A penny in The Jukebox

Nissan Juke, some say it's a joke to look at, some say its funky cool. Driving dynamics are top notch, either way. Photo : Aadnan Zaman

This amphibious looking automobile is called the Nissan Juke, and on first sight I thought to myself, what were they thinking? In a world of crossovers, cross coupes and cross dressers, the Juke seems to be a fan of the trend, with its coupe like silhouette on the frame of a mini SUV. I'm not a fan of the trend, it's a bit like fusion food. You think you'd like the best of everything at once but it turns out it's never a good idea. The Juke however, is a bit different. Let me tell you why.

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The Juke is based on the underbody of Nissan's smaller hatchbacks like the Cube and the Micra, jacked up with very modern, funky and unique styling cues that, according to the Japanese automaker, is appealing to teenagers who want to stand out of the crowd on a budget. The awkward looking front looks like a bit of a mix between a frog,

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a hippopotamus and a VW Beetle. As bad as it looks in the pictures, when we asked passerby's and onlookers, they thought it was rather unique and interesting, if not good looking. The car sits high up and looks a lot larger than it is, thanks to its puffy wheel arches and dynamic body lines.

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The sloping roofline and stretched out rear end looks eerily similar to a Nissan 370Z, clever styling if you ask me. However, you will also find that rear headroom and trunk space had to be sacrificed in the process. Inside,

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the seats are bolstered and supportive, and the dashboard is well fitted with decent materials. Further evidence of great designing is the gear lever surround, which is inspired from and designed like a motorcycle gas tank; and the gauge cluster which has a shade on top much like visors on a bike. The car seats five but space in the rear isn't that abundant. The trunk isn't that large either, but can be extended with flat folding rear seats.

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The entertainment system is a genuine Nissan Satnav with DVD, Aux, Bluetooth and iPod support paired with four door mounted speakers, which sounds brilliant. There is an iPod cable in the dashboard, connecting it was a matter of seconds, and my music library appeared on the touchscreen ready to browse through on the go.

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Whatever first impressions you've had about this car, you need to save it until you drive it because that's when it all changes. It's a fantastic car to drive. The seats are positioned higher than usual and you get a commanding view of what's around you, including the curvy wheel arches and parking lights mounted on the hood for good measurement. The steering wheel is small, chunky and comes with great responsiveness, and paired with the stiff suspension setup, the car handles like a hot hatch. I found myself swerving in and out of lanes in traffic just for the fun of it.The engine is typically Nissan, the same 1500cc unit found in the Bluebird Sylphy mated to a fantastic X-Tronic CVT that adjusts to your driving style. Fuel economy is constant above 10 km per liter and well below 5, if you've just fallen in love with the sport button.

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It is also equipped with a new “I-CON” system. Positioned below the center console it serves two purposes: first as the AC control buttons which can be changed to driving modes at the press of another. A choice of Normal, Sport and Eco sets your throttle response and gearshifts accordingly. In Eco mode, the throttle is dampened and the engine rarely revs above 2000 RPM, keeping your fuel economy well above 10 kilometers a liter. In Sport, the engine holds itself constant just below the peak RPM at around 4000, with very sharp throttle response mimicking gearshifts with the CVT as you speed up. The Juke makes for very fun drive as you experiment through the driving modes and throw yourself into sharp turns in an SUV, only to come out of it handling like a hot hatchback.

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All in all, the Juke is a brilliant car for a brilliant price if you can get yourself to ignore that ridiculous front end for the masterpiece of a car it is. I haven't been able to stop talking about it after driving it last week, even thought of trading in my car for one. The drive, the interior and the equipment feel like it belongs to a car twice as expensive. If you're looking to buy a car solely for yourself and not for others to judge, something better yet cheaper than a Premio, the Juke is what you're looking for. As for the price, our test car was priced and sold at 29 lakh taka, from Car House Limited in Gulshan.

Specs
1.5 liter 4 cylinder engine, CVT gearbox, ABS, rear-view camera, Nissan i-CON switchgear, i-pod, USB, Aux connectivity for stereo system.

Price: 29 lakh Taka
Alternative: None, really, not within this price range. The much more expensive KIA Sportage comes close. As does a bullfrog. Or a large fish.