Nissan Juke SUV (2010-2019) - Interior & comfort

The Nissan Juke's interior has clearly been designed to be as funky as the exterior. The main component is the centre console, which can come in a variety of colours – including a vibrant orange – and is supposed to look like a motorcycle's fuel tank.

The Juke also boasts a raised, upright driving position and adequate space for the driver and front-seat passenger. Lots of wind noise and a bouncy ride over potholes prevent it from being a truly comfortable car to travel in.

Another downside is that the steering wheel doesn't adjust backwards and forwards – only up and down – so some people may struggle to get comfortable. It means taller drivers can be left feeling too far away from the steering wheel and shorter drivers are hunched up over it as they aim to get their feet on the pedals. Most cars offer this feature, so it's a little disappointing that the Nissan doesn't.

Nissan Juke dashboard

High-spec versions of the Nissan Juke come with a colour touchscreen and sat nav as standard, while cheaper models are fitted with a rather dated-looking radio and CD player.

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But while there are plenty of stylish little touches throughout the Juke's cabin, you'll notice that the quality of materials feels a bit cheap. The dashboard is made from a hard, scratchy plastic, which generally seems a little thin, and the door panels sound hollow when you tap them. This doesn't give you the greatest confidence in the robustness of the interior.

Equipment

At least you can rest assured that whatever Juke you buy will come full of equipment in the cabin. Even the most basic Visia cars get air-conditioning plus alloy wheels, a height-adjustable driver’s seat and front and rear electric windows. 

Moving up to Acenta upgrades the air-con to full climate control and boosts the interior with flourishes like chrome door handles and a leather steering wheel and gearstick. You also get cruise control and a Bluetooth phone connection thrown in. You can have gloss-black finishes throughout and leather seats in the top-spec Juke Tekna to help bring a bit of extra class to proceedings. Sitting just below Tekna trim is the Bose Personal Edition, which features a touchscreen sat-nav system, a reversing camera, DAB radio, sports seats, automatic lights and wipers and keyless entry and start.

It's worth noting that the standard sat nav isn't the best we've tested. It does come with some clever functionality – like the ability to send a route from your computer to the car – but it's not particularly clear. The screen is relatively small and the icons look outdated. If you're used to an aftermarket system from the likes of TomTom, you'll probably need a while to adjust to it.

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Options

The Juke doesn't have a long options list; it’s more about choosing the spec level that has the features you want. All of the available option packs centre around styling and personalisation and it’s disappointing that the Safety Shield Technologies that come as standard on the Tekna model cannot be ordered as an option on the other trim levels. It adds surround-view cameras for easier parking, as well as blind-spot and lane-departure warning systems for increased safety on the move.