So once again Hertz at LHR interpret the Focus/Astra class of car a little creatively... Is a Juke really supposed to compete in this class?
Anyway, only 370 miles on the clock on a Juke diesel with a "Pure Power" badge on the tailgate. What the heck?! 5 days and 600 miles later and I'm quite smitten - even the brave looks are growing on me (guess you can't see it from the inside). Nippy enough, although I constantly seem to be changing the six-speed manual gearbox. Block changes friom 4th up to 6th seem to be the lazy way to go. Other random thoughts:
No stop/start function which seems a surprising omission?
Very impressed with the easy to use in-dash sat nav...
Got a reversing camera, but no reversing sensors which seems odd?
No spare wheel, but still got a false boot floor that hides huge cubby space underneath and serves to make the boot look tiny;
No 4WD of course, but the higher ground clearance might be of value if the surface flooding gets any worse ;-)
Computer says its doing 52mpg. Seems reasonable?
As an aside, not seen too many other Jukes on England's roads this week, but Qashqais seem plentiful?
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>> As an aside, not seen too many other Jukes on England's roads this week
Seen several on the steets of Oxfordshire. The styling is growing on me.
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I know I keep harping on about this but what's the point of having six gears and missing some out because you feel you don't need them? Why not just have four or even three (as was sometimes the case in the 80s) and an 'overdrive'? Six - and more - speed gearboxes are the marketing con of the century so far.
Incidentally, my sister had a Juke - she wanted to move on from her BMW Cooper - and liked it very much.
Last edited by: Mike Hannon on Fri 6 Jul 12 at 12:45
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I've started to quite like them too I'm afraid...
Still not sure I could actually do it though. Bit like having a short word starting with "K" and ending with "B" tattooed on your forehead !
:-))
Edit - or is that Audis?
Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Fri 6 Jul 12 at 12:51
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>>I've started to quite like them too I'm afraid...
I've not warmed to them yet, although they are easier on the eye than the Cube. However, much to my surprise, I'm beginning to like the look of the Evoque. I spotted one last week in metallic grey. Very smart, indeed.
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I'm starting to like Evoques too. Bit of a worry that to be honest.Perhaps it'll pass. Like athlete's foot.
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>> I know I keep harping on about this but what's the point of having six
>> gears and missing some out because you feel you don't need them? Why not just
>> have four or even three (as was sometimes the case in the 80s) and an
>> 'overdrive'?
Quite simple; so that you have enough choices of ratio to run the engine at optimum revs; what in lorrydriver-speak we call the "green band" on the rev counter. It encourages the driver to use less fuel, and makes hill climbing easier.
With the greater choice of ratios you don't have to lug the engine in too high a gear, or rev the nuts off it in too low.
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>> Why not just have four or even three (as was sometimes the case in the 80s) and an
>> 'overdrive'?
>>
Best solution I ever experienced was the "real" Overdrive in the MGB. Four gears with O/D on 3rd and top. O/D 3rd is within spit of top, but a shade lower. Flicking the switch between 3rd and O/D 3rd takes a lot of the effort out of driving around town or on country lanes.
Later models with the O/D switch set in the top of the gear lever knob are rather better for this.
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>> As an aside, not seen too many other Jukes on England's roads this week, but
>> Qashqais seem plentiful?
Probably because Qashqai introduced 2007, Juke 2010.
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Brilliant little car, espeaiclly with the turbo.
SFAIK, the 4Wd is only available in automatic. Blame the US market.
I had one for a week last year and put it through its paces.
One downfall - a very small tank, so limited range on the long trips.
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I could live with a Duke, I'd rather drive a jamjar that looked wonkey but drove well, than the other way around.
I couldn't live with a white one though, even for free!
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Couple in the car park at work. I kind of want to like them, but cant quite get over the looks.
I'd have an Evoque though
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>> but cant quite get over the looks.
+1
The parking lights look like eyebrows over bruised eye sockets (= headlamps).
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Im certainly a fan of the styling, they draw the eye in a world of fairly bland boxes, I just hope they are better built than the Qashqai which ive cleaned a few of now and notable for bits hanging off and excessively worn interiors for somewhat moderate miles.
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>>I just hope they are better built than the Qashqai which ive cleaned a few of now and notable for bits hanging off and excessively worn interiors for somewhat moderate miles<<
That's a shame, and HJ mentions "some quality problems", my 05 Almera which I owned for 4.5 years (a long time for me!) was ace in every way while I owned it, given no problems whatsoever.
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I thought it looked initially quite nice but mouldings were falling off, lots of clips seemed to break on trim and the quality of the interior trim is very shoddy, the drivers seat on a 30k example looked like it had done 130k, coming away at the seams. I suppose if you lie down with Renault, bits fall off :-)
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I never had any quality problems with Nissan, which is one of the reasons that I was happy to drive them for years.
