It's actually pretty embarrassing to write about the Nissan Juke at all, but since Nissan UK is trumpeting a current project to design and build a Juke R based on the actual Nissan GTR, some thoughts have been racing through my mind that I feel like sharing.
Nissan Juke R, video 2:
On the face of it, the Nissan Juke sounds like a pretty reasonable car on paper assuming we can all agree that affordable cars do need to exist. It offers a direct injected 1.6L turbocharged 4 cylinder engine, a 6 speed manual (FWD models only) or a continuously variable transmission (CVT), 188 hp/177 tq, and a reasonably light curb weight of about 3000 pounds, and I believe pricing starts under $20,000. Given those basic stats, it actually sounds like a pretty fun car.
UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY SEE ONE THAT IS!!!!!!!
We've all made jokes about how someone or something may have been hit by the ugly stick, or maybe fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. Well, even those sayings are way too kind for the unbelievably hideous Nissan Juke. In fact, and I rarely make statements this bold, I would say that the 2011 Nissan Juke is the absolute ugliest new car available (that I know of) in the USA today. Please prove me wrong and dethrone it if you know of anything that's genuinely worse!
So, as a car enthusiast I definitely see the merit of economical cars. Car guys need wheels to get them to and from work, and it can be very satisfying and fun to drive a car that you can push to the limits and not even go very fast. However, that doesn't mean that we want to buy ugly cars even at that price point or level of intent. I have a similar running gripe with hybrid cars since nearly all of them look grotesque and seem to announce "hey, look at me, I'm driving a completely bland and emotionless car that only exists to show that I care about the environment and not about driving".
Plenty of car guys do care about the environment, so we should set the record straight there right now. However, I absolutely do not care about the environment enough to drive a ridiculous looking car. My idea of a responsible car for commuting is something like my current 2003 Lexus IS300, which has a sweet and smooth 3.0L inline 6 engine, a 5 speed manual and limited slip differential, and has eye pleasing styling that has weathered time well. Where new cars are concerned, the 2011 BMW 335d is my idea of a car that would be fun to drive, looks terrific (ie: doesn't stand out for the wrong reasons), and is fuel efficient. Car guys shouldn't (and won't) give up on driving attractive cars just to be fuel efficient, so build us some more cars that actually look worth a darn and we'll seriously consider them.
Automakers, stop penalizing us by only making fuel efficient cars that are funky or look horrible. I can promise you that we won't buy them. Unfortunately for me, plenty of people seem to want to buy them...but I'll continue to spend my money elsewhere and support cars that are actually made for people who enjoy driving...and I hope you will too!
Don't just listen to me though, go take a look at this madness for yourself. I can already assure you that no amount of power or traction is going to make this car worth anything because, as I heard many years ago, you simply cannot dress up a turd. :)
Nissan Juke R, video 1:
Nissan Juke R, video 2:
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