2011 Nissan Juke details, specs spilled ahead of New York intro

NewsFeeder · March 30, 2010

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Budget, Crossover, Nissan

2011 Nissan Juke - click above for high-res image gallery

Nissan's new-for-2011 Juke is set to make its North American debut at tomorrow's New York Auto Show, and the small crossover's polarizing moon-buggy styling is sure to set tongues wagging, just as it did during its global premiere at the Geneva Motor Show. Having seen this vehicle in person already, we can tell you that its "Baby Predator" front end takes some getting used to, but it all comes together better than expected, and the interior seems surprisingly roomy and well-resolved.

Much smaller in person than one might think, the curvy ute is significantly shorter than vehicles like Honda's CR-V and Toyota's RAV4 - it's even shorter than the new Hyundai Tucson and Nissan's own Rogue, not to mention the likes of Mitsubishi's Outlander Sport (itself another NY debut). The closest competitor we can think of is Suzuki's SX4 crossover, which is, believe it or not, actually longer than the Juke. In the end, we fully expect it to be cross-shopped with more conventional hatchbacks (Mazda3), as well as 'box cars' like the Kia Soul.

Featuring the first application of Nissan's 1.6-liter direct injected four-cylinder turbo in North America, it will be available with torque vectoring all-wheel drive, so it might just be the driver's car of the bunch, too. Featuring "180+ horsepower" and 170+ lb-ft of torque," it will be available in both six-speed manual form with a CVT unit with a sport setting. Unfortunately, the three-pedal setup will only be available in front-drive SV and SL trim, however. That torque-vectoring system? It defaults to a 50:50 front-to-rear split, but it can push power from side-to-side along the rear axle when situations warrant.

No official pricing has been revealed yet, but Nissan promises that the Juke will start at "just under $20,000." Want to learn more? Check out our high-res gallery below and the official press releases and spec sheet after the jump.

Gallery: Nissan Juke

[source: Nissan]

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2011 Nissan Juke details, specs spilled ahead of New York intro originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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