A wise old friend told me it was all very well heeding the current plague of prophets of doom. They might have a point, he conceded, but that’s to overlook an important fact. We don’t actually live in the future. We live in the here and now.
“Live for the day” he cried.
So when the opportunity came to do just that I jumped at the chance. What jump-started an old salty dog like me was the revivifying prospect of trying out a very promising motor car. The new and dramatically restyled Nissan Juke that represents the best of the current crop of compact, carry all, comfortable small SUVs that combine pleasure with practicality, performance with economy, pace with serenity and style with sense. The new Juke is truly a car for all seasons and all reasons. Just the job, I thought, for a getaway jaunt to the coast in the £31,175 Tekna + that would surely also be the envy of bumble bees and wasps everywhere, in its attractive bright yellow and black colour scheme.
So I packed up my things and a companionable bubble of chums into the accommodating 5 door new Juke that now offers much more room in the back than the previous model. Off we went southbound in a spirit of hope and enterprise. In the smart interior we all soon got comfortable and behind the wheel it proved never less than confidence inspiring. Reassuring electronic aids like 360 degree camera vision and other magical systems linked to the stars, were there to save us from disaster, lest I be cosseted too much whilst listening to the surround sound from the ten-speaker Bose audio system.
Externally the panache of styling has now been conjured towards universal appeal. That is a big step from the previous model’s quirky and divisive looks. It now creates a carapace of confidence so that other motorists afford a Juke due deference. This is not a flashy machine but neither is it a shrinking violet. It denotes a debonair democratisation of all that is best in proper motoring. In a word it’s a class car for the classless society. And the build quality and solidity surpass, in my opinion, the much trumpeted clunking doors of Volkswagens.
The excellent view of the road from the driving seat enhances that relaxed feeling as you delight in the responsiveness of the self charging hybrid system which comprises a 1.6 141bhp petrol engine and an electric motor. At times it will run under electric power up to 34mph before the petrol engine kicks in. Drive is through a six speed automatic. It’s technology that is cutting edge and is a splendid system that works perfectly to give good economy plus very lively performance – enough to take you to around 105 mph.
Driving in a relaxed way I found that I could achieve the claimed 58.8mpg overall. And because this advanced hybrid system doesn’t pollute much either, aspiring to a cleanliness close to Godliness. I thought how better by far than trailing wires and drinking endless cups of coffee while you wait for your battery pack to come back to life.
Here we have a car that is sufficient for all sensible needs – and the suppleness of a well balanced chassis and suspension set up lets it ride the bumps while clinging to the bends in a confident manner. It makes for safer motoring in that the driver feels relaxed but at the same time fully engaged with the kinetic satisfaction derived from being in control of sophisticated engineering.
And so, I enquired of the passenger companions of my social bubble to whit: the woman formerly known as Boadicea, plus a dog, how they were fairing. Were they comfortable? Were they enjoying the smoothness of the journey? The canine said it all with an emphatic ‘Bow WOW!’
Leaving the motorway and encountering excessively narrow and winding Dorsetshire lanes, we eventually hit the coast and the all-embracing splendour of Weymouth Bay.
Before parking – something I was in fact reluctant to do not on account of parking expense but rather owing to a wish to prolong the pleasure of Juke motoring. We took a turn along the road running parallel to the promenade.
On the sea horizon were parked ‘vehicles’ of a different sort: cruise liners at anchor like giant monoliths to frozen time. A sinister reminder of the current climate of fear. Catching sight of these vessels made me grip the wheel harder as if to confirm my own satisfaction that the ‘here and now’ still retains promise. Promise in the shape of the new generation of revolutionary technologies from Nissan.
