What's the news?
Nissan's smaller crossover, the Juke, has received a raft of updates to keep it in line with the rest of the current range. Overall its proportions haven't changed, nor has it lost any of its quirky looks.
Exterior
When the Nissan Juke first arrived on the scene just over three years ago its looks could be described as divisive at best. Not that it put off the buying public - Nissan has sold 420,000 since (globally). So naturally the Japanese company didn't want to tamper with the winning formula too much.
The nose has been tweaked to reflect what has already been seen on the new Qashqai, representing the current 'face' of Nissan. Those recognisable headlights perched atop the front wings now feature bi-intensity LED daytime running lights while the large, round main light units gain Xenon bulbs for increased brightness. The centre of the grille now has a more defined 'V' shape around the Nissan badge, while Nissan has fitted the lower bumper section with tougher, more hard-wearing plastics.
Door mirrors now incorporate LED turn signals and at the rear the lights get a revised shape in addition to LED illumination. Nissan has added three new colours to the range too: Sunlight Yellow metallic, Ink Blue metallic and solid Red. Complementing these is a new selection of alloy wheels that will come in both 16- and 17-inch diameters.
Interior
There are less changes to the interior, where Nissan has opted to include new colour schemes and materials. All cars will feature what Nissan calls 'sophisticated grey', although customers can upgrade this to add more colour across the centre console and door trims.
At the rear, the good news is that luggage space (in two-wheel drive models) has been increased by 40 per cent, making the overall carrying capacity 354 litres - a figure Nissan claims to be now class-leading.
Mechanicals
The familiar 1.5 dCi 110hp diesel engine remains in the Juke line-up, but Nissan has added two new petrol engines in the form of a 1.2-litre DIG-T that produces 115hp and generates 190Nm of torque - handy if much of your driving is around town. For those desiring a four-wheel drive version of the Juke, the existing 1.6-litre DIG-T petrol engine has received changes aimed at improving the overall performance.
Anything else?
To further add to the personalisation, Nissan will give the option of choosing contrasting colours for the mirror caps, side sills, roof spoiler and door handles - similar to what was seen on the Juke Nismo. The new Nissan Juke is expected to arrive in showrooms during the summer.