Nissan’s Juke crossover is not of the most appealing cars launched by the Japanese automaker but things are about to change now that the hotter Nismo version has made its public debut at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. At the heart of this new model is a potent 1.6-liter direct-injection turbocharged gasoline engine borrowed from the former flagship DiG-T model, capable of producing 197 hp at 6,000 rpm and a peak torque of 250 Nm available between 2,400 rpm and 4,800 rpm.
It’s actually 9 hp and 10 Nm more powerful than the aforementioned DiG-T version. It will be offered either as a 2WD or a 4WD model, with the latter getting as standard a CVT gearbox.
The two-wheel drive version needs 7.8 seconds to complete the 0-62 mph sprint and it will keep on going until it hits a maximum speed of 134 mph. As for its 4WD counterpart, this one does the sprint in 8.2 seconds and reaches 124 mph. Even though there’s a more potent engine under the hood, Nissan promises that the CO2 and fuel economy figures “are expected to be unaffected.”
The changes don’t end here as the Juke Nismo features a retuned chassis, while the spring rates have been increased by 10%. In addition, the steering system and the dampers have suffered further modifications, while on the outside we notice that there’s a new bodykit that includes redesigned front + rear bumpers, sill side skirts and wider wings.
Nissan has fitted this hotter Juke with 18-inch alloys wrapped around in 225/45 R18 performance rubbers. Moving inside the cabin there are new sports seats, gauges, pedals, steering wheel, door trims and a revised gear knob. The door and steering wheel surfaces, along with the seating area, have been trimmed in Alcantara with red stitching.
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