They seem to have shunned the mainstream market in recent years, deciding that the competition was to cut-throat to make decent margins, and concentrated on a number of successful niche models - the star being the Qashqai.
Given my past contentment with owning the brand, I feel just a bit sad that I can't raise any enthusiasm for the current range of Nissans at all. Very good cars, certainly, but they are just too "niche" for me. :-(
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I think I read somewhere that since the tie up between Renault and Nissan, Renault's quality and reliability had improved and Nissan's had fallen with both brands now being fairly similar
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The styling is just a little too far into the "challenging" category for me, although I don't doubt it drives well. Renault diesels are also peachy smooth and quiet.
My biggest concern would be reliability. My in-laws Qashqai wasn't good enough in this respect.
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Well I publicly came out on here when it was let loose not he streets, and said I liked it. I still do. You will all come round in the end.
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>> You will all come round in the end.
>>
Care for a small wager on that? *Wink* *Smiley*
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Well, in fairness, as mentioned elsewhere, I never imagined for one moment that I'd be taken with a C-Max for example. Just not my sort of thing I'd have thought. But, having lived with one for a few days last week, I'd happily trot around in one if circs dictated.
I'd possibly like a Juke too. When I'm old enough for a small Japanese car I might buy one. On the other hand, I might equally buy a a Golf GTi, or another Westfield or...
As an aside. Could I ask a favour of the forum? If I ever start praising or considering Micras or anything Korean will someone arrange to have me humanely put down please?
:-))
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>> If I ever start
>> praising or considering Micras or anything Korean will someone arrange to have me humanely put
>> down please?
Locally, I'd take the Kia and Hyundai, with 5yr/100 000km warranty and free servicing, at a 10% less, but with 10% (of purchase price) worth of extras, every day of the week.
EG: for the price of a 1.6 corolla I can get a 1.8 Elantra, with all the bells and whistles, which would cost another $$$ if I specced it for the corrola.
Last week drove a Chev Sonic. (Aveo2 to you). Why would I bother with this POS for R180K when I could buy a Hyundai Accent, better put together, better warranty, more kit, for R30K less?
The Chev has been 'out' here for months. I've seen one of them on the road. With Durban plates. I'm convinced it was a rental.
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>>Could I ask a favour of the forum? Will someone arrange to have me humanely put down please?
>>
It will be a pleasure.
Can I have your car? What is it BTW?
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>> What is it BTW?
Now come along, Duncan, we all know the answer to that question...
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>> Well, in fairness, as mentioned elsewhere, I never imagined for one moment that I'd be
>> taken with a C-Max for example. Just not my sort of thing I'd have thought.
>> But, having lived with one for a few days last week, I'd happily trot around
>> in one if circs dictated.
>>
Yours and Nick's experience just shows how manufacturers should more readily make extended test drives available. No problem if you're a company car driver - Mercedes UK registered a car for me to test, then drove it 200 miles to my house.
Last edited by: Bill Payer on Sun 8 Jul 12 at 11:49
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I think the problem lies in that there are many people who use extended test drives as a free hire car to go and visit Aunt Maude 200 miles away with of intention of buying one.
Its one of the few times I feel a slight sympathy towards dealers!
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>> I think the problem lies in that there are many people who use extended test
>> drives as a free hire car to go and visit Aunt Maude 200 miles away
>> with of intention of buying one.
>>
>> Its one of the few times I feel a slight sympathy towards dealers!
Pffttt never happens.
Well only a bit, I only ever did it a couple of times, and only one was a long weekend away.
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I used to work for a very large company which had a huge company car and other vehicle fleet. So much so they had their own garage on the head office site with servicing facilities and even petrol / diesel pumps.
There was a guy who was the full time manager of the garage and who doubled as the company fleet manager.
Car dealerships and indeed sometimes brands would do everything in their power to curry favour with him and often he had several "demonstrators" left for extended "assessment".
It became quite normal to nip in on a Friday afternoon to see what he had kicking about which might be fun for a weekend...
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Arrived at LHR yesterday ourselves and were given a Juke instead of the booked Astra by Hertz. This one is a 1.6 Petrol 5spd in a reasonable trim level (has satnav and a reverse camera). Initial impressions are very favourable except for the small / inconveniently shaped boot. There is a 12"deep area of wasted space below the false boot floor with a partitioned tray in it. Means you can't fit 2 medium cases in without dropping one of the seats - pointless when without this daft tray they'd fit fine.
Otherwise, seems to go reasonably well, is quiet and refined on the motorway and has decent enough trim (albeit a bit low-rent compared to a VW Golf). The reverse camera is actually very good - I've only had reverse parking sensors before.
Only gripe is that I'd contend it's smaller than an Astra, Hertz at LHR seem to rent some odd stuff these days and run cars until they're knackered rather than cycling them at 6 months / 13K miles - have observed a few with barely legal tyres of late and many are quite tatty - a sign of the economic times I guess ?
