Nissan crossover or hatch : Juke - head-to-head with the Mazda3 Sport & Mini Cooper S
To Juke or not to Juke
Posted on July 9th 2010 by Jeremy Cato
At least one hyper-active critic has dubbed the upcoming Nissan Juke a dog’s breakfast of a design, a high-fendered nightmare that is neither car nor crossover.
Nissan is hoping he stands alone. The Juke crossover hits showrooms this fall, touted by Nissan as a sporty alternative to a traditional compact car. This is how Kia has been marketing the boxy Soul and Kia has had some success with it.
The idea behind the Juke, says Canadian planning boss Ian Forsyth, is to “create a new segment" with a vehicle that combines the power of an SUV (estimated 180 horsepower) with the agility of a sports car. All that in the low-$20,000s. The larger Nissan Rogue crossover starts at $23,198, so the Juke will need to come in below that.
Or perhaps not. Nissan seems to believe that the Juke and Rogue will appeal to entirely different buyers. The Rogue is there to take on the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Toyota RAV4 and others of that ilk. Nissan’s people have been suggesting that the Juke will go head-to-head with the Mazda3 Sport (hatchback) and the Mini Cooper S – or perhaps even Mini’s upcoming Countryman mini-SUV.
The Juke is certainly a small vehicle, riding on a modified version of the platform used for the Versa economy car and the Cube boxy thing. Beyond that controversial styling, the Juke stands out for its engine technology.
What juices the Juke is Nissan’s dual-fuel injector technology. The system uses two injectors per cylinder -- allowing fuel to flow in reduced streams under less pressure. Nissan says it improves power and efficiency. Buyers will get the 1.6-litre, direct-injection, gasoline turbocharged engine with either two- or four-wheel drive.
Nissan has been bravely and steadily going its own way with new models and with overall product strategy. Take the Cube. It really is the antithesis of a desirable car, other than the fact it can carry loads of stuff. The Cube is ultimate geek-mobile.
The company is also moving into mass marketing the electric LEAF starting later this year in some markets and next year in Canada. This commitment to EVs is in such a wholesale manner makes Nissan stand out dramatically from the pack.
Put all these product moves together and it’s clear that Nissan is willing to gamble like few other car companies. Big gambles come with big rewards – or they can turn into money-losing disasters.
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Originally Posted by crono06
