US-Spec Nissan Juke Debuts at NY Auto Show

31 March, 2010 06:15:00

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US-spec 2011 Nissan Joke has made its North American entrance outside of Rockefeller Center in New York on Tuesday night.

The JUKE, which Nissan is calling a sport crossover, had its world debut a few weeks ago at the Geneva auto show.

No official pricing has been revealed yet, but Nissan promises that the JUKE will start at just under $20,000 when it goes on sale at Nissan dealers nationwide in the fall of 2010.

The U.S.-spec vehicle will be virtually identical to its Euro-spec twin.

Along with its bold design inside and out, which draws on a number of active lifestyle influences including motorcycles and rally cars, JUKE brings unexpected levels of performance from a 1.6-liter Direct Injection Gasoline (DIG™) turbo engine and an advanced torque vectoring all-wheel drive (AWD) system with performance technology usually reserved for premium vehicles.

The JUKE interior offers bolstered front seats and a center console inspired by a motorcycle fuel tank and finished in a two-coat high-gloss paint. The gearshift sits on top of the console, with a short shifter lever for sporty driving. In the rear, a fold-down 60/40-split bench seat and flat load floor provide passenger and cargo hauling flexibility.

Available features range from leather-appointed seats and RearView Monitor to Nissan Intelligent Key™ with Push Button Ignition, navigation system with real-time traffic information and power sliding moonroof. A long list of standard safety features is also available, including six air bags, Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) and Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC).

Powering JUKE is a standard 1.6-liter Direct Injection Gasoline (DIG™) Turbo, 16-valve DOHC aluminum-alloy inline 4-cylinder engine rated at 180+ horsepower and 170+ lb-ft of torque. The engine, the first application in North America, combines energetic performance and good fuel economy. Two transmissions are offered – Nissan’s advanced Xtronic CVT™ (Continuously Variable Transmission) with S-Mode and a 6-speed manual transmission (SV FWD and SL FWD models only).

JUKE’s torque vectoring AWD system splits torque up to 50:50 between the front and rear wheels and can also can split torque from side-to-side across the rear axle. When cornering, the system helps reduce understeer and enhance the vehicle’s cornering feel.

Another new-to-Nissan technology debuting on JUKE is the innovative Integrated Control (I-CON) system. The I-CON system functions in one setting as a controller for the automatic climate control system, and in the other offers a drive mode selector with three different throttle/transmission (CVT)/steering response settings – Normal for everyday driving, Sport for a more intense performance feel and Eco for maximum efficiency.

I-CON also serves as a central command center and display module, adopting different display colors and functions depending on how it is being used. In Climate mode, the display shows the interior temperature settings while the “buttons” display air flow preferences. In the “D-Mode,” the buttons change to the three driving modes and the display shows engine and drive related dials and information.

Check out the rest of our New York Auto Show coverage.

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