EXTERIOR

The Juke's front styling is supposed to evoke thoughts of a crocodile sitting just below the surface of the water, with its eyes peeking out, according to Nissan. My neighbor's kindergarten-age son decided he liked the Juke because of its chubby cheeks, as he called them. Whatever you call them, the Juke has flared fenders that make it look hippy, especially in the rear.

During my test drive, I received so many comments on the Juke (solicited and otherwise). Some people loved it from the side, but not the front, while some loved the front but thought the back was weird-looking. Design-wise, I think the whole car really works.

It must be said that the Juke will struggle to be functional for families with small kids who want to be independent. The main reason is the rear door handles are positioned way up on the doorjamb by the C-pillars. Until your kids are taller, they will not be able to reach them. This is no big deal if you don't mind opening the door for your kids all the time, but there it is. Actually, there it isn't, according to some people. The rear doors blended so seamlessly with the crossover that most people thought it was a two-door car at first glance.

Despite the high door handles, it was easy to open and close the doors because they aren't too heavy or wide. The step-in height is kid-friendly, too. When it's open, the liftgate is really tall; I'm 5-foot-5 and didn't have any problems reaching the liftgate to close it, though.

The Juke has a 188-horsepower, turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four-cylinder engine. On the SV and SL trims with front-wheel drive, a manual transmission is standard. A CVT is standard on the base-level S trim and optional on the SV and SL trims. Front-wheel drive is standard on the Juke, and all-wheel drive is optional. The all-wheel-drive Juke gets an EPA-estimated 25/30 mpg city/highway. The front-wheel-drive Juke with a CVT gets 27/32 mpg; with a manual transmission, it gets 24/31 mpg. The Juke uses premium fuel.

    See also:

    NISSAN Intelligent Key™ door buzzer
    The Intelligent Key door buzzer sounds if the Intelligent Key is left inside the vehicle when locking the doors. When the buzzer sounds, be sure to check both the vehicle and the Intelligent Key. ...

    Seats & Storage
    Crank the standard height-adjustable driver's seat up, and the Juke offers a view of the road that's more akin to a crossover than a small car. The smallish cabin minimizes the distance between yo ...

    Warning signals
    To help prevent the vehicle from moving unexpectedly by erroneous operation of the Intelligent Key or to help prevent the vehicle from being stolen, a chime or buzzer sounds from inside and outsid ...