We’re always banging on about saving the manuals, so we should really be showering the facelifted Nissan Juke with praise. Because yes, despite just receiving its midlife refresh, you can still have the combustion-engined crossover with three pedals and a six-speed manual gearbox. At least in markets that have not discontinued it.
Perhaps we should focus on the bits that have changed, eh? Nissan has been shouting about the return of the ‘iconic’ yellow paint job. Apparently, it harks back to the yellow of the first-gen Juke (remember how much of a shock that car was?), but is now slightly paler in shade and “delivers a modern and impactful look.” In case you’re wondering, there’s also new Pearl White and Pearl Black shades for the more unadventurous among you. A full 24 color combo options in total, though.
Anyway, the facelift also brings with it a new ‘dynamic’ N-Sport trim level, and we’re promised significant changes to the Juke’s interior. The exterior on all other trim levels remains as before, because Nissan’s customers apparently told the design team to leave it well alone. Those interior changes include a redesigned center console, new seats with fresh materials (including actual alcantara on the N-Sport trim you see here), a 12.3-inch dial display, and a similarly large 12.3-inch infotainment screen, which has been tilted toward the driver by eight degrees. Still plenty of proper buttons, thankfully.
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There are extra USB-C ports, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a customizable home screen for the infotainment. Oh, and Nissan is at pains to mention that the glovebox is 29% bigger than before on right-hand-drive cars, the standard rearview camera is now 1.3 megapixels rather than 0.3, and the armrest has been redesigned to be more supportive with 25mm more reach. At this point, we’d have to argue these changes probably can’t be described as ‘significant.’
Anyway, all good things for those who were already considering a Juke. Plus, as alluded to earlier, the powertrains remain the same. That means you can either have the 143hp hybrid setup, or a 1.0-liter three-cylinder turbopetrol that makes 112hp and sends its power through either a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission or a six-speed manual.
There are more safety systems as standard across the range, too, thanks to a new front camera, but Nissan has helpfully provided a custom setting so that you can switch all those off with two presses of a steering-wheel-mounted button. Gosh, this and the manual gearbox? Is the Juke about to become a Top Gear hero car?
More photos of the Nissan Juke 2024:
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
