2022 Nissan Juke Ti review – Long-term update 3

In our last update, our 2022 Nissan Juke Ti Energy Orange long-termer played the role of Town Mouse and didn’t come out looking all that great. Sure, it’s roomy and well-featured, but the little three-cylinder engine and dual-clutch transmission didn’t seem well-matched at all, and the Juke faltered on what most consider would be its home ground.

But on a couple of runs outside of the urban sprawl of Melbourne, the Juke started to show another side of its character. A stronger side.

We considered the diminutive Nissan to be an intra-city specialist. A compact and efficient commuter for the modern world, but it turns out the car is far more suited to the longer legs of an inter-city run.

Forget Town Mouse, as Country Mouse is where it’s at.

We’re not talking long-haul freeway runs here either, as if anything they are the weakest point.

The adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping functions all work, and the cool Bose surround audio system provides plenty of in-flight entertainment, but the thin 45-profile tyres and our accessory roof racks don’t do much for wind noise and road roar.

Better turn the stereo up even louder then.

Where the Juke really began to carve its favourable slice in the Drive garage was some of the back roads we visited during our Drive TV shoots.

From the lush green hills of Gippsland to the Alpine High Country and high-temperature farming surrounds, the Juke tagged along. Whether ferrying people and equipment, or simply running point when shooting more complex car-to-car sequences, the Nissan was initially considered to be a means to an end, but rapidly became a surprisingly entertaining driver’s car.

On winding B-roads, the 84kW three-pot turbo, set into Sport mode, buzzes happily and free of urban constraints.

There is no need for an idle-stop system when you aren’t stopping. There’s no elasticity or reluctance from a dual-clutch transmission when it’s swapping ratios on the move.

Even the big wheels and slim rubber profile ignore sharp edges and unnatural bumps of urban streets, trading it all for predictable grip and accurate handling.

The Sport setting holds gears a little longer, and despite the well-placed paddles on the steering wheel, it’s best to just let the car do its thing.

It’s not a Porsche Macan by any stretch, all of this Juke-ified entertainment is happening at a far more sensible pace, and on far more real-world terms. But for a car that left us a little flat around town, we now have a robustly capable country tourer, and it begs the question – is this not what it is best for?

There are plenty of people who need an affordable, economical car that is easy to get in and out of, offers plenty of space in the back seat and boot, a host of comfort, convenience and safety features, and can handle plenty of miles on any given day.

For regional buyers who have to blend a run to the local shops with a cross-shire dash, the Juke works brilliantly.

It’s not for towing, or off-roading, but to make the run from Shepparton to Bendigo for lunch, then a stop by Nagambie on the way home to pick up some produce, it’s in its element.

Fuel consumption wasn’t quite where Nissan pegged it (5.8L/100km), but we regularly saw the mid-6L/100km range, which makes the aforementioned loop an 18L, or about $35, exercise. Not too bad, especially if someone else makes the sandwiches.

So good is the Juke on longer-distance drives that we’ve managed to put close to 10,000km on it over the past few months, and we didn’t even notice.

It ran support for the ‘other’ Juke out to Sea Lake and the Silo Art Trail. I used it to join the crew in Mirboo North for our Maserati MC20 episode of Drive TV. Photographer Ted, Tom Fraser, and I tagged in and out of it during a mega week of back-to-back TV shoots in central Victoria, the car even serving as a photography platform on Mount Buller as I passed in the BMW M3.

Each time, the little Nissan performed flawlessly and surprisingly.

Back in town, however, the flaws started to return. Again, the feedback being it is hesitant off the line and reluctant to respond.

This then leads to our final instalment.

Is the Juke destined to be exclusively a country-car joy or is there a trick to balancing its relationship with urban requirements too?

It’s clear the car works for those outside the confines of the city. For buyers in that space, the Juke is a surprising little runabout, practical and capable, with plenty of fun thrown in for good measure.

As if your time is anything like ours, that odometer will wind up without you even realising.