Nissan Juke Tekna+ ticks all the right boxes – the boys in Sunderland nailed it

IT’S rare to find a new car that trumps the last model in every single way – there’s normally something you miss from the old one.

Quite often I yearn for tactile buttons which you can actually press, as more and more manufacturers “declutter” cabins by stuffing all the controls into touchscreen devices which could confuse a computer science graduate from Cambridge.

But with the new Juke, Nissan has improved its compact SUV in every single way.

I drove this car on the international launch, but let’s be honest, when you’re driving on the marble-topped roads of Spain, it’s not a true test for a car which is beloved by Brits.

No, it needs a week or two negotiating pockmarked B-roads and war-zone town centres before we can really judge it.

The old Juke was a car which didn’t make a lot of sense. It had the styling of a large SUV, yet the cabin was as cramped as Saddam Hussein’s last hideout.

The engines were flabby, the driving position awkward, no matter how much you mucked about with the seat, and the automatic option was a woeful, wailing CVT. Legroom in the back has now

been bolstered by a healthy 58mm, largely thanks to the wheelbase being stretched by 105mm, and there’s an extra 11mm of headroom.

The numbers might not sound much, but it makes all the difference in the world. Compared to the last Juke, it felt like I had upgraded from a tuk-tuk to an ocean liner.

The driving experience, too, is now good enough to position the Juke in the top echelons of the class. The 1-litre turbo petrol is gutsy and capable around town, especially if mated to the DCT seven-speed automatic ’box.

With the six-speed manual, you have to wring its neck to keep the revs up but for the market the Juke is aimed for, there’s enough here.

Again, unlike the old model, the Juke now corners with purpose and offers plenty of grip and it handles bumpy ground without much complaint on 17in wheels. I wouldn’t go bigger. I’m pleased to say the dreaded infotainment system has a cluster of shortcut buttons beneath it, but it’s let down by its low resolution screen and slow-to-respond functionality.

And while the higher-spec Jukes do a good job of convincing you of their class with swathes of soft-touch fabrics, it doesn’t take long before you encounter some scratchy, cheap feeling plastic.

But for a solid family car starting at less than £18,000, what would you expect?

Nissan had a job on its hands, bringing the Juke up to speed with what is now a crowded segment, but the boys in Sunderland have nailed it.

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