Nissan Juke Hatchback

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The Nissan Juke is both a friend and foe of the automotive industry.

On the one hand, it’s carved open a market for people who aspire to lease an SUV, taking full advantage of the noughties’ obsession with the infamous Chelsea Tractor.

However, it’s also responsible for the demise of the traditional family hatchback, which took large slices of the saloon and estate markets with it.

To hold the Juke solely responsible is overstating it somewhat – Nissan wasn’t the only manufacturer designing a small SUV at the time, even if it was the first to launch it.

However, it’s widely credited with the genesis of what became a seismic shift in customer leasing and buying habits. This caused more and more manufacturers to follow, resulting in the masses deciding to try out an SUV crossover.

Despite its divisive styling, the Juke was a massive hit – and it’s gone from strength to strength since.

Now in its second generation, the Juke is based on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi CMF-B platform. Nissan has given the Juke a mid-life facelift, offering numerous upgrades to fix some of its perceived weaknesses.

We have taken one for a spin to see what it’s like.