male customers are expected to be predominant but a significant proportion of buyers are anticipated to be women - one third according to Nissan's estimates. Nissan Juke will attract a younger audience than average Nissan customers (under half will be below 40), these estimates shows that Nissan Juke will have a broad appeal, supporting Nissan's research that there is widespread disillusionment at the lack of excitement in the small car sector in Europe.

Sales of Nissan Juke will come largely from the B-segment and is also expecting to attract C-segment customers, with people trading down to enjoy something more radical and inspirational. As with the successful Nissan Qashqai, a large majority of Nissan Juke customers will be new to the Nissan brand.

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