MotorMouths

Given the burgeoning anticipation for enthusiast-oriented cars like the European Ford Focus, the Nissan Juke’s combination of sensible sizing and entertaining dynamics makes it a winner on any continent.

The stylish 2011 Nissan Juke was designed for Europe, where they load up large-car features on what we would consider very small cars. The sad thing is that all of that sophistication in the drivetrain is sapped by the soul-destroying choice of a CVT transmission.

It rides too firm for some, and the cabin is too small for many. Driving fun, a few well-executed controls and reasonable value offer some vindication — probably enough to earn the Nissan Juke a niche group of buyers.

With technology features that out-pace the rest of the class and unique exterior design, we have no doubt that the Juke will attract the type of buyer Nissan is hoping to grab.

Although an exceedingly fun and satisfying car to drive, the funky 2011 Nissan Juke suffers from some weak cabin tech.

Unlike the SX-4 and the Ford Fiesta hatchback I reviewed a few months ago, the Nissan Juke has no clever tricks to take advantage of space… it is simply small inside.

Marketers decided to build a car that could be all things to all hip 18-34 year-old urban males, saddling the Juke with extra weight, reduced practicality and a Lovecraftian front end. That the Juke still ends up being as good as it is, is an enduring testament to Nissan’s engineers.

From a rational, criteria driven point of view, the Nissan Juke doesn’t make much sense, but take this spunky little crossover out for a spin and we promise you’ll end up with a smile on your face.

The Nissan Juke is, without a doubt, a thoroughly enjoyable driving machine. The car’s shape makes it more attractive to those who ‘get it’. Why? Because chances are anyone who would buy such an ocular monstrosity also appreciates the machine for what it is and not how it looks.

As a vehicle for thrifty non-conformists, the Nissan Juke succeeds admirably. While not without its aesthetic shortcomings, the driving experience delivers enough thrills to put a smile on anybody’s face.

Except for odd styling (we grew to like it) and the unexpected fuel thirst (and we didn’t drive all that hard all that much) Juke seemed a remarkably alluring vehicle in a market overpopulated by boring small cars.

The Nissan Juke is a strange sprite of a trucklet: diminutive, determined, loud, eager, winsome, but—given its dinky wheelbase, stiff antiroll bars, dearth of wheel travel and oddly discombobulated roll axes and center of gravity—also a trifle uncoordinated.