The Nissan Juke is the poster child for nonconformist new-wave crossovers. In the NISMO RS the Juke’s extraterrestrial aesthetic has been pumped up with aggressive bumpers, 18-inch wheels and contrasting door mirrors. The red accent lines tie it very neatly to its bigger brother the fearsome GT-R NISMO.
The basic distinguishing characteristic of the NISMO edition over the standard Juke is increased output from the 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbo. The regular Nissan Juke generates 188 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. The output of the NISMO RS 1.6-liter we tested was 215 horsepower and 210 lb-ft of torque. Extracting the extra power for the RS entails the use of a freer-flowing exhaust system, tweaks to the ECU, and heftier connecting rods. The NISMO techs have also revised the RS manual transmission’s internal gearing and chosen a slightly shorter final-drive ratio. What all this adds up to is zero-to-60 in 6.7 seconds and the quarter-mile in 15.2 and a top speed of 135 mph. Higher output usually equals lower mpg. But that’s not the case here the Juke NISMO RS receive 25-mpg city and 31-mpg highway EPA ratings.
Strapped to little power plant is an upgraded six-speed manual with a beefier clutch and housing, plus lower gear ratios for first through third. Nissan shows once again that it knows what it’s doing when designing a sporting manual transmission. The gearshift quality is of the highest order and the LSD distributes the torque across the front axle very effectively.
Keeping the NISMO RS glued to the road include a selection of tweaks with a stiffer chassis, bigger ventilated brakes and sticky performance tires (225/45-18 Continental ContiSport Contact 5). The MacPherson strut front suspension and torsion beam rear axle have been retuned with firmer springs and dampers, the brake discs are now 320mm in diameter up front.
Now to the niggles, something we were not keen on was the handbrake was rather suspect, requiring a solid yank all the way to the last click before holding the car still on even the shallowest of inclines. However that was about it, the driver’s view out of the cockpit was also a little problematic with the A pillars leading to two blind spots out front, but that just could have been our test driver.
Most importantly, on the road and around a corner, this little beasty is indistinguishable from a classic hot hatch. We love climbing into the most racecar-like Recaro seats on the road right now. Along with the suede seats, the NISMO RS has faux suede on the wheel, gauge hood, rear seats and door panels. The gauges are red and we like it. Another thing we really liked was the back seats have a surprising amount of legroom. The Nissan Juke NISMO RS is a ton of fun, and that’s what really counts.
The base price for the Juke NISMO is $23,890, and the RS starts at $26,930. Our test unit included a $1200 navigation package plus $215 NISMO floor mats for a grand total of $28,345.
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