Published:
15 August 2013Opinions are split on the Nissan Juke’s looks. We’re used to seeing calmer concept cars make it to production more or less intact (the Audi TT and the Peugeot RCZ, for example), but the Juke seems to have made it from free-form design sketch to solid metal without passing through any credibility filters en route.
So what look like front foglights are the headlights, inspired by a rally car’s auxillary lights. What look like headlights are the sidelights and indicators, seemingly bursting upwards through slashes in the bodywork.
The lower half of the body is dominated by deep flanks and exaggerated wheel arches which, through a trick of proportion, make the Juke look smaller than it is even with the big wheels that come as standard. What looks like a sumpguard is simply a valance, with three circular vents for cooling. According to Nissan, it looks ‘biotic’. Setting the tone for the whole visual onslaught at the front is that wide, leering grin.
Boomerang-shaped rear lights have shades of Nissan 370Z. They frame an unusually convex rear window. The back window’s steep rake limits overall boot space but removes some visual height and bulk from the Juke. It also means the rear window doesn’t easily attract dirt.
The rising waistline makes for deep flanks and very shallow rear side windows, whose blade-like shape resembles that of the Kia Soul, another urban-flavoured, tough-looking compact crossover.