Additionally, when manufacturers sell their cars to the fleets I have to assume that retail sales are not strong which means that a Juke will have poor residuals I'd perhaps ?
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Maybe, but at a guess, the residual value of a Juke might be better than that of an Astra. I know that if I announced to my wife that I'd bought her an ex-hire, 6 month old Astra she'd be pleased but if I'd got her a Juke I'd be a hero. For a day or two anyway...
Odd coves women...
:-)
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>> Only gripe is that I'd contend it's smaller than an Astra, Hertz at LHR seem
>> to rent some odd stuff these days and run cars until they're knackered rather than
>> cycling them at 6 months / 13K miles - have observed a few with barely
>> legal tyres of late and many are quite tatty - a sign of the economic
>> times I guess ?
>>
>> Additionally, when manufacturers sell their cars to the fleets I have to assume that retail
>> sales are not strong which means that a Juke will have poor residuals I'd perhaps
>> ?
Our company contract used to be with Hertz - often got cars that were unrelated to the booked group, but often better. I remember for a period you nearly always got a Mondeo ST220.
We use Europcar now and the guy in our office told me that they always give you a carp car if its a one way hire to get it off their hands. They give the newest / decent stuff to rentals being returned to the same office
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>> Our company contract used to be with Hertz - often got cars that were unrelated
>> to the booked group, but often better. I remember for a period you nearly always
>> got a Mondeo ST220.
>>
One of my collegues based in Germany booked a Focus sized car from Hertz at LHR and was given a Mercedes GL (that's the 7 seater US built SUV). The staff were oddly insistant that he should take the full accidental damage waiver.
He wasn't that thrilled as he had to drive it through central London. He was less thrilled when he came to pick me up in it and pointed out the near-side was scuffed from front to back. Methinks the Hertz staff had done it.
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>> He wasn't that thrilled as he had to drive it through central London. He was
>> less thrilled when he came to pick me up in it and pointed out the
>> near-side was scuffed from front to back. Methinks the Hertz staff had done it.
>>
Didn't he check it when he picked it up?
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>> Didn't he check it when he picked it up?
>>
Yes, but he's blind. His guide dog should have noticed, but they don't train 'em like they used to. :rolleyes:
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Had the Juke for 20 days. It never missed a beat, probably managed low 40s mpg in mixed motoring (computer suggested mid thirties over some extended period as we didn't reset it).
Sat nav was great, reverse camera was great, had ample power but lacked torque (SWMBO likes turbo-diesels or turbo-petrols and tends to change up early).
The ride is good and it cruises quietly, the faux-4x4 setup gives a good ride height but is pointless given that it's 2wd.
Interior space is OK as is the trim although I must single out the boot for criticism, the shape and ludicrous undertray render it useless, can only fit a single suitcase without lowering the seats whilst 12" or more of depth is wasted since there's no spare wheel - worst of both worlds.
Now the styling.... I never got used to it, whilst it stands out in a car park it's for the wrong reasons, it's ugly from any angle - worse from some than others IMHO (or course).
So, rent one if you haven't got much luggage, buy one if you haven't much taste perhaps ?
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Yep, the boot configuration was a total waste of space - literally.
The trip computer offered up a reading of 52mpg - good job too because the fuel tank was barely 40 litres and required too-regular fill-ups.
Oh, and Hertz have surcharged me an additional 70 quid without explanation or a final invoice... wtf?
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I've forgotten what Jukes look like now. Sort of cube, fashionably asymmetrical here and there? Something like that. Looked all right to me.
Small cars usually have flimsy trim. But I hated the six-speed gearbox in my sister's Grande Punto diesel and didn't get used to it. It didn't seem necessary and the ratios weren't right. Five correct ratios are what you want, but that would mean making lots of slight variations on the same five-speed gearbox for different petrol and diesel engined variants of the model. More expensive perhaps than the same six-speeder some of whose ratios will often seem more or less all right: good enough for the punters.
I guess lots of people probably buy the idea that more is better, when what you need is correct rather than more.
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>> I guess lots of people probably buy the idea that more is better, when what
>> you need is correct rather than more.
Sums up the modern car very well AC. Do the people want more though, or is it hoisted on them by the manufacturers?
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>> Got a reversing camera, but no reversing sensors which seems odd?
If it's anything like the Prius, as you can see exactly where the back end is in relation to everything around it, that would be very much a belt and braces thing.
If it's anything like the Prius in other respects, looking behind is pointless as the view provided isn't a patch on that given by the fisheye lens on the screen.
Last edited by: VxFan on Wed 1 Aug 12 at 10:49
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And in the Prius, of course, you (I) don't do any of all that palaver. Just touch the screen where you want it to park itself and let it get on with it.
Mind you, when I drive other cars there's a moment of panic when I have to use a "mirror" again, so it's not all roses.
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Was the Juke design based on a juke box?
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Nissan Juke - Impressed! - VxFan
