Nissan Juke-R 2.0 Review

A Juke with 600bhp is no joke

This is what happens when you cross a GT-R with a Juke and add in some race car

13 October 2015

This is bonkers. A B-segment crossover with 600bhp.

This is what happens when you cross a GT-R with a Juke and add in some race car. It’s mad and exciting at the same time, and we’re going to drive it at Silverstone.

First we take out an R35 NISMO to get into the groove – and how often would that be the warm-up for a drive in a Juke?

It’s mad and exciting at the same time

Simply getting into the Juke is a hazard. First you have to clamber over the rollcage, then fit yourself in behind the GT-R dashboard. That doesn’t leave much room for the driver, who has to adopt a position with his knees at head height. Comfort, though, is far from the driver’s mind as the Juke heads out on the track and that 600bhp kicks in.

It’s fast, unbelievably, amazingly fast

The socking great punch of power is accompanied by various whines, squeaks and graunches, proper racing sounds that reflect the huge engineering task that went into this mad car.

Down the main straight this most definitely feels like a GT-R. It’s fast, unbelievably, amazingly fast. We’re doing about 120mph down the main straight and there’s not much to choose, although obviously the higher centre of gravity does separate this out from the NISMO in the corners. Equipped with Bridgestone Potenza rubber, the Juke is somewhat compromised on the way into the corner, but seems to more than make up for it from the apex on.

Nissan built this thing to draw attention to the 1.5 DCi standard Juke

It just gobbles up the tarmac, exiting the corners in a truly extraordinary manner. It’s slightly edgy on the brakes in an exciting sort of way, but feels great diving for the apex, before the stability control kicks in and damps things down.

This really doesn’t feel like anything else, it’s so vivid and sweat-drenchingly, uniquely exciting.

Nissan built this thing to draw attention to the 1.5 DCi standard Juke. Well they managed that okay. It doesn’t really matter whether Nissan needed any help in shifting the popular Juke or not, the fact is they made this utterly brilliant and insane project car.

The world didn’t need it, but the world is a better place for having it.

Location Silverstone

On sale Now

Price more than £300,000

Engine V6, 3799cc, twin-turbocharged, petrol

Power 591bhp at 6800rpm

Torque 481lb ft at 3200rpm

Gearbox 6-spd dual-clutch automatic

Kerb weight 1806kg

0-62mph 3.0sec

Top speed 165mph

Economy na

CO2/tax band na

